BIOLOff

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FIELDIANA: BOTANY

A Continuation of the
BOTANICAL SERIES

of

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

VOLUME 32

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

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. A New Guatemalan Spigelia. By Dorothy N. Gibson 1

2. Three New Nicaraguan Epidendrums. By Alfonso H. Heller 7

3. Syagrus oleracea ( Mart. ) Becc. and Closely Related Taxa. By

S. F. Glassman 13

4. Tropical American Plants, X. By Louis O. Williams 35

5. Two New Guatemalan Tournefortias. By Dorothy N. Gibson 65

6. A New Member of Morganella. By Patricio Ponce de Leon 69

7. A New Odontoglossum from Nicaragua. By Alfonso H. Heller 73

8. Studies in the Palm Genus Syagrus Mart. II. By S. F. Glassman 77

9. Revision of the Genus Vascellum (Ly coper daceae). By Patricio

Ponce de Leon 109

10. A Conspectus of the Palm Genus Butia Becc. By S. F. Glassman 127

11. Studies in American Plants, II. By Dorothy N. Gibson 173

12. Tropical American Plants, XI. By Louis O. Williams 179

13. The Juglandaceae of Guatemala. By Louis O. Williams and Antonio

Molina R 207

14. An Overlooked Genus of the Scrophulariaceae. By Louis O. Williams 211

15. A Synopsis of the Palm Genus Syagrus Mart. By S. F. Glassman 215

16. A New Hybrid in the Palm Genus Syagrus Mart. By S. F. Glassman 241

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THE JUGLANDACEAE OF GUATEMALA

LOUIS 0. WILLIAMS

AND

ANTONIO MOLINA R.

AN OVERLOOKED GENUS OF THE
SCROPHULARIACEAE

LOUIS 0. WILLIAMS

A SYNOPSIS OF THE PALM GENUS
SYAGRUS MART.

S. F. GLASSMAN

A NEW HYBRID IN THE PALM GENUS
STAGRUS MART.

S. F. GLASSMAN

FIELDIANA: BOTANY

VOLUME 32, NUMBERS 13, 14, 15, 16

Published by

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
JULY 24, 1970

The Library of the

THE JUGLANDACEAE OF GUATEMALA

LOUIS 0. WILLIAMS

Chief Curator, Botany, Field Museum of Natural History

AND

ANTONIO MOLINA R.

Field Associate

AN OVERLOOKED GENUS OF THE
SCROPHULARIACEAE

LOUIS O. WILLIAMS

Chief Curator, Botany, Field Museum of Natural History

A SYNOPSIS OF THE PALM GENUS
STAGRUS MART.

S. F. CLASSMAN

Research Associate, Palms, Field Museum of Natural History
University of Illinois at Chicago Circle

A NEW HYBRID IN THE PALM GENUS
STAGRUS MART.

S. F. CLASSMAN

Research Associate, Palms, Field Museum of Natural History
University of Illinois at Chicago Circle

FIELDIANA: BOTANY

VOLUME 32, NUMBERS 13, 14, 15, 16

Published by

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
JULY 24, 1970

CONTENTS

PAGE

The Juglandaceae of Guatemala by Louis 0. Williams and Antonio Molina R. 207
An Overlooked Genus of the Scrophulareaceae by Louis O. Williams . . . .211

A Synopsis of the Palm Genus Syagrus Mart, by S. F. Glassman 215

A New Hybrid in the Palm Genus Syagrus Mart, by S. F. Glassman . . . .241

FIELDIANA . BOTANY

Volume 32, No. 16 July 24, 1970 Publication 1104

A New Hybrid in the Palm Genus
Syagrus Mart.1

S. F. CLASSMAN

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, PALMS

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Hybridization between species of Syagrus is apparently not an
uncommon occurrence. A total of four natural hybrids has been
described (Classman, 1963, 1968a, b) while several others are thought
to exist but are not well documented (Barbosa Rodrigues (1903),
Beccari (1916), Burret (1940) and Bondar (1964)). Syagrus coro-
nata (Mart.) Becc. is one of the parents involved in three of these
cases, S. x camposportoana (Bondar) Glassman, S. x matafome (Bon-
dar) Classman, and S. x tostana (Bondar) Glassman. All three of
these hybrids are known from the state of Bahia, Brazil, where
S. coronata is extremely abundant and apparently has its center of
distribution.

On a recent trip to Brazil, Mr. Judas Tadeu de Madeiros Costa
pointed out to me the possibility of still another hybrid involving
S. coronata with S. oleracea (Mart.) Becc. in the state of Pernam-
buco. According to Bondar (1964), S. coronata reaches its southern
limit of distribution along Rio Jequitinhonha, in Bahia. From Bahia
it extends into Sergipe, Alagoas, and Pernambuco where it appar-
ently reaches its northern limits.

