Talk:Phytelephas aequatorialis

Merge

I would propose merging this with the article on Phytelephas aequatorialis - the tree and its product are so inextricably linked that separating them seems counterproductive. The lifted lorax (talk) 19:05, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, and take in tagua nut too. Johnbod (talk) 19:34, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

• Support. The stub articles Tagua nut and vegetable ivory should be merged into this article and redirected here. Wilhelm meis (talk) 23:24, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I agree. All three articles should be combined into Phytelephas aequatorialis. Wilhelm meis (talk) 00:05, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

I strongly oppose this merger, since the Taqua nut is not the only source of material called "vegetable ivory".

Further, for the sake of argument, if the merger made sense, I would question whether the article should be under the botanical name, which only botanists would recognize.

Cheers! Geo Swan (talk) 03:16, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

It's not? What else is used for "vegetable ivory"? Yes, I think it makes sense to retain the article under the botanical name, and of course informal names, including Tagua, Tagua nut, and Vegetable ivory would be redirected to that page. Wilhelm meis (talk) 23:21, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Also "Phytelephas macrocarpa" according to the article. Johnbod (talk) 00:28, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Aha, so I see. But then, Phytelephas Macrocarpa doesn't have an article of its own. If P. Aequatorialis is the primary source of vegetable ivory, I think this is still a workable solution. Wilhelm meis (talk) 00:58, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Nearest I can tell, vegetable ivory is derived from the nuts of any species within the Phytelephas genus. Are all the trees within the genus known as "Tagua Palm"? Perhaps we should leave Phytelephas aequatorialis alone and instead take Tagua nut and Vegetable ivory into Phytelephas. Any thoughts? Wilhelm meis (talk) 16:00, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

The article was mistaken; according to the IUCN P. aequatorialis is only found in Ecuador. And that's probably where its name comes from, aequatorialis means "from the Equator" but for South American plants it usually means "from Ecuador".

Most "palm ivory" is from P. macrocarpa as it seems, widely distributed at the eastern rim of the Andes. P. tenuicaulis is its high Andean relative and ranges also quite widely, but the 4 other species in this genus have quite small ranges in the northern Andes (from north to south: P. seemannii - P. schottii and P. tumacana - P. aequatorialis) and are usually rare. I'm gonna revamp the genus article and then merge the others there. Dysmorodrepanis (talk) 18:16, 24 December 2008 (UTC)