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Aiphanes acaulis is a spiny palm endemic to western Colombia. It is acaulescent, as the specific epithet "acaulis" implies, – that is, the stem is short to the extent that it is difficult to see at all, and mostly subterranean. Plants have 8 to 10 leaves which are up to 1.5 metres (5 feet) long. The flowers are purple and are borne on an erect inflorescence.
Aiphanes acaulis is known from two small populations in the Chocó Department in western Colombia. It is found at wet lowland to premontane forest at an elevation of 150–700 m (500–2300') above sea level. The species is relatively new to science—a description of the species was first published in 1985, based on specimens collected in 1980. The species is similar in appearance to A. spicata, which is the only other acaulescent species of Aiphanes.
Aiphanes argos · Aiphanes bicornis · Aiphanes palm · Aiphanes deltoidea · Aiphanes duquei · Aiphanes eggersii · Aiphanes palm · Aiphanes hirsuta · Ruffle Palm · Aiphanes leiostachys · Aiphanes lindeniana · Aiphanes linearis
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aiphanes acaulis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