On the other hand, S. oleracea reaches its greatest development
in the state of Sao Paulo where it is very common and attains a
height of 24 m., and even as much as 36 m. in very old specimens.
In this area, it hybridizes with S. romanzoffianum (Cham.) Glassman
to produce S. x teixeiriana Glassman. Besides Sao Paulo, S. oleracea
is also known from the states of Parana, Minas Gerais, Goias, Bahia,
Espirito Santo, Pernambuco, Guanabara, Paraiba, and Ceard, and
from Paraguay. Compared to Sao Paulo, trees of S. oleracea in Per-
nambuco are not very common, have much shorter trunks (up to
6 m. tall) and are generally less vigorous in appearance.

1 This research has been supported by N. S. F. grant no. GB-6899.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72-1 2^570

241

FIG. 1. Part of petiole showing broad, stiff spine-like fibers of S. coronata.
Glass-man & Costa 8702 (CHI).

242

FIG. 2. S. coronata. Branch of spadix showing female (dark) and male flowers
(light) with part of leaf in background. Costa 66-0002 (IPA).

243

244

FIELDIANA: BOTANY, VOLUME 32

Fid. 3. S. coronata. Longitudinal, cross, and external views of mature fruit.
Classman & Costa 8702.

In Pernambuco, S. oleracea occurs by itself between Tapera and
Pombos, in the eastern part of the state. West of Pombos, near
Garanhuns, S. coronata makes its appearance and is abundant be-
tween this locality and Arco Verde. It is in this general region where
the ranges of the two species overlap that most of the hybrids were
seen.

Although this palm was thought to exist as a distinct taxon for a
long time (Burret annotated some of the herbarium sheets at Insti-
tute de Pesquisas Agronomicas as S. pickellii), no one had described
it formally. Therefore, I am naming it as a new hybrid in honor of
Mr. Costa, who directed me to the exact location where the current
populations are found.

Syagrus x costae Glassman, hybr. nov. Figures 9-14.

Palma hybrida ca. 6-9 m. alta; rachis ca. 228 cm. longis pinnae utrinque 124
in gregibus dispositus pinniis ca. 80 cm. longis 2.8-3.9 cm. latis; spatha pars in-
flata 79 cm. longa 21 cm. lata; spadix pars ramosa 66-73 cm. longa rachilliis 43-53,
34-53 cm. longis; flores masculi 9-12 mm. et 13-16 mm. longi; flores feminei
15-18 mm. longi 6-8 mm. lati; fructus 2.8-3.2 cm. longus 1.9-2.0 cm. diam.

Hybrid palm 6-9 m. tall. Petiole up to 60 cm. long, margins covered at first
for most of its length with a webbing, later separating out into individual soft or
stiff fibers of narrow or intermediate width, sheathing base up to 23 cm. long;
rachis of leaf up to 228 cm. long, up to 124 pairs of pinnae, mostly in clusters of
2-4, slightly glaucous on both surfaces, middle ones up to 80 cm. long and 2.8-
3.9 cm. wide, with acuminate or oblique tips; expanded part of spathe up to 79 cm.
long and 21 cm. wide; branched part of spadix 66-73 cm. long, branches 43-53 in
number, lower branches 34-53 cm. long; male flowers 9-12 mm. long on upper
part, 13-16 mm. long on lower part; female flowers 15-18 mm. long, 6-8 mm. wide;

FIG. 4. S. coronata. Close-up of tree showing petioles arranged in rows on
trunk. Near Garanhuns, Pernambuco.

245

FIG. 5. S. oleracea. Lower (right) and upper (left) parts of petiole showing
narrow, pliable fibers on margins. Glassman & Costa 8701 (CHI).

246

FIG. 6. S. oleracea. Part of spadix (middle) showing female flowers mostly
on lower half of branches and male flowers mostly on upper half of branches
Costa 66-0009 (IP A).

247

248

FIELDIANA: BOTANY, VOLUME 32

FIG. 7. S. oleracea. External, cross, and longitudinal views of mature fruit.
Glassman & Costa 8701 .
fmit 9 8 3 2 cm long 1 9-2.0 cm. in diameter, short beaked, endocarp 3-4 mm.

0.8 cm. in diameter, cavity 3-6 mm. wide.

BRAZIL: State of Pernambuco, 2 km. W. of Neves, in agreste,
tree 9 m. tall, June 24, 1969, Glassraan & Costa 8707 (CHI, holo-
type) ; Garahuns, Cagados, in agreste, tree 6 m. tall, «"* about 200
fruits, June 24, 1969, 8705 (CHI); same locality and dat -,8m
(CHI) DOUBTFUL SPECIMEN: Garanhuns, estrada para J
jao, October 18, 1967, J. T. Costa 67-0056 (IPA).

