Syagrus menzeliana Noblick & Lorenzi (2014: 7)

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

39. Syagrus menzeliana Noblick & Lorenzi (2014: 7) . Type: — BRAZIL. Goiás: Chapada do Céu: Fazenda Campo Bom , near km 23 S of the city on GO-050, and S of Rio Prato, elevation ca. 804 m, –18.57, –52.63, 9 January 2014, L.R. Noblick & H. Lorenzi 5631 (holotype ESA!, isotypes HPL!, UB!, RB!, SP!, K!, FTG!, NY!, MO!, US!)

Figure 56 plate, Figure 49 map.

Small solitary to clustering palm to 100–135 cm. Stem acaulescent. Leaves 3–5; sheathing leaf base ca. 18–22 cm long; pseudopetiole 13–32 cm long; petiole 11–30 × 0.5–1.1 cm, 0.3–0.6 cm thick; rachis 43–78 cm long; leaflets dark bluish-green, lighter on the abaxial surface, newer leaflets with a whitish waxy bloom on the abaxial surface, leaflets 10–29 along one side, in clusters of 2 or 3 or singly, inserted at various angles, giving the leaf a slight plumose appearance, ramenta scales or tomentum absent where the leaflets are inserted on the rachis, and none along the abaxial midvein; basal leaflets 11–15 × 0.2 cm, middle leaflets 11–25 × 1.0– 1.3 cm, apical leaflets 8–26 × 0.2–0.8 cm with an asymmetric tip. Inflorescence erect, unilaterally branched; prophyll 8–16.5 × 1.5–2.0 cm; peduncular bract 21–34 cm, expanded portion 12–25 × 1.6–3.5 cm, including a 0–1.5 cm beak, 3.6–5.4 cm perimeter, 1–2 mm thickness, narrow, woody, sulcate, exterior with scattered scales; peduncle ca. 9–20 cm × 3–7 mm, elliptical in cross-section, lepidote; inflorescence axis 6.5–14 cm long; rachis 0–6 cm long; rachillae 1–5(–7), glabrous, 8–13.5 cm long at the apex, 7–13 cm long at the base; staminate flowers 7.0– 7.2 mm long at the apex, 7.5–7.7 × 3.0– 3.1 mm at the base, green to yellow, sepals 1.5–1.8 × 0.7–1.5 mm, glabrous, no visible nerves, petals 6.0–6.2 × 2.0– 2.6 mm with acute tips, nerves indistinct, stamens 3.5–3.6 mm long, anthers 2.5–3.1 mm long, filaments 1.5–2.1 mm long, pistillode less than 1 mm long; pistillate flowers elongate conical, 10.5–11 × 5.5–5.8 mm at the apex, 14–15 × 8 mm at the base, yellow, glabrous, sepals 9.5–11.7 × 4.4–5.8 mm, glabrous, no visible venation, petals 8.7–12.5 × 4.4–6.6 mm, glabrous, obscurely nerved, valvate tips ½ or more of the length of the petals, ca. 5–6 mm long, pistil 7.3–11 × 3.6–5.5 mm, glabrous, stigmas less than 4.4 mm long, glabrous, staminodal ring ca. 1.5 mm high, truncate. Fruit nearly globose to ellipsoid, ca. 2.0–2.5 × 1.5 cm, yellow at the base, green in the middle and rusty at the apex with the very tip black, sometimes with a reddish ring around the tip ( Fig. 5B ) when

144 • Phytotaxa 294 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press

NOBLICK A REVISION OF THE GENUS SYAGRUS

Phytotaxa 294 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 145 maturing later becoming brown, often nearly glabrous and glossy on the upper more exposed portions of the fruit, sometimes lower parts covered with a mealy tomentum on the less exposed portions, epicarp less than 0.5 mm thick, mesocarp not measured, sweet, succulent and fibrous; endocarp not measured; seed ellipsoid not measured, endosperm homogeneous. Germination remote-tubular.

Common name:— Not recorded.

Etymology:— The specific epithet, menzeliana , honors Gilmena (Jill) Menzel, a citizen of both the U.S.A. and Brazil, for her generous support of the Montgomery Botanical Center and the International Palm Society.

Distribution and habitat:— Southwestern Goiás, Brazil, in fragmented cerrado forest. Terrain is flat with deep sandy clay soils, highly prized by soybean farmers.

Conservation:— Known from only one locality, a cerrado fragment, but fairly common in this locality. The surrounding area has been converted to soybean agriculture. It has not yet been found within the boundaries of the Parque Nacional das Emas, which is ca. 30 km away. Since the area is so highly fragmented and so little of the natural vegetation has survived, this species is classified as critically endangered, CR A2c; B1ab(i,iii,iv).

Phenology:— Old inflorescences with some fruiting and only a few fresh flowers in January.

Uses:— None recorded.

Notes:— This species resembles a robust S. loefgrenii with similarly branched inflorescences of approximately the same size and a waxy bloom on the abaxial surface of its leaves. The stems of both species have a habit of leaning away from one other when in a cluster, especially in younger plants. However, S. menzeliana is more robust (100–135 vs. 50–80 cm tall) with a stronger, more upright stem as it gets older. Its leaflet anatomy differs by having thicker leaflets, larger veins and larger fiber bundles than S. loefgrenii . Maturing fruits often have a reddish ring around its apex, which the author has not observed in any other Syagrus species.

Specimen examined:— BRAZIL. Goiás: Chapadão do Céu, coletada na estrada para Chapadão do Sul, a cerca de 21 km da cidade de Chapadão do Céu , em vegetação de cerrado sobre solos arenosos, 800 m, –18.56, –52.63, 6 June 2011, H. Lorenzi & A. Campos-Rocha 7120 ( HPL!) .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Syagrus amara. A. Species in habitat on Dominica. B. MBC garden specimen from Guadeloupe showing swollen stem base. C. Infructescences from St. Lucia. D. Canopy with immature infructescence and inflorescence. E. Closer shot of inflorescence. F. Close-up of open staminate flowers with larger unreceptive pistillate flowers. G. Infructescence with mature yellowish-orange fruit. H. Mature fruit. I. Fruit showing ruminate endosperm and internal cavity, grid = 1 cm.

FIGURE 49. Distribution maps of Syagrus lilliputiana, S. loefgrenii, S. longipedunculata, S. lorenzoniorum, S. macrocarpa, S. mendanhensis, S. menzeliana, S. microphylla and S. minor.

FIGURE 56. Syagrus menzeliana. A. Habit. B. Infructescence with reddish ring on the apex of maturing fruit. C. Inflorescence with pistillate flowers. D. Waxy bloom on abaxial side of leaf. White scale on B and C = ca. 1 cm. (Noblick & Lorenzi 5631).