Syagrus × matafome (Bondar) Hawkes (1952a: 178)

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

72. Syagrus × matafome (Bondar) Hawkes (1952a: 178) . ( S. vagans × S. coronata )

Cocos matafome Bondar (1942a: 459) . Lectotype (designated by Glassman [1972b: 92]):— BRAZIL. Bahia: Municipio de Santa Teresinha, without date, G. Bondar s.n. (F! [F-619770]).

Figure 90 map.

Moderate, solitary, unarmed, palms. Stem erect, gray black, 2.5–10 m × 15–25 cm, with very close leaf scar intervals. Leaves 15–30 in crown, spirally arranged on the trunk, spreading; sheathing leaf base not measured, with fine narrow flattened woody fibers; pseudopetiole 60–100 cm long; petiole not measured with smooth margins; rachis 43–200 cm long; leaflets glaucous green on both surfaces, 63–90 along one side, irregularly distributed in clusters of 2–5 in nearly one plane; basal leaflets not measured, middle leaflets 19.5–47(–55) × 2.5–4.5 cm, apical

A REVISION OF THE GENUS SYAGRUS

Phytotaxa 294 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 231 leaflets not measured, mostly with acute to asymmetrical tips. Inflorescence erect to pendulous, spirally branched; prophyll not measured; peduncular bract ca. 75–120 cm long, expanded portion (25–)45–100 × 6–11 cm, bearing a (0–) 1–6 cm beak, woody, sulcate, light gray; peduncle ca. 60–90 × 1.5–2 cm; inflorescence axis ca. 53–105 cm long; rachis 43–95 cm long; rachillae 30–80, 10–59 cm long, subtended by a bract (0–)2–4 × 6–10 mm; staminate flowers (7–)8–10 × 3–5 mm, pale yellow, sepals 1–2 × less than 1 mm, petals (6–)7–9(–10) × 2.5–3 mm with acute tips, nerves indistinct, stamens not measured, anthers 4–6 mm long, filaments 2–2.5 mm long, pistillode 2 mm long; pistillate flowers (7–)8–9(–11) × 6–8 mm, yellow or purplish, sepals 8–9(–11) × 5–7 mm, petals 7–8 × 5–6 mm, pistil (6–)7–8 × 4 mm, stigmas 2 mm long, staminodal ring ca. 1.5–2 mm high. Fruit ovoid, 2.5–3.7 × 1.5–2 cm, greenish-creme color, persistent perianth (cupule) light brown, 1–1.3 cm wide, 1 cm deep, ring absent, epicarp 1 mm thick, smooth green fibrous, yellowish when fruit is mature, mesocarp 1–2 mm thick, sweet, succulent and fibrous; endocarp 2.0–3.4 × 1.6 cm, 1.5–2 mm thick on the sides, 2.5–3 mm thick at the ends, bony, brown, not trivittate (divittate or monovittate), with no clusters of fibers; seeds 1.5–2.0 × 1.1–1.2 cm, endosperm homogeneous.

Common name:— mata-fome, licuri-mata-fome, licuri-de-boi, licuriroba, ariroba.

Etymology:— The specific epithet, matafome , comes from the Portuguese word “mata-fome,” which in English means kill hunger. Indeed, this is the main use of its edible fruits in this desolate and arid caatinga region, where hunger can become a problem during periods of prolonged drought.

Distribution and habitat:— Endemic to the state of Bahia, in caatinga and in the transitional zones between Atlantic forest and caatinga or caatinga and cerrado. Its occurrence is relatively rare. Found wherever the populations of S. coronata and S. vagans overlap. The author saw one tree near the Bom Fim de Jesus and near Miguel Calmon and a very large population east of Iaçu near the village of Lajedo Alto. This palm grows well in caatinga vegetation in shallow sandy soils where the bedrock is close to the surface.

Phenology:— Collected in flower in January, March and September and in fruit in August. This hybrid can be found in flower and fruit year around. The palm fruits at the end of summer. Its seeds are difficult and slow to germinate.

Uses:— The thick, sweet mesocarp, as well as the nut, is edible. The palm with its ornamental aspects can be cultivated in general landscaping. Its leaves are used to cover rustic shelters and provide shading. Sometimes "milk" is made from the seeds by mashing them with a little water to form a slurry, then passing the slurry through a sieve or "peneira." Bondar mentioned that perhaps the resins on the leaf of this palm may have some industrial use ( Bondar, 1939a).

Notes:— This palm is the natural fertile hybrid between S. vagans and S. coronata , occurring wherever the populations of these two species overlap. It is about the same size as S. coronata but is easily separated from it by having its leaves in a spiral arrangement, instead of in five rows, and with a slender, woody sheath or pseudopetiole fibers instead of thick and woody fibers. Syagrus × matafome is like S. vagans in having spirally arranged leaves. It is like S. coronata in having an erect above ground stem, leaves and trunk diameter of about the same length, persistent petioles on the stem for about a meter, clustered leaflets, pyramidal shaped pistillate flowers and fruits that are about the same size as S. coronata .

Syagrus × matafome is common in the area of Lajedo Alto, but only occasional to rare elsewhere. It is intermediate between the two species: in the number of leaflets, the armature of the pseudopetiole and the size and shape of the peduncular bract (see Glassman 1987).

Representative specimens:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Bondar s.n. (F! [F-619771, 619772]); Caetité, H. Lorenzi et al. 5050 (HPL!); Iaçu, Fazenda São Sebastião a ca. 3 km oeste de Lajedo Alto, 180 m, 16 October 1985, J.L. de S. Lima & Sá s.n. (HTSA!); Iaçu, Lajedo Alto, 300–400 m, –12.72, –39.87, 25 November 1984, L.R. Noblick & M.J. Lemos 3398 (F!, HUEFS!, US!); dentro de 1–3 km sul, norte, e leste do povoado, 16 January 1986, L.R. Noblick & J. Lobo 4512 (CEPEC!, F!, HUEFS!, K!, MO!, NY!, RB!, SP!); Miguel Calmon, ca. de 10–12 km oeste da cidade até Lagoa Grande (= Urubu) e mais um km sul na estrada para Palmeiras na primeira baixada, 400–500 m, –11.38, –40.67, 13 March 1986, L.R. Noblick 4533 (CEPEC!, F!, HUEFS!); Milagres, Rodovia BR-116 (Rio/Bahia), próx. a Milagres. Margem da rodovia. Abundante no local, 11 January 1983, L.A. Mattos Silva et al. 1582 (CEPEC!); Santa Teresinha, 14 km W of Santa Teresinha in Caatinga, only two trees seen, 2.5 m tall with S. vagans and S. coronata , 30 June 1969, S.F. Glassman & J.T. Medeiros-Costa 8716 (F!); Senhor do Bonfim, in a pasture ca. 1 km N of the village of Carrapichel on BR-407 (Senhor do Bonfim/Joazeiro), –10.40, –40.18, December 1982, Silva & Mattos s.n. (F!).

232 • Phytotaxa 294 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press

NOBLICK

Figures

FIGURE 90. Distribution map of Syagrus hybrids. S. × altopalacioensis, S. × andrequiceana, S. × campos-portoana, S. × cipoensis, S. comosa × elata, S. × costae, S. × lacerdamourae, S. × matafome, S. × mirandana, S. × serroana, S. × teixeiriana, and S. × tostana.