The following chart (Table 1) shows similarities and differences
between the hybrid and its two parents. Measurements are made
from specimens collected in Pernambuco, however, extremes for
P"ns of S. oleracea and S. coronate collected elsewhere are shown
in pSteses Extremes for S. coronate are not complete because
speemiens collected in 1969 from Bahia were not ava.lable for exam-
nation at the time this paper was prepared.

In the field it is difficult at a first glance to distinguish between
trees of S. x costae and S. oleracea because both are similar in appear
ance Ice they lack the grouping of leaves into five .spiral row
around the trunk and are without the consp.cuous flat «P"£h£
fibers on the petioles so characteristic of S. coronata. The chart m
dicates that the hybrid is intermediate between the two ^parent sp.
cies in armature of the petiole margins, taste of the terminal

FIG. 8. S. oleracea. Single tree showing spathes and spadices hanging from
bases of leaves. Near Neves, Pernambuco.

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FIG. 9. S. x costae. Lower part of petiole showing medium-sized fibers on
margin. Glassman & Costa 8707 (holotype).

252

FIG. 10. S. x costae. Part of spadix with single male (above) and female
(below) flowers. Glassman & Costa 8707 (holotype).

253

254

FIELDIANA: BOTANY, VOLUME 32

FIG. 11. S. x costae. Longitudinal, cross, and external views of mature fruit.
Glass-man & Costa 8707 (holotype). Slightly reduced in scale.

("palmito"), length of the female flowers, number of spadix branches,
and in size of the fruits. Syagrus x costae appears to be more vig-
orous or perhaps better adapted to the habitat where all three taxa
grow because it is generally taller, has more pinnae per leaf, and has
a longer spadix and longer spadix branches than either parent. It
seems to be much more common than S. oleracea between Garahuns
and Arco Verde, but less common than S. coronata. As mentioned
before, S. oleracea forms smaller stands and is less vigorous in Per-
nambuco than in Sao Paulo.

To my knowledge, this is the first example of species of Syagrus
forming hybrid stands or swarms. The other known hybrids in this
genus are usually rare and are mostly represented by only one or two
individuals in any particular area. Because of the frequent occur-
rence of S. x costae, it could be assumed that fewer barriers for hybri-
dization exist between S. coronata and S. oleracea than for some other
species. Another possible explanation for this may be that the F!
hybrids are backcrossing with one or both parents, but probably
more frequently with S. coronata because of its abundance. There
is some evidence for this idea even though insufficient specimens were
collected to be reasonably conclusive. In Glassman & Costa 8707, the
taste of "palmito" is neither sweet nor bitter, whereas in 8704 and
8705 it is sweet like S. coronata. There also seems to be some varia-
tion in the width and pliability of the fibers found on the petiole
margins. Most of the specimens are intermediate between the two
parent species, but 8705 seems to approach S. coronata in width of
fibers, but are not as stiff.

FIG. 12. S. x costae. Single tree showing spathes and spadices at base of
leaves. Near Neves.

255

FIG. 13. S. x costae. Edgar, our driver (left), and Costa holding leaf, infructes-
cence, and inflorescence. Near Neves.

256

GLASSMAN: NEW HYBRID IN THE GENUS SYAGRUS 257

FIG. 14. S. x costae (middle) and S. coronata (right) in pasture near Garanhuns.

REFERENCES

BARBOSA, RODRIGUES J.

1903. Sertum Palmarum Brasiliensium, ou relacion des palmiers nouveau du
Bresil, decouverts, decrits et dessines de'apres nature 1: pp. 81-110.

BECCARI, 0.

1916. II Genere Cocos Linn, e le Palme affini. L'Agricoltura Coloniale 10:
pp. 489-524.

BONDAR, G.

1964. Palmeiras do Brasil. Pp. 64-67. Institute de Botanica. Sao Paulo.

BURRET, M.

1940. Um caso de hibridacao entre Arecastrum Romanzoffianum e Butia capi-
tata. Rodriguesia 4: p. 277, t. 1-3.

GLASSMAN, S. F.

1963. Nomenclatural changes in the Family Palmae. Rhodora 65: pp. 259-

261.
1968a. Studies in the palm genus Syagrus Mart. Fieldiana: Bot., 31 : pp. 363-

397.
1968b. Syagrus oleracea (Mart.) Becc. and closely related taxa. Fieldiana:

Bot., 32: pp. 13-34.

Publications 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBAN/I