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FIELDIANA
Botany

Published by Field Museum of Natural History

Volume 34, No. 1 January 21, 1971

Rediscovery of Syagrus werdermannii Burret1

S. F. CLASSMAN

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE IN PALMS, FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, CHICAGO CIRCLE

In the process of preparing a revision of the genus Syagrus
Mart., I learned that the holotype of S. werdermannii (Werdermann
8^72, B) was apparently destroyed during World War II at the
Berlin-Dahlem herbarium. It was not among the photographs of
Syragrus specimens salvaged from the ruins which were sent to
me by that institution (Glassman, 1969). Although Burret's
description (1933) of S. werdermannii was detailed, I was unable
to pinpoint it because no other specimens were collected since 1933.

During the summer of 1969, I decided to visit the type locality
(Caetite, state of Bahia, Brazil) in an attempt to make additional
collections. Since there were at least five roads radiating out of
Caetite, it would have been virtually impossible to find this palm
without the help of local inhabitants. I was fortunate to rediscover
S. werdermannii after I had enlisted the aid of Mr. Francisco Antonio
da Silva, a relative of the owner of Hotel Caetite, who knew exactly
where to find this species. About 100 different clumps were seen on
both sides of the road in Situ do Ouro, about 15 km. northwest
of Caetite. It was associated with another acaulescent palm,
Bactris tucum Burret.

Mr. da Silva told me that he had seen this acaulescent species of
Syagrus within an 80 km. radius between Situ do Ouro and Igapora,
about 20 km. to the northwest. In his "Palmeiras do Brasil,"
Bondar (1964) repeated Burret's listing of S. werdermannii from
Caetite, but stated that he also observed it in Mucuge, [which is
about 150 km. northeast of Caetite". Apparently, no collections
were made by him from that area.

1 This research has been supported by N.S.F. grant no. GB-6899.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 78-11^2081
Publication 1118 1

MAY 1 5 197?

FIG. 1. Several clumps of Syagrus werdermannii, near type locality.

FIG. 2. Mr. Costa, Mr. da Silva, and Mr. Edgar (left to right) near type
locality. Mr. Costa and Mr. Edgar holding specimens of S. werdermannii.

FIELDIANA: BOTANY

A Continuation of the
BOTANICAL SERIES

o/
FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

VOLUME 34

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
CHICAGO, U.S.A.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

1. Rediscovery of Syagrus werdermannii Burret. By S. F. Glapsman ... 1

2. Re-evaluation of Syagrus loefgrenii Glassman and S. rachidii Glassman.

By S. F. Glassman 11

3. Revision of the Genus Morganella (Lycoperdaceae). By Patricio Ponce

de Leon 27

4. A New Species of Juniperus from Mexico. By Marion T. Hall .... 45

5. Note on Gibsoniothamnus. By Alwyn H. Gentry 55

6. Studies in American Plants, III. By Dorothy N. Gibson 57

7. Synopsis of Hemichaena, including Berendtiella (Scrophulariaceae). By
John W. Thieret 89

8. Tropical American Plants, XII. By Louis O. Williams ... . . 101

FIG. 3. S. werdermanii. Mature spathe and spadix showing female and
male flowers. Glassman & Costa 8728. Part of neotype.

FIG. 4. Older spathe (external view) and spadix showing female and male
flowers. 873 1.

FIG. 5. Whole plant showing leaves and subterranean stem. 87SS.

5

?

FIG. 6. Spathe (left) and spadix (right) showing unusually long peduncle,
long spadix branches, and immature fruit. 8736.

CLASSMAN: SYAGRUS WERDERMANNII

FIG. 7. Cross- and longitudinal sections and external view of ovoid shaped
fruits. 8759. External view of obovate shaped fruit (far right). 8737.

I have chosen Glassman & Costa 8728 as the neotype of S.
werdermannii because the specimens include most of the important
parts necessary for identification. The emended description below,
which varies somewhat from Burret's, is based mainly on specimens
collected by Mr. J. T. M. Costa and myself and are cited below.
They are deposited in the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle
Herbarium (CHI).

Syagrus werdermannii Burret, Fedde Rep. 32: 109. 1933;
Notizbl. 13: 682. 1937. Figures 1-9.

