Basselinia gracilis

Description

A highly variable palm, Basselinia gracilis is usually a clustering palm relatively small in stature. Leaves may be entirely pinnate or as simple as just bifid. Pinnate varieties exibit few leaflets that are a bit cupped and slightly "S" shaped. The crownshaft may exibit many colors including grey, purple, yellow, green & orange accented w/ black spots. Small palm stem simple, or more often in tufts of 2-8 stems repeated, up to 8 m with a trunk 1 to 10 cm in diam. cicatrices visible leaf separated by internodes to 3 cm. Leaves 5 ​​to 11 per crown, ascending and spreading, 9 to 120 cm long, bearing 15 February quills more or less stiff, divided or not, variable in shape; sheath of 9-45 cm long, densely covered with scales dark purple or blackish outside, yellow, orange or orange-red within. Phenology (flower) 1 to 3 inflorecences present at different stages of maturation on one stem, erect or pendulous, from 11 to 42 cm long, with 9-13 branches, more or less densely covered with brown or reddish scales. fruits Fruit dark red to black when mature, spherical, 5-6 mm in diam., With the stigmatic residue offset laterally in the upper third; seeds globose. Editing by edric.