Serra da Estrela: Palms ID Wanted!

[Pal Meir]

I found in photos of the habitat of Lytocaryum weddellianum two palms which I can not identify though I have some guesses. These photos were taken by M. Britto in 2012 in Serra da Estrela of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. I add to the photo details showing the palms in question the links to the original photos.

(1) http://www.panoramio.com/photo/68837344

(2) http://www.panoramio.com/photo/68837562

[Alberto]

The photos are not clear but the first palm palm looks like a Geonoma (Euterpe?) and the 2nd somewhat to a young Astrocaryum.

[Pal Meir]

The photos are not clear but the first palm palm looks like a Geonoma (Euterpe?) and the 2nd somewhat to a young Astrocaryum.

Multo obrigado, I think you are correct.

I also guessed that the 1st palm might be a Geonoma schottiana, though the leaves look very Euterpe like. But an Euterpe (here only: edulis) it can’t be, because of the missing crown shaft. (The photo was taken on an altitude of 950 m.)

If the 2nd palm is an Astrocaryum, then it has to be – according to Lorenzi et al. 2004 – an A. aculeatissimum, the only A. ocurring naturally in RJ. As this plant on the photo (at 700 m) was still young I couldn’t identify it. The photos in my palm books show only large adult plants.