Coccothrinax garciana León (1939: 143 )

Henderson, Andrew, 2023, A revision of Coccothrinax, Hemithrinax, Leucothrinax, Thrinax, and Zombia (Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 614 (1), pp. 1-115 : 49

1.15. Coccothrinax garciana León (1939: 143) .

Lectotype (designated by Moya 2020):— CUBA. Holguín (Oriente), Cerrito del Fraile , 17 March 1932, Fr. León 15476 (lectotype HAC!, isolectotypes A!, BH!, GH!, MICH n.v., MICH image!, MT n.v., US!). Plate 12

Stems length and diameter not recorded, solitary. Leaves persistent, giving a ‘skirt’ of dead leaves covering the stem; leaf sheath fibers 2.2(1.8–2.7) mm diameter, stout, woody, loosely woven, the inner and outer layer combining at the apices to form erect , spine-like fibers; petioles 8.6(6.6–11.2) mm diameter just below the apex; palmans 4.0(2.0–7.2) cm long, relatively short, with the adaxial veins prominent and terminating in a slight raised ridge and distinct pulvinus; leaf blades not wedge-shaped; segments 24(21–27) per leaf, the middle ones 29.1(23.0–34.0) cm long and 3.1(2.0–4.0) cm wide; segments not pendulous at the apices, giving the leaf a flat appearance; middle leaf segments relatively short and broad, abruptly narrowed (shoulder) toward the apex, otherwise parallel-sided, often strongly folded, stiff and leathery, the apices briefly splitting; middle leaf segment apices attenuate; leaf segments not waxy or sometimes with a deciduous, thin layer of wax adaxially, densely indumentose abaxially, with irregularly shaped, persistent, interlocking, fimbriate hairs, each one with a rounded, raised, reddish-brown center, without transverse veinlets. Inflorescences erect amongst or above the leaves, with few partial inflorescences at apex of inflorescence; rachis bracts narrow, closely sheathing, sparsely tomentose, usually without hairs at the apex; partial inflorescences 3(2–4); proximalmost rachillae straight, 6.6(4.4–9.0) cm long and 1.2(0.9–1.4) mm diameter in fruit; rachillae glabrous at or near anthesis; stamens 6; fruit pedicels 1.4(1.0–1.9) mm long; fruits 7.0(6.1–9.3) mm long and 7.4(6.1–8.7) mm diameter, purple; fruit surfaces smooth or sometimes with projecting fibers; seed surfaces deeply lobed, the lobes running from base of seeds almost to apices.

Distribution and habitat:— Eastern Cuba (Holguín) ( Fig. 12 ) in dry shrublands, dry hills, or barrens on serpentine soils at 140(120–160) m elevation.

Taxonomic notes:— As a preliminary species, Coccothrinax garciana has a unique combination of qualitative character states and is recognized as a phylogenetic species. It is notable for its abaxial leaf segment surfaces with the hairs with reddish-brown centers. The presence of a ‘skirt’ of dead leaves persisting on the stem is scored from an image of plants from the type locality in Moya (2020). Coccothrinax garciana appears similar to C. pseudorigida . Both species also have exceptionally large spine-like leaf sheath fibers, relatively small leaves, erect, projecting inflorescences with few, distal partial inflorescences, and relatively short rachillae and large fruits. Coccothrinax garciana differs from C. pseudorigida in its solitary stems and reddish-brown centers to the hairs on the abaxial surface of the leaves. Its sheath spines tend to dry almost black and its leaves tend to dry flat, as opposed to brown and curled, respectively, in C. pseudorigida .

Figures

PLATE 12. Coccothrinax garciana, Cuba, with stems covered with persistent dead leaves, giving a ‘skirt’ of dead leaves. (Image by Mayté Pernús Alvarez).

FIGURE 12. Distribution of Coccothrinax fagildei, C. fragrans, C. garciana, and C. gonaivensis.