Syagrus amara (Jacq.) Martius (1847: 132)

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

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.294.1.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A087AB-FFB3-BD49-0AEC-FC6205C2F7C3
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Syagrus amara (Jacq.) Martius (1847: 132)
status

Treatment

2. Syagrus amara (Jacq.) Martius (1847: 132) View in CoL . Cocos amara Jacquin (1763: 277) . Rhyticocos amara (Jacq.) Beccari (1886: 353) . Calappa amara (Jacq.) Kuntze (1891: 982) . Neotype (designated here):— MARTINIQUE, closest town is Trois Ilets, S to SW of the town close to the Parc Naturel Regional de La Martinique. Secondary forest along a rocky stream valley, 135 m, 14.52, –61.05, 22 August 2009, L.R. Noblick, A. Peter and P.-O. Albano 5545 (FTG!)

Figure 5 View FIGURE 5 plate, Figure 4 View FIGURE 4 map.

Solitary, moderate to large, unarmed palms, with the Stem 6–20 m × 14–24 cm. Leaves 9–22, leaf sheath plus the petiole 99–138 cm long; sheathing leaf base ca. 90–100 cm long; pseudopetiole 60–93 cm long; petiole 0–20 × 3.3–6 cm, 1.5–3.0 cm thick; rachis 206–364 cm long; leaflets slightly lighter on the abaxial surface, 99–156 along one side, in clusters of 2–4 (mostly 3), inserted at various angles, giving the leaf a plumose appearance, no ramenta scales or tomentum present where the leaflets are inserted on the rachis, and none along the abaxial midvein; basal leaflets 22–70 × 0.2–0.8 cm, middle leaflets 63–98 × 3.5–6.0 cm, apical leaflets 16–37 × 0.3–1.3 cm with an asymmetric tip. Inflorescence erect or pendulous, spirally branched; prophyll 39–59 × 6–11 cm; peduncular bract 80–165 cm long, expanded portion 60–102 × 5.5–28 cm, including a 0–8(–10) cm beak, 13.5–32 cm perimeter, a 2–4 mm thickness, narrow, woody, sulcate, exterior with scattered thin indument; peduncle ca. 20–67 × 3–4(–4.5) cm, 1.5–3.0 cm thick, elliptical in cross-section, glabrous; inflorescence axis 46–84 cm long; rachis 35–59 cm long; rachillae 52–88, glabrous, 9–27 cm long at the apex, 23–55 cm long at the base; staminate flowers 7–10 × 5.5–8 mm at the apex, 10–13 × 5.5–8 mm at the base, green to yellow, sepals 2.5–3 × 3.5–4 mm, glabrous, with raised nerves, petals 6.5–8 mm long at the tip, 9.5–10 × 3–3.8 mm at the base, with acute tips, glabrous, nerves indistinct to slightly raised, stamens 5–7.5 mm long, anthers 4–7 mm long, filaments 2.5–3 mm long, pistillode 2 mm long; basal pistillate flowers pyramidal, ca. 5 mm long at the apex, 10–13 × 7–11 mm at the base, sepals 10–13 × 7–11 mm, sepals longer than the petals, both distinctly nerved, glabrous, yellow, petals 10–12 × 7–9 mm, glabrous, pistil 8–9 × 5.5–7.5 mm, part of the style, and pistil whitish-tomentose on the lower half, stigmas less than 1.0– 1.5 mm long, glabrous, staminodal ring ca. 1.5–2.0 mm high, 6-dentate. Fruit ovoid-oblong, 4.1–7.0 × 3.4–4.7 cm, yellow to orange when mature, glabrous, epicarp less than 0.5 mm thick, mesocarp 4–7 mm thick, succulent and fibrous; endocarp ca. 4–6 × 3–4 cm, 2–4 mm thick on the sides, 5–7 mm thick on the ends, bony; seed globose or ovoid, ca. 3 × 2.5 cm, with ruminate endosperm. Germination remote-ligular.

NOBLICK A REVISION OF THE GENUS SYAGRUS

Common name:— ti koko, petit coco, gloughlou ( St. Lucia & Martinique), palmiste, palmier amer, petit coco ( Martinique), mocho, moca palm, go go palm ( Montserrat), coconier, coco cain, coco main, coco nain, yattahu, yattahou ( Dominica), palmier amer, palmier rouman au matouba, petit cocos des bois ( Guadeloupe), overtop palm.

Etymology:— The specific epithet, amara , means bitter, and refers to the bitter-tasting endosperm.