Acaulescent, growing in clumps. Petiole up to 36 cm. long and 1 cm. wide,
margins smooth or fibrous, sheathing base up to 20 cm. long, deteriorating into
separate fibers with age; leaf rachis up 59 cm. long, pinnae up to 19 pairs per
leaf, middle ones single or in loose or occasionally tight clusters of 2-3, up to 45
cm. long, 1-2 cm. wide, mostly with oblique, aristate tips, glaucous on both
surfaces, becoming eglaucous with age, upper surface mostly remaining whitish
or grayish in color, lower surface greenish; expanded part of flowering spathe up
to 40 cm. long and 3 cm. wide, deeply sulcate but grooves obscured by dense
brown tomentum; branched part of spadix up to 30 cm. long, densely tomentose,
peduncular part up to 49 cm. long, branches up to 11 in number, each branch
up to 22 cm. long; male flowers 6-7 mm. long on lower part, 4-5 mm. long on
upper part; female flowers triangular to ovate, 4-6 mm. long and 4 mm. wide,
calyx brownish, distinctly striated or nerved, often shorter than the yellowish,
smooth corolla; expanded part of fruiting spathe up to 48 cm. long and 5 cm. wide,
deeply sulcate, brownish tomentose, becoming caducous with age; branched part
of spadix up to 40 cm. long, peduncular part up to 72 cm. long, branches up to 14
in number, each branch up to 25 cm. long; mature fruit ovoid or obovate, 1.8-2.5
cm. long, 1.3-1.5 cm. in diameter, with short beak up to 4 mm. long, exocarp finely
striated, endocarp cavity smooth, trivittate, endocarp woody, 1.0-1.5 mm. thick
along sides; seed not seen.

Flowering from May to July.

Type: Brazil, Caetite, Werdermann 3^72 (B, destroyed); Glass-
man & Costa 8728 (CHI, neotype).

FIG. 8. Mature leaf showing complete sheathing base and pinnae wit
oblique and aristate tips. 8731.

FIG. 9. Mature leaf (apical part missing) showing clustering of pinnae and
oblique and aristate tips. 8732.

10 FIELDIANA: BOTANY, VOLUME 34

Distribution: Endemic to Brazil in the state of Bahia.

Vernacular name: Coco da vassoura.

Cited specimens. Brazil: Bahia, Situ do Ouro, 15 km. N.W.
of Caetit§, in caatinga, July 6, 1969, Glassman & Costa 8728 (CHI,
neotype) ; 8729, 8730, 8731, 8732, 8733, 8734, 8735, 8736, 8737, 8738,
8739 (CHI).

In his original article, Burret (1933) said that this taxon seemed
to be related to Syagrus petraea (Mart.) Becc., an acaulescent species
with unclustered pinnae and unbranched spadices in the section
DIPLOTHEMIOPSIS (Drude) Glassman. It is more likely that
S. werdermannii is allied to members of the section CAMPYLO-
SPATHA Glassman (acaulescent species with loosely clustered
pinnae and branched spadices), especially S. campylospatha (Barb.
Rodr.) Becc. from Paraguay (Glassman, 1970). Both species are
similar in the type of pinnae clustering (loosely clustered or un-
clustered, occasionally tightly clustered), both have pinnae with
oblique tips, male and female flowers approximately the same size,
and the calyx of the female flowers is usually distinctly nerved or
striated in both taxa. They differ principally in the number of
pinnae per leaf and the kind of indument on the pinnae surfaces.
Syagrus campylospatha has up to 38 pairs of pinnae per leaf which
are appressed white brownish pubescent on the upper surface and
mostly glaucous on the lower surface, whereas S. werdermannii has
up to 19 pairs of pinnae per leaf and are glaucous on both surfaces.

REFERENCES

BONDAR, G.

1964. Palmeiras do Brasil, p. 88. Institute de Botanica. Sao Paulo.

BURRET, M.

1933. Palmae Neogeae III. Fedde Rep. Nov. Spec., 32: 109.

GLASSMAN, S. F.

1969. Studies in the palm genus Syagrus Mart. II. Fieldiana: Bot., 32: 102.

1970. A synopsis of the palm genus Syagrus Mart. Fieldiana: Bot. 32: 215-240.

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