Syagrus picrophylla

Noblick, Larry R., 2017, A revision of the genus Syagrus (Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 294 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

45. Syagrus picrophylla Barbosa Rodrigues (1879: 45). Cocos picrophylla (Barb.Rodr.) Barbosa Rodrigues (1882: 26). Type:— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: (holotype destroyed). Lectotype (designated by Glassman [1972b: 93]):— Barbosa Rodrigues (1882) 26, t. 3, figs. 2a–b, 1882

Cocos catechucarpa Barbosa Rodrigues (1901: 41). Syagrus catechucarpa (Barb. Rodr.) Beccari (1916: 465) . Lectotype (designated by Glassman [1972b: 89]):— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: cultivated Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro no. 113. Barbosa Rodrigues (1903a) volume 1, t. 80, 1903a.

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Figure 63 plate, Figure 60 map.

Moderate, solitary, unarmed, columnar palms. Stem 5–8 m × 12–20 cm, erect, columnar with a clear trunk, light to dark gray. Leaves 7–12 in crown, spirally arranged, spreading, 2–3 m long; sheathing leaf base 50–110 cm long with fibrous margins, green abaxially; pseudopetiole 51–74 cm long with fibrous margins; petiole 2–13 cm long, distinctly present; rachis 190–270 cm long; leaflets medium green adaxially, paler green abaxially, 133–160 along one side, irregularly distributed 2–6 in slightly divergent planes; ramenta scales or tomentum absent where the leaflets are inserted on the rachis, and none or only occasionally present along the abaxial midvein; basal leaflets 22–38 × 0.2–0.8 cm, middle leaflets 43–76 × 2.8–4 cm, apical leaflets 6–12 × 0.2–0.6 cm with mostly acuminate tips. Inflorescence erect to pendulous, branched; prophyll 43–67 cm long; peduncular bract ca. 93–131 cm long, expanded portion 56–78 × 12–20 cm, bearing a 1 cm beak, woody, sulcate, light orange to beige; peduncle ca. 36– 78 × 1.5 cm; inflorescence axis 52–80 cm; rachis 40–60 cm long; rachillae 40–70, (5–) 12–47 cm; staminate flowers 3.2–13.9 × 1.36–5.1 mm at the apex, 14–16.1 × 4.8–5.1 mm at the base, pale yellow, sepals 1.7–4.4 × 1.0– 2.9 mm, petals 8.8–14.6 × 2.5–4.4 mm with attenuate tips, nerves indistinct, stamens 5.1–8.7 mm long, anthers 3.6–8.4 mm long, filaments 1.8–2.6 mm long, pistillode 0.3–1.0 mm; pistillate flowers 10.2–11.6 × 6.6–8.0 mm at the apex, 13.8–15 × 7.3–8.0 mm at the base, cream white, sepals 9.5–14.6 × 4.8–8 mm, petals 8–10.2 × 4.4–5.5 mm, pistil 7.3–10 × 3.5–4.4 mm, glabrous, stigmas 2.9–3.3 mm long, staminodal ring 0.5–1.1 mm high, dentate to undulate. Fruit ovoid, 3.0–4.0 × 2–2.6 cm, persistent perianth (cupule) tan to light gray with brownish margins and tip, 2–2.5 cm wide, 1.8–2 cm deep, ring 4 mm in height; epicarp ca. 0.5 mm thick, with smooth yellowish-green epicarp splitting irregularly at the tip when mature, showing the creme colored mesocarp, mesocarp 3–5 mm thick, crème to tan-colored, succulent and fibrous; endocarp bony, dark brown, trivittate on the interior and fibrous on exterior, 3–5 mm thick, with sparsely scattered clusters of fibers; seeds 16–20 × 14–18 mm, endosperm homogeneous. Germination remote-tubular.

Common name:— côco-de-quaresma, côco-de-quarta, licuri, lent-coconut.

Etymology:— The specific epithet, picrophylla , means bitter leaves and probably refers to the bitter-tasting palmito or palm heart.

Distribution and habitat:— Rio de Janeiro and southern Espírito Santo in the Atlantic forest of Brazil, in well-drained soils, usually just below large granitic rock outcrops in rocky soils. In Bahia, populations of a palm formerly identified as this species are probably S. lorenzoniorum .

Conservation:— Because it grows in areas of no agricultural value, it is not be threatened by anything other than fires. It is well protected within at least one park near Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro ( Parque Municipal Ecologico da Prainha ), and is probably within several other areas in the mountains near the coast that are environmentally protected, as well as nearly inaccessible. Therefore this species is classified as least concern, LC .

Phenology:— This species fruits moderately during the spring and summer (October to March). The seeds germinate relatively easily in less than 4 months. Some plants have been seen in flower and with maturing fruit in February.

Uses:— This elegant palm is an ornamentally beautiful landscape plant. It is already being used in landscaping in some cities in its region of origin. Its fruits are edible.

Notes:— Syagrus picrophylla is distinguished from S. lorenzoniorum by a lack of ramenta on the lower leaflet midveins, its straight (not ventricose), columnar trunk, and a larger petiole (13 cm vs. less than 2 cm). Its infructescence is distinguished from S. kellyana by its straight green rachillae rather than crooked brown ones.

