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Ptychococcus is a monoecious genus of flowering plant in the palm family from New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. They are closely related to Ptychosperma, only differentiated by the seed shape and endocarp type. The name is a combination of the Greek for "fold" and the Latin for "berry".
Only P. paradoxus is cultivated with any regularity, though it is relatively uncommon. They are tender to cold, need quickly draining soil and generous amounts of water. In the New Guinea highlands, the trunks of P. lepidotus are used in construction or cut into 2 m strips and carved into bows; smaller pieces are fashioned into arrows and arrow heads.
In New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, they are found in a variety of settings and at various elevations. Growing in rocky or mountainous rain forest, in rain forest low lands, and alongside rivers, they are not particular to soil type. P. lepidotus grows high, to 3000 m, not preferring truly tropical conditions.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ptychococcus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
