New species in the palm genus Syagrus Mart., II

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FIELDIANA: BOTANY

A Continuation of the
BOTANICAL SERIES

of
FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

VOLUME 31

The Library of the

JAN 1 8 1979

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

520.5
•FB

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

1. Two New Species of Palms from Nicaragua. By S. F. Glassman ... 1

2. Tropical American Plants, VI. By Louis O. Williams 11

3. Agriculture, Tehuacan Valley. By C. Earle Smith, Jr 49

4. Flora, Tehuacan Valley. By C. Earle Smith, Jr 101

5. Preliminary Studies in the Palm Genus Syagrus Mart, and Its Allies.

By S. F. Glassman 145

6. Tropical American Plants, VII. By Louis 0. Williams 165

7. Supplement to Orchids of Guatemala. By Donovan S. Correll .... 175

8. Preliminary Notes on Scrophulariaceae of Peru. By Gabriel Edwin . . 223

9. New Species in the Palm Genus Syagrus Mart. By S. F. Glassman . . 233

10. Tropical American Plants, VIII. By Louis 0. Williams 247

11. Notes on the Flora of Costa Rica, I. By William C. Burger 273

12. A New Eurystyles from Nicaragua. By Alfonso H. Heller 279

13. New Species in the Palm Genus Syagrus Mart. By S. F. Glassman . . 285

14. A Revision of the Family Geastraceae. By Patricio Ponce de Leon . . 303

15. Studies in American Plants. By Dorothy N. Gibson 353

16. Two New Nicaraguan Juglandaceae. By Antonio Molino R 357

17. Studies in the Palm Genus Syagrus Mart. By S. F. Glassman .... 363

18. Tropical American Plants, IX. By Louis 0. Williams 401

NOTES ON THE FLORA OF COSTA RICA, I

WILLIAM C. BURGER

A NEW EURYSTYLES FROM NICARAGUA
ALFONSO H. HELLER

NEW SPECIES IN THE PALM GENUS
SYAGRUS MART., II

S. F. GLASSMAN

A REVISION OF THE FAMILY GEASTRACEAE

PATRICIO PONCE DE LEON

FIELDIANA: BOTANY

VOLUME 31, NUMBERS 11, 12, 13, 14

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

FEBRUARY 22, 1968

(Jnwrsity of Illinois

JUL H 1968 •flu*,,.

NEW SPECIES IN THE PALM
GENUS SYAGRUS MART., II

S. F. CLASSMAN

Professor of Biology, University of Illinois
Research Associate, Field Museum of Natural History

FIELDIANA: BOTANY

VOLUME 31, NUMBER 13

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

FEBRUARY 22, 1968

PUBLICATION 1038

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 67-31597

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS

New Species in the Palm Genus Syagrus Mart., II

Since the preparation of my last paper, bearing the same title
as above (Fieldiana: Bot. 31 : 235-245, 1967). I have uncovered
three additional species of Syagrus which heretofore have not been
described. Descriptions of these are given below. This study has
been supported by National Science Foundation grant no. GB3737.

Syagrus allenii Glassman, sp. nov. Figures 1-3.

Palma 6-10 m. alta; truncus solitarius, 10-13 cm. in diam. Pinniis utrinque
93 in gregibus dispositis; flores masculi et 11-12 et 8-9 mm. alti; flores feminei
6-7 mm. alti; fructus ca. 2.5 cm. longus et 2.2 cm. diam.

Palm 6-10 m. tall, trunk solitary, 10-13 cm. in diam. Petiole incomplete;
rachis of leaf up to 187 cm. long; pinnae about 93 pairs, in loose clusters of 2-3,
grayish-green above, yellowish-green below, middle ones up to 50 cm. long and
3.4 cm. wide, mostly with acute or oblique tips; spathe incomplete, up to 9 cm.
wide; spadix incomplete, each branch up to 32 cm. long; lower male flowers 11-12
mm. long and those above 8-9 mm. long; female flowers 6-7 mm. long. 4-5 mm.
wide, sepals and petals mostly with acute or blunt tips; fruit obovate, up to 2.5 cm.
long and 2.2 cm. in diam., endocarp 1.5-2 mm. thick, cavity trivittate, smooth;
seed not seen.

COLOMBIA: Dept. Meta, llanos de San Martin, common in forest
patches, Oct. 21, 1945, P. Allen 3352 (MO, holotype; BH).

Another specimen [P. Allen 3277 (MO, BH) Colombia: Dept.
Vaupes, Rio Cuduyari, Jan. 23, 1944] may be the same species, but
the leaf rachis is shorter, the pinnae are narrower and there are no
female flowers for comparison. The fruits, however, are almost iden-
tical in size and shape.