This palm was formerly relegated to synonymy under S. oleracea by Glassman (1968c). In 1879, Barbosa Rodrigues first described Syagrus picrophylla , but his description of S. picrophylla was very brief and many important diagnostic characters were left out ( Glassman 1968c). Glassman mistakenly included S. picrophylla in synonymy with S. oleracea , based on the similarity of Barbosa Rodrigues' drawing ( Barbosa Rodrigues, 1903a, t. 66) and an inability to distinguish the two taxa from the descriptions then available.

Bondar originally thought that S. picrophylla , which he considered a Cocos , was synonymous to S. botryophora ( Bondar 1939e) , but later treated them as separate species ( Bondar 1964). He described the distribution of C. picrophylla as Rio de Janeiro and the suburbs of Vitoria, Espirito Santo and his photos show the habit and habitat of this species quite well ( Bondar 1964). Specimens collected from Victoria, Espirito Santo do have large female flowers and fairly wide pinnae which led Glassman to believe that this species maybe conspecific with S. oleracea .

The distribution of S. picrophylla appears to run from Rio de Janeiro to the southern part of Espirito Santo. It

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Phytotaxa 294 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 163 probably is not collected much because of the inaccessible nature of its habitat. The species tends to grow only on the strongly inclined slopes or tops of the large granitic rock outcrop formations that are so often characteristic of this part of Brazil and the Serra do Mar region. Soil on these formations is very thin and sometimes almost non-existent. The slopes of these formations are very steep and in many cases inaccessible to anyone except the most experienced rock climbers, nevertheless this palm species appears to thrive there and is rarely found in deeper soils.

Syagrus picrophylla can easily be distinguished from S. oleracea by several morphological differences, its habitat preferences and its distributional patterns ( Table 1). Syagrus oleracea is a species that appears to grow in the transitional zones bordering on the cerrado regions in Bahia, Minas Gerais, Goiás, São Paulo to Paraguay, etc. Syagrus picrophylla , on the other hand, grows in coastal rocky habitats of much higher rainfall that might well be considered almost campo rupestre but located within or at least on the edge of the coastal rain forest region of eastern Brazil in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo.

Syagrus catechucarpa was designated as a species confusum by Glassman (1987). Beccari (1916) wrote that the description matches Syagrus romanzoffiana , but the lectotype painted by Barbosa Rodrigues (1903a) resembles Jubaea spectabilis [ J. chilensis ]. Glassman (1987) wrote that the fruits do not resemble any known species of Syagrus and that the leaves and flowers could belong to any number of Syagrus taxa. On the other hand, Govaerts et al. (2016) considered this a synonym of Syagrus picrophylla . The author agrees with Govaerts and disagrees with both Beccari and Glassman, because the fruits do resemble those of Syagrus picrophylla complex, which includes S. lorenzoniorum and S. kellyana as well as S. picrophylla , many of which split at their tips as illustrated by Barbosa Rodrigues (1903a). They also have persistent petals with abruptly terminating tips as drawn by Barbosa Rodrigues (1903a, t. 80). When these drawings are compared with the fruit images of Lorenzi et al. (2010: 342) for Syagrus picrophylla , they are a good match. Therefore, the author considers S. catechucarpa a synonym of S. picrophylla . Barbosa Rodrigues wrote that the origin of the specimen in the garden was unknown, but was presumed to be from Minas Gerais. The author suspects that the specimen actually came from the state of Rio de Janeiro, as Syagrus picrophylla is from that state.

Representative specimens:— BRAZIL. Espirito Santo: Castelo, na localidade de Estrela do Norte, 156 m, – 20.62, –41.28, 13 February 2009, H. Lorenzi 6632 (HPL!); Santa Leopoldina, na estrada para Cariacica, a 6 km desta, na Faz. Geribá de Alcino Miranda, 25 m, –20.20, –40.42, 13 February 2009, H. Lorenzi et al. 6631 (HPL!); Rio de Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro, Parque Municipal da Prainha, fora da trilha para o Boa Vista, cerca de 300 metros para a direita, –23.05, –43.51, 29 January 2004, P. Leitman 17 (MBM, RB); Rio de Janeiro, Parque Municipal Ecológico da Prainha, trilha para o morro Boa Vista, –23.05, –43.51, 16 January 2004, R.C.C. Reis 605, 607 (RB); Rio de Janeiro (Parque Nacional Municipal da Prainha, depois do Cruzeiro em direção ao topo do morro, –23.05, – 43.51, 24 October 2004, P. Leitman 34 (RB); Sete Pontes, 27 March 1877, A. F.M. Glaziou 9010 (NY!).

Figures

FIGURE 60. Distribution maps of Syagrus oleracea, S. orinocensis, S. petraea, and S. picrophylla.

FIGURE 63. Syagrus picrophylla. A. Population in Parque Municipal da Prainha near Rio de Janerio, Rio de Janeiro. B. Crown in the forest canopy. C. Abaxial side of leaf. D. Leaf sheaths just below the crown. E. Inflorescence. F. Pistillate flowers. G. Infructescence. H. Fruits.