BOTANICAL MUSEUM LEAFLETS 



HARVARD UNIVERSITY 



Cambridge, Massachusetts Si'mmhr 1985 Vol. 30 No. 3 



INDIGENOUS PALM FLORA OF "LAS GAVIOl 

 COLOMBIA, INCLUDING OBSERVATIONS ON 



LOCAL NAMES AND USES 



MlC HAEL J. BALICK 



This flora describes the palms found in the gallery forests of 

 "Las Gaviotas," Colombia, located in the Comisaria del 

 Vichada. The region is of interest for three major reasons. 

 Firstly, its plants are typical of the Orinoco drainage area of the 

 Colombian Llanos, which serves as a bridge between the Amaz- 

 onian and Orinoco floras. Secondly, the actual site of "Las 

 Gaviotas" is an experimental center for, among other things, 

 developing technologies for colonization of the Llanos. Lastly, 

 the palms play an important role in the everyday lives of the 

 Guahibo Indians inhabiting this territory. This ethnobotanical 

 usage has been discussed in detail in another paper (Balick, 



1980a). 

 A number of other palm species are found in gallery forests 



and open savannas of the vast Llanos region of Colombia and 



Venezuela. The present work is, therefore, intended as a basis 



for comparative studies, as well as a foundation upon which 



further botanical studies may be carried out. 



Botanical Museum Leaflets (ISSN 0006-8098). Published quarterly by the Botanical Museum, 

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Published February 14, 1986. 



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