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Panama-hat family
Cyclanthaceae Poit. ex A.Rich.
パナマソウ科
A monocot family distributed in Central and South American tropical rainforests. Approximately 12 genera and 230 species are known. Famous for Carludovica palmata (Panama hat palm), whose leaves are the raw material for Panama hats. Leaves are large, fan-shaped or bifid, resembling those of palms.
Key Characteristics
- ●Leaves large, fan-shaped or bifid, with a palm-like appearance
- ●Monoecious, flowers densely packed in a spadix
- ●Distinctive inflorescence with male and female flowers alternately arranged
- ●Fruits aggregate into fleshy multiple fruits
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple / Compound
Venation
Pinnate / Palmate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Herb / Vine
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Compound type
Palmate
Leaf dissection
Dissected / Undivided
Latex
Present / Absent
Petal count
4 petals
Ovary position
Inferior / Half-inferior
Plant sex
Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Monocots > Pandanales > Cyclanthaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (ca. 80 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Adaptation to tropical rainforest floors within the Pandanales lineage
- ・Convergent evolution of large, palm-like leaves
Plants in Panama-hat family on this site
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