S. allenii appears to be most closely related to S. orinocensis
(Spruce) Burret (Figs. 4-5) from Venezuela and Colombia. Both
species are approximately the same size, have their pinnae arranged
in loose clusters of two or three, and have female flowers which are
similar in size and shape. S. allenii can be distinguished from the
latter species mainly by the longer leaf rachis (187 cm., rather than
128 cm.), wider pinnae (up to 3.4 cm., rather than up to 2.5 cm.)

285

FIG. 1. S. alleni. Holotype (M). Part of spadix (right) and individual
rachillae.

286

FIG. 2. S. alleni.
middle, and upper.

Parts of leaf. Left to right: lower (with part of petiole),

FIG. 3. S. alleni.
view of fruits.

External

287

FIG. 4. S. orinocensis. Wurdack and Monachino 40852 (BH). Complete
flowering spadix (right) and individual rachillae with attached fruits.

288

GLASSMAN: NEW SPECIES OF SYAGRUS MART

289

FIG. 5. S. orinocensis. Parts of petiole and basal leaf sheath (left and center)
and part of leaf blade with pinnae.

which have acute or oblique tips rather than acuminate tips, and
shorter, obovate, non-beaked fruits rather than longer, ovate, beaked
fruits (2.5 X 2.2 cm., rather than 3 X 1.9 cm.). The new species is
also related to S. stenopetala Burret from Venezuela, but this species
has narrower pinnae (up to 2.8 cm. wide) and ovate fruits up to
3.7 cm. long with a beak about 8 mm. long.

Besides S. allenii and S. orinocensis, S. sancona (H.B.K.) Karsten
also has been reported from Colombia. The latter species has wider
pinnae (up to 4.5 cm.) arranged in tight clusters of three or four, and
the perianth of the female flowers has prominent veins. S. argentea
(Engel) Becc. and S. chiragua (Karstan) Wendl., originally described
from Colombia, have been relegated to species dubia because of inade-
quate descriptions and lack of type material.

Syagrus duartei Glassman, sp. nov. Figures 6-9.

Palma acaulis. Folia ca. 125 cm. longa; piniis utrinque 64 in gregibus disposi-
tis; spadix (pars ramosa) ca. 35 cm. longa, rachillae ca. 5-8; flores masculi et 16-20
et 10-15 mm. alti; flores feminei 20-25 mm. alti; fructus 3 cm. longus et 3 cm. diam.

Acaulescent palm. Petiole up to 7 cm. long, 1.5 cm. wide, sheathing base up
to 20 cm. long, deteriorating into separate marginal fibers with age; rachis of leaf
up to 84 cm. long; pinnae up to 64 pairs, mostly in close clusters of 3 (occasionally

FIG. 6. S. duartei. Serra do Cipo. Acaulescent plants growing in rocky
outcrops.

FIG. 7. S. duartei. Serra do Cip6. J.C. Gomes holding leaves and spadices.

290

FIG. 8. S. duartei. a. Holotype (RB). Spathe and spadix showing rachillae
and flowers (right), b. Glassman and Gomes 8033 (CHI). Sectioned and whole
fruits (left).

291

292

FIELDIANA: BOTANY, VOLUME 31

FIG. 9. S. duartei. Holotype (RB). Whole leaf (folded) showing basal leaf
sheath, petiole and closely clustered pinnae.

2 or 4 in a cluster), upper surface glaucous, becoming eglaucous with age, middle
ones up to 34 cm. long and 2.4 cm. wide, mostly with oblique or obtuse tips; ex-
panded part of spathe up to 45 cm. long and 5 cm. wide, brownish tomentose to
glabrous on outside; branched part of spadix up to 35 cm. long, branches 5-8 in
number, each branch up to 22 cm. long; lower male flowers 16-20 mm. long and
those above 10-15 mm. long, sepals 3-4 mm. long; female flowers mostly 20-25 mm.
long and 6-8 mm. wide, occasionally smaller (16-19 mm. long); fruit more or less
turbinate, up to 3 cm. long and 3 cm. in diam., endocarp 6-8 mm. thick, cavity
smooth; seed not seen.

BRAZIL: State of Minas Gerais, Serra do Cipo, growing between
blocks of quartzite, very frequent, Aug. 24, 1961, A. P. Duarte 5706

FIG. 10. S. glaucescens. Isotype (F). Glaziou 20024- Part of leaf showing
folded pinnae with hooked and oblique tips and aristae; and sectioned fruits with
attached seeds.

