Syagrus weddelliana (H.Wendl.) Beccari (1916: 468)

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

63. Syagrus weddelliana (H.Wendl.) Beccari (1916: 468) . Cocos weddelliana H.Wendl. ex Moore (1871: 114) . Lytocaryum weddellianum (H.Wendl.) Toledo (1944 , 8). Microcoelum weddellianum (H.Wendl.) Moore (1963b: 267) . Lectotype (designated by Glassman [1987: 113]):— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: Serra dos Orgãos , [–22.48, – 42.91], 1832, M. Lhotsky 8 (G)

Glaziova elegantissima Perring (1873: 116) (superfluous name for Cocos weddelliana , see notes). Cocos elegantissima Schaedtler (1875: 158) (superfluous). Calappa elegantissima (H.Wendl.) Kuntze (1891: 982) (superfluous). Type:—not designated and no specimens cited.

Glaziova martiana Glaz. ex Drude in Martius (1881: 397) (superfluous name for Cocos weddelliana ). Microcoelum martianum (Glaz. ex Drude) Burret & Potztal (1956: 388) (illegitimate because Cocos weddelliana was cited as a synonym).

Cocos pynaertii auctorum ( Masters [1891: 683]) (nomen nudum, misspelled Cecos Pynaertii ). Cocos weddelliana var. pynaertii hort. ex Nicholson & Mottet (1899: 754) . Syagrus weddelliana var. pynaertii (G.Nicholson & Mottet) Beccari (1916: 468) . Lytocaryum weddellianum var. pynaertii (G.Nicholson & Mottet) Hawkes (1952b: 190) . Type:—not designated and no specimen cited. Cultivated in nursery of Pynaert van Gurt, Ghent, Belgium ( Glassman 1987).

Syagrus weddelliana var. cinerea Beccari (1916: 471) . Lytocaryum weddellianum var. cinereum (Becc.) Hawkes (1952b: 190) . Type:— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro: without date, A.F.M. Glaziou 2758 (FI; MO)

Figure 87 plate, Figure 86 map.

Solitary palm with columnar Stem ca. 1.0– 3.5 m × 3–6(–10) cm, often covered with persistent leaf bases. Leaves 7–25; sheathing leaf base not measured; pseudopetiole 54–61 cm long; petiole 5–14 × 0.5–0.7 cm, petiole and rachis densely covered with long dark brown to chestnut-brown fibers; rachis 65–88 cm long; leaflets dark green adaxially, silvery pubescent abaxially, linear-lanceolate, 33–45(–60) along one side, regularly arranged in one plane, ramenta scales or tomentum present where the leaflets are inserted on the rachis and also present along the abaxial midvein, especially the proximal portion; basal leaflets 20–21 × 0.1 cm, middle leaflets 18–25 × 0.4–1.2 cm, apical leaflets 3–4 × 0.1 cm with tip asymmetrically bifid. I NFLORESCENCE erect to pendulous, spirally branched; prophyll ca. 18 × 1 cm; peduncular bract ca. 60 cm long, expanded portion 34–40 × 2.5 cm, including a 2.0– 7.5 cm beak, 1.5–1.8–3.0 cm perimeter, 0.5–1.0 mm thickness, narrow, woody, sulcate, exterior with scattered scaly lepidote; peduncle ca. 18–36 cm × 3–5 mm, elliptical in cross-section, scaly lepidote; inflorescence axis 20– 36 cm long; rachis 15–28 cm long; rachillae 20–37(–62), scaly lepidote, 3–8 cm long at the apex, 6.5–19 cm

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NOBLICK long at the base; staminate flowers 2.5–3.7 mm long at the apex, 2.7–5.7 × 0.9–2.5 mm at the base, green to yellow, sepals 0.7–1.8 × 0.8–1.9 mm, glabrous, faintly visible nerves, petals 1.9–3.3 mm long at the apex, 2.2–4.6 × 0.6– 1.5 mm at the base with acute tips, nerves indistinct, stamens 0.9– 0.3 mm long, anthers 0.6–2 mm long, filaments 0.4–2.0 mm long, pistillode ca. 1 mm long; basal pistillate flowers conical, 5.0–8.5 × 3.2–6.5 mm, yellow, glabrous, sepals 4–8 × 2.5–5.5 mm, glabrous, faintly nerved to indistinctly nerved, petals 3.0–4.5 × 1.2–2.7 mm, lepidote to glabrous, distinctly nerved, valvate tips 1/3 to greater than ½ the length of the petals, ca. 1.5–2 mm long, pistil 3.0–5.5 × 1.4–2 mm, scaly lepidote, stigmas ca. 1.3–2.0 mm long, glabrous, staminodal ring ca. 0.3–0.8 mm high, 6-dentate. Fruit globose to ovoid, 1.7 × 1.0– 1.7 cm, brownish-green when mature, glabrous, epicarp less than 0.5 mm thick, mesocarp 0.5–1.0 mm thick, fibrous, epicarp and endocarp split longitudinally into three or more parts when mature exposing the endocarp; endocarp nearly globose, 1.5 × 1.3 cm, 0.5 mm thick on its sides, 1 mm thick at the ends, thin and fragile; seed depressed to very broadly ellipsoid, ca. 1.5 × 1.3 cm, endosperm homogeneous. Germination adjacent-ligular. Eophyll small, simple, entire, but the second leaf is pinnate.

