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Issue: Vol. 739 No. 1: 23 Jan. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-01-23
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.739.1.5
Page range: 83-93
Abstract views: 344
PDF downloaded: 290

Attalea taam—a new palm species well known by the Cacua Indigenous people

Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
Indigenous community of Wacará, Vaupés, Colombia
Indigenous community of Wacará, Vaupés, Colombia
Indigenous community of Wacará, Vaupés, Colombia
Indigenous community of Wacará, Vaupés, Colombia
Indigenous community of Wacará, Vaupés, Colombia
Laboratorio de Ecología, Programa de Biología Aplicada, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Cajicá, Colombia
Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
Amazon Colombia participatory research taxonomy traditional knowledge Monocots

Abstract

We describe, illustrate, and map Attalea taam, a new palm (Arecaceae) species from the Colombian Amazon that the Indigenous Cacua people eat and call “táam”. Attalea taam is characterized by the combination of aerial stems with well-marked orange-brown ring-shaped leaf scars, staminate flowers with three stamens with straight anthers and spatulate petals with trichomes in clusters on the adaxial side and ribbed abaxially, and endocarps lacking fibres as seen in a cross-section. It is a dominant canopy species that is key to Cacua food security. Beyond describing a new species, we also extend the known distribution ranges for two Attalea species: A. insignis (“béi” in Cacua) and A. septuagenata (“tah”). Ultimately, our work highlights how participatory research with local communities accelerates taxonomy, knowledge transmission, and promotes equitable and plural science in megadiverse regions.

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How to Cite

Copete, J.C., López-Pérez, S., López-Gallego, J.C.., López-Navarro, D., Pavón, H., López, L., Isaza, C., Balslev, H. & Cámara-Leret, R. (2026) Attalea taam—a new palm species well known by the Cacua Indigenous people. Phytotaxa 739 (1): 83–93. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.739.1.5