Prestoea acuminata var. montana (vernacular English: Sierran palm;[2][3] vernacular Spanish: palma de sierra[4]) is a perennialpalm in the family Arecaceae.
Description
A palm with a thin and tall stipe and a uniform diameter, reaching heights of 45 feet.
Generally found in mountains of up to 1,300 feet (400 m) high.[5] It grows in the forest of creeks in the mountains, and on the steep slopes of the highest peaks in Puerto Rico. It is also found in Toro Negro State Forest, in the Puerto Rico Cordillera Central.[4] According to studies in the Luquillo Mountains, this palm also is associated with landslides.[6]
Prestoea: generic name in honor of Henry Prestoe (1842–1923), English botanist and traveler, who collected the plant in Trinidad.[9] montana: from the Latin, meaning "from the mountain".[10]
Gallery
Prestoea acuminata var. montana forest in Toro Negro
Prestoea acuminata var. montana among trees, El Yunque
Prestoea acuminata var. montana on the banks of a creek, El Yunque
Roots of Prestoea acuminata var. montana in El Yunque
^Miner Solá, E. Árboles de Puerto Rico y exóticos. Puerto Rico. 3rd edition. ISBN0-9633435-8-0. 2000.
^Guariguata, M.R. (1990). "Landslide disturbance and forest regeneration in the Upper Luquillo mountains of Puerto Rico". Journal of Ecology. 78 (3): 814–832. doi:10.2307/2260901. JSTOR2260901.
^Mowbray, Alan M. 2002. Bosque Nacional del Caribe Guía Interpretativa de Palo Colorado. Puerto Rico:Servicio Forestal de los Estados Unidos, Bosque Nacional del Caribe
^John Dransfield, Natalie Uhl, Conny Asmussen-Lange, William Baker, Madeline Harley and Carl Lewis. Genera Palmarum: The Evolution and Classification of Palms. Published by Kew, in association with the International Palm Society and the L.H. Bailey Hortorium, Cornell University. August 2008.
Anonymous. 1986. List-Based Rec., Soil Conservation Service, U.S.D.A. Database of the U.S.D.A., Beltsville.
T. J. Killeen, E. García Estigarribia & S. G. Beck. (eds.) 1993. Guía Árb. Bolivia 1–958. Herbario Nacional de Bolivia & Missouri Botanical Garden. Editorial Quipus srl., La Paz, Bolivia. 1993.