The genus Attalea was first described Carl Sigismund Kunth in 1816 based on specimens collected by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland , although older , pre @-@ Linnaean descriptions exist , including Charles Plumier 's 1703 description of A. crassispatha . The genus was named for Attalus III Philometor , king of Pergamon , known for his interest in medicinal plants . The type species is A. amygdalina , a Colombian endemic . The genera Maximiliana and Orbignya were described by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius in 1826 and 1837 respectively . Scheelea was described by Hermann Karsten in 1857 , and Ynesa by Orator F. Cook in 1942 .