FIG. 11. S. glaucescens. Classman and Gomes 8112 (CHI). Spathes and
spadices.

294

FIG. 12. S. mendanhensis. Holotype (BH). Left to right: Flowering spadix
with some very young fruits, spathe and part of leaf.

295

FIG. 13. S. mendanhensis. Isotype (US). Left to right: Part of leaf showing
loose clusters of pinnae, spadices with fruits in various stages of development,
and spathe.

296

FIG. 14. S. pleioclada. Left to right: a. Glassman and Gomes 80^1 (CHI),
b. Glassman and Gomes 8037 (CHI), c. Mello Barreto 1206 (RB). Relatively
wide spathes with twisted and gnarled spadices.

297

298 FIELDIANA: BOTANY, VOLUME 31

(RB, holotype) ; same locality data, alt. 1300 m., July 10, 1965, S. F.
Glassman & J. C. Gomes 8033, 803^, 8035, 8036 (CHI).

Syagrus duartei does not seem to be closely related to any other
acaulescent species of Syagrus; however, it resembles most closely
S. glaucescens Glaz. ex Becc. (Figs. 10-11), a tree up to 3 m. tall and
known only from the vicinity of Diamantina, Minas Gerais. Both
species have a spathe and spadix about the same size and clustered
pinnae of approximately the same length and width with oblique tips.
Besides overall size, the new species differs from S. glaucescens in
having fewer and longer spadix branches (5-8, rather than 12-16 and
up to 22 cm., rather than up to 12 cm.), and turbinate rather than
broadly ovate fruits with an endocarp 6-8 mm. thick rather than
2-4 mm. thick.

S. duartei is common in rocky outcrops of Serra do Cipo covering
a radius of about 10 km. It does not occur on the lower level areas
of this mountain range where a trunkless species of Allogoptera is
found. S. pleioclada Burret, another acaulescent palm, grows in the
same general rocky areas as the new species, but at slightly lower
elevations and it seems to be less frequent.

Syagrus mendanhensis Glassman, sp. nov. Figures 12-13.

Palma acaulis. Folia ca. 90-120 cm. longa; pinniis utrinque 18 in gregibus
dispositis; spadix (pars ramosa) ca. 21 cm. longa, rachillae ca. 9; flores masculi
8-10 mm. alti; flores feminei 12 mm. alti; fructus 3 cm. longus et 0.9 cm. diam.

Acaulescent palm. Leaf 3-4 feet long fide Archer; petiole up to 37 cm. long,
about 1 cm. wide, sheathing base not seen; rachis of leaf up to 58 cm. long; pin-
nae about 18 pairs, in loose clusters of 2-4, occasionally single, glabrous on both
surfaces, middle ones up to 38 cm. long and 0.9 cm. wide, mostly with acuminate
tips, intervals between clusters mostly 3-5 cm.; expanded part of spathe about
30 cm. long and 3.2 cm. wide; branched part of spadix 21 cm. long, branches up
to 9 in number, each branch up to 16 cm. long; male flowers 8-10 mm. long; female
flower 12 mm. long, 5 mm. wide; fruit (immature) oblong-ovate, up to 3 cm. long
and 0.9 cm. in diam.; beak about 4 mm. long; seed not seen.

BRAZIL: State of Minas Gerais, vicinity of Mendanha, along road,
Sept. 24, 1936, W. A. Archer W86 (BH, holotype-flowering; U. S.-
f ruiting) .

Syagrus mendanhensis has the same general appearance as S. pleio-
clada Burret (Figs. 14-15), another acaulescent palm from Serra do
Cipo. Both species have their pinnae arranged in loose clusters (with
fairly long intervals between clusters) and have acuminate tips, and
the female flowers are approximately of equal length. S. mendanhen-
sis can be easily distinguished from the latter species by the longer

GLASSMAN: NEW SPECIES OF SYAGRUS MART

299

FIG. 15. S. pleioclada. Glassman and Gomes 8038 (CHI). Whole leaf show-
ing pinnae with loose clusters and long intervals between clusters.

and narrower spathes (30 cm. long and 3.2 cm. wide, rather than
18 cm. long and 8 cm. wide) ; the longer (21 cm., rather than 9 cm.),
erect spadix instead of a short, much twisted and gnarled spadix; and
fewer spadix branches (9, rather than 14) which are much longer (up
to 16 cm., rather than 1.0-3.5 cm.).

The new species is also found in scattered localities in the vicinity
of Diamantina, about 15 km. S.E. of Mendanha. During July, 1965
I collected several sterile specimens of this species, but unfortunately
they were lost in transit.

Publications 1036, 1037, 1038, and 1039

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA