A palm tree (Bactris species) in Guyana. Watercolour by E.A. Goodall, 1846.

A cluster of three, slender stems with rings of prickles at the nodes and wide internodes. A crownshaft is absent. The pinnate leaves have pinnae that are widest in the middle and narrower at their bases and apices. Prickles are evident on the leaf base, rachis and petiole. Identified in Goodall's lettering as possibly Martinezia: Martinezia has been misapplied to species of Aiphanes, but the palm in this painting lacks the erose leaflet apices that are typical of Aiphanes. The palm appears to be a species of Bactris, of which there are at least 16 taxa in Guyana (A. Henderson, 'Bactris (Palmae)', Flora Neotropica, 2001, 79: 1-181). Without details of the flowers and fruits, it is not possible to identify the species