What palm produces ivory?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

May 13, 2004

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The taguas or ivory palms belong to the Phytelephantoideae, one of six subfamilies of the Arecaceae (Palmae). There are three genera, Aphandra with one species, Ammandra with two species, and Phytelephas with several species (taxonomic authorities do not agree on the number). Taguas are native to southern Panama, northwestern South America, and the western Amazon. These palms are most frequently found growing on moist alluvial soils in stands called taguales [tah gwa lays].

The Phytelephas are the best known of the taguas. Seeds of the palm or "tagua nuts" take months or, reportedly, even a year or longer to germinate. The palms are slow to mature and do not begin flowering until about 15 years of age.
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But once they start, the palms flower year round and can produce nuts for the next 100 years.

Taguas are dioecious, bearing inflorescences of staminate or pistillate flowers on separate plants. The staminate (male) flowers are small and borne in clusters of four flowers with several hundred clusters spirally arranged along the peduncle (flower stalk). Each of the male flowers has five- to seven-hundred stamens.

Twenty or so pistillate (female) flowers are borne on short peduncles with the flowers arranged at the end of the inflorescence. Each female flower has long sepals and a pistil with five stigmas. If the flowers are pollinated, a globular cluster of fifteen or more, cone-shaped fruits form. The woody fruits are spiny and usually have five large (2.5 to 5 centimeter) seeds apiece. The nuts are protected by a brown seed coat and a hard outer shell.

According to Rodrigo G. Bernal and Gloria Galeano of the FAO, the endosperm (nutritive portion) of the tagua nut is composed of long chain polysaccharides (mannan A and B), cellulose, and other cell contents. The immature tagua nuts have a clear liquid endosperm. As the seed matures, the endosperm jells. When fully mature and dried, the endosperm is white and hard.

The endosperm is what gave the palm its name, Phytelephas. The name was constructed from the Greek phyton "plant" and the Latin elephas "elephant". The endosperm looks and carves like ivory. Two species, Phytelephas aequatorialis Spruce and P. macrocarpa Ruiz & Pavon produced most of the "vegetable ivory" used to make chess pieces, dominoes, dice, thimbles, and buttons before the advent of plastics. Unlike elephant ivory, the palm ivory softens when immersed in water and hardens when dried. If left in water for a long time, it simply dissolves away.

Robert "Grandpa" Spragg has a unique hobby--woodturning items from tagua nuts. To view photographs of his beautiful miniatures, click on the link:

http://home.att.net/~rspragg/taguajpg.html

(Compiled from: A Guide to Palms and Cycads of the World, Lynette Stewart, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1994; Hortus Third, Staff, L.H. Bailey Hortorium, Cornell University, 1977; "Tagua", Bernal and Galeano, FAO, United Nations; Composition of Scientific Words, R.W. Brown, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991; "Ivory", Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911)

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Wollemi Pine

National Geographic®

Exclusively from National Geographic, this survivor from the age of the dinosaurs is one of the greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century. The Wollemi pine is one of the world's oldest and rarest tree species, belonging to a 200-million-year-old plant family thought to have been extinct for more than two million years. Previously known only from fossil records, it was presumed extinct until a single tree was found in the Wollemi National Park, Australia, in 1994. Subsequent research discovered 100 adult trees that have survived in a single canyon in this wild and rugged area. Click here to view canyon, trees and fossil record.

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In association with National Geographic, Novica today serves as an online arts agent for more than 1,700 artists in countries around the world. Visitors to the Novica Web site can read about the artists, explore their cultures, view photographs of their work and select from more than 8,500 handcrafted works.

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Palm leaf basket, 'Diamonds Forever'

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Rhombus motifs alternate in expressions of russet and white, resulting in a hypnotic basket infused with the mystique of Balinese design. Desak Putu Rai works the lontar (“palm leaf”) with a harmonious combination of dexterity and creativity, as the natural wonders surrounding her prove to be a never-ending source of inspiration. Teak leaf provides the black color, while clay is used to achieve brown tones. Each basket can take up to seven days to finish - a lengthy process enjoyed most when able to chat and share stories with her fellow weavers. Makes a functional and aesthetically captivating addition to the home décor. Click here for sale price and more info.

The Aymara live in a land of rich and deep cultural traditions, and like many of Bolivia's indigenous peoples are direct descendants of the pre-Inca Tiwanaku culture.

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