Common name:— agué, icá, ico, palmeirinha-de-petrópolis, jara, micury.

Etymology:— The specific epithet, weddelliana , honors the English-born, French-raised botanist Hugh Algernon Weddell (1819–1877), who spent a number of years during at least two expeditions exploring and collecting in South America.

Distribution and habitat:— This palm occurs in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, in the Atlantic Forest on steep, rocky slopes below Petrópolis and Teresópolis. It grows in the humid rainforests from 50–800 m elevation.

Conservation:— Since this species grows on steep, rocky terrain that is not highly prized agriculturally, and since it is propagated in the nursery trade, it is classified as least concern, LC.

Phenology:— This species flowers and fruits in the spring (October–December), probably flowering and fruiting year around.

Uses:— This palm is very popular in the nursery trade for both interior and exterior landscaping. It can tolerate low light conditions.

Notes:— This species has been confused with S. insignis , but has a shorter stem, narrower pinnae and is covered with chestnut-brown hairs or fibers instead of black ones. The first leaf (eophyll) is lanceolate, ca. 5 cm long, but the second leaf is always pinnate, unlike S. insignis , which continues to produce simple lanceolate leaves until it is about 30 cm tall. As an adult plant, this species does not transplant as well as an adult S. insignis does. The designation of a lectotype or neotype for this species was amply covered by Glassman (1987). Basically, Wendland first described the species in 1871 under Cocos weddelliana . Unaware that it had already been validly described, Drude named it Glaziova martiana , but he listed Cocos weddelliana as a synonym, thereby making his own name illegitimate.

Glaziova elegantissima only became validly published by Wilhem Perry in 1873 even though it had appeared in the literature a few years before. The earlier quoted validation date of 1871 was found to be invalid ( Govaerts et al. 2016). Therefore, since it was published after Cocos weddelliana ( Moore 1871) it becomes a superfluous name, along with all of its later homonyms.

The name Calappa elegantina (a misspelling of Calappa elegantissima ) and does not appear in Kuntze (1891: 982), as many have reported.

Representative specimens:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Castelo, Trilha das piscinas para o mirante, –20.52, – 41.08, 2 May 2008, C.N. de Fraga 1983 ( RB) ; Rio de Janeiro: [Guapimirim], forest descent from Serra dos Orgaos to Frechal, February 1826, Burchell 2530 (K!, P); Guapimirim, Estação Ecológica Estadual de Paraíso. Proximidades do alojamento, –22.43, –42.83, 29 August 1991, S.V.A. Pessoa 593 ( RB) ; Guapimirim, Estação Ecológica Estadual de Paraíso. Mata atrâs da residência, –22.43, –42.83, 5 February 1992, L. Sylvestre 709 ( RB) ; Macaé, Serra de Macaé , Alto da Serra , –22.37, –41.77, 1 January 1909, E. Garbe s.n. ( SP!) ; Magé, Estrada de parada Modelo para Cachoeiras de Macacu , ramal de acesso ao Centro de Primatologia da FEEMA. Em trilha à esq. da reserva, em direção a Guapimirim , –22.50, –42.91, 2 September 2006, P. Fiaschi et al. 3149 ( SPF) ; Magé, Paraíso , –22.65, –43.04, 16 October 1984, H.C. de Lima et al. 2200 ( MBM) ; Rio de Janeiro, –22.90, –43.21, 14 October 2004, H. Lorenzi 4959 ( HPL!) ; Rio de Janeiro, 1838–1842, Wilkes Exploring Expedition s.n. ( GH) ; Sant'Ana , 1 January 1909, E. Garbe s.n. ( SP!) ; Teresópolis, Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos, Sede Guapimirim (sub-sede). Trilha para a capela do rio Soberbo , –22.41, –42.97, 14 April 2001, P. Fiaschi et al. 790 ( SP, SPF) ; Teresopolis, 1883, A.F.M. Glaziou 16478 ( BM, F, NY, P); Teresópolis, Soberbo , –22.41, –42.97, 25 July 1918, F.C. Hoehne s.n. ( SP!) ; Teresópolis, Parque Nacional Serra dos Órgãos , vale do Rio Bananal , picada do

A REVISION OF THE GENUS SYAGRUS

Phytotaxa 294 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 219 falecido Hipólito, –22.50, –43.03, 26 June 2007, M. Nadruz 1849 (RB); Teresópolis, Serra dos olhos d´água, Terezópolis. Serra dos Órgãos , –22.41, –42.97, 1 March 1887, H. Schenk 2957 (RB); Without locality, 1862, A.F.M. Glaziou 288 (P); 1883, Herb. Saldanha (R-44707); 1891, Uhle 1978 (R); 1894, Uhle s.n. (R [R-44582]); A.F.M. Glaziou 3635 (C, P).

Figures

FIGURE 86. Distribution maps of Syagrus vermicularis, S. weddelliana, S. werdermannii and S. yungasensis.

FIGURE 87. Syagrus weddelliana. A. Habit of palm. B. Leaf sheaths and petioles. C. Crown with inflorescence and infructescence. D. Habit of cultivated specimen. E. Inflorescence. F. Infructescence showing the spit epicarps when mature. G. Epicarps with one sectioned to show homogeneous endosperm and internal cavity. Grid is in centimeters. Photos A, B, C and G by Harri Lorenzi.