Distribution and habitat:— This species grows on only five islands in the Lesser Antilles: St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Montserrat. The species is known from three populations on St. Lucia on the Caribbean and Atlantic coast. It is most common on St. Lucia’s western, Caribbean side, with only two smaller populations on the Atlantic side. In Martinique, it was collected from the northern portion near Grand Rivière, from the southwestern Caribbean side near Trois Ilets, and several smaller localities located mostly on the southern portion of the island. In Dominica, it was mostly collected along the northwestern portion of the island. On Guadeloupe it has been collected near St. Rose and Basse Terre on the western Caribbean side of the island. Finally, it can be found in at least three populations on Montserrat: Upper Blakes, Locust Valley, and Waterworks Estates. It grows in seasonally dry or secondary forests on steep slopes in rocky, clay or older decomposed volcanic soils or along the margins of rocky streams, from 9 m to 363 m elevation.

Conservation:— Because of its habitat, which is steep, and often rocky, there is not much pressure on it from agricultural concerns. Near the coast there may be some competition for building sites, but many of these sites would be difficult to build on. None of the areas of occupancy that the author visited were particularly large with the exception of those on Dominica. Several populations occur in remote or protected areas and some within volcanically active exclusion zones (Monserrat). While some populations my go extinct that are outside of these zones, the author does not see any threat of the species going extinct on any of these islands in the foreseeable future. Live specimens from four of the five islands are growing at Montgomery Botanical Center. It is classified as least concern, LC.

Phenology:— Flowering in the wild in March to July with some plants having fruit from May to August or September.

Uses:— This palm has ornamental potential. According to Hodge (1957), the immature seeds contain a bitter “milk” and fermented drinks were made from the fruit and sap.

Notes:— This is a medium to large palm with a noticeably swollen base. It is the only native Syagrus in the Caribbean. The large (to 7 cm long) yellow to orange fruit with white tomentum covered apex, thick endocarp (to 5–7 mm), and ruminate endosperm make it easy to identify.

Representative specimens:— DOMINICA: St. John Parish: Ti Baie; Morne Plaissance Road / Ti Baie Closest Town Portsmith, 165 m, 15.54, –61.46. 13 July 2012, L.R. Noblick & A. James 5619 ( FTG!) ; St. Peter Parish: Near Mount Espagnol. Espagnol; Closest Town is Dublanc , 200 m, 15.53, –61.46, 13 July 2012, L.R. Noblick & A. James 5618 ( FTG!) ; St. Peter Parish: Syndicate Road , 297 m, 15.53, –61.46, 14 July 2012, L.R. Noblick & A. James 5620 ( FTG!) ; GUADELOUPE. St. Rose: [16.33, –61.99], 25 March 1931, A. Questel 613 (P!); MARTINIQUE. Grand Rivière: on the northern side of the island and E of the town, on the slopes and top of Cap. St. Martin, just W of the Rivière Trois Bras , 9 m, 14.86, –61.20, 23 August 2009. L.R. Noblick et al. 5546 ( FTG!) ; Le Marin, Property of Hubert Inimod, NW of the town facing towards the town of Le Marin , 239 m, 14.48, –60.89, 24 August 2009. L.R. Noblick et al. 5548 ( FTG!) ; Petit Bourg, ca 2.5 km SE of the town on the Petit Bourg / Regale road (N8), 14.53, –60.94, 158 m, 24 August 2009, L.R. Noblick & A. Peter 5549 ( FTG!) ; Diamant, vaillon entre Morne Gardier et Morne du Riz, 10 m, 6 September 1988, C. Sastre 8591 (P!); MONTSERRAT. Blakes Estate: Upper Blakes Estate near the water tower. ca 338 m. 16.77, –62.19, 14 July 2010, L.R. Noblick et al. 5560 ( FTG!) ; Centre Hills; Centre Hills; Biodiversity Assessment Point 136, 306 m, 16.75, –62.20, 17 November 2005, M.A. Hamilton et al. 323 (K!); North Centre Hills , 16.75, –62.19, 13 November 1944, J.S. Beard 434 (K!); 1882, A. Duss 18 ( US); 1897, A. Duss 3817 ( US); 8 May 1891, J.S. Hollings s.n. (K!) ; ST. LUCIA. Anse La Chaloupe : 322 ft, 13.99, –60.89, 18 May 2002, B.F. Gunn 20, 21 ( MO!) ; Anse La Raye, Just N of Roseau along the Caribbean side of the island, 92 m, 13.96, –61.04, 19 August 2009, L.R. Noblick et al. 5540 ( FTG!) ; Dennery, Closest town of Dennery, ca. 2.5 km S of the city along the Atlantic side of the island, 73 m, 13.90, –60.89, 20 August 2009. L.R. Noblick & V.C. Sealy 5541 ( FTG!) ; Mandele, 200 m from Correctional Services towards Dennery, 22 May 2002, B.F. Gunn 54 ( MO!) ; Masquet , 13.96, –61.04, 16 May 2002, B.F. Gunn 16, 17 ( MO!) ; Rosseau, Masquet , 294 ft, 13.96, –61.04, 16 May 2002, B.F. Gunn & M. Smith 12 ( MO!) .