Coccothrinax crinita (Hoyt) Beccari (1907: 334)

Henderson, Andrew, 2023, A revision of Coccothrinax, Hemithrinax, Leucothrinax, Thrinax, and Zombia (Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 614 (1), pp. 1-115 : 44

1.11. Coccothrinax crinita (Hoyt) Beccari (1907: 334) .

Thrinax crinita Hoyt (1894: 369) .

Holotype:—Third palm from left in photograph “Palms in Florida ” in Hoyt (1894, page 369). Plate 10

Coccothrinax crinita subsp. brevicrinis Borhidi & Muñiz in Muñiz & Borhidi (1981 publ. 1982: 448). Lectotype (designated by Moya 2021):— CUBA. Santa Clara, La Sierra, San Blas, 600–1,000 ft., 26 April 1930, Jack 7963 (lectotype HAC!, isolectotypes BH!, US!).

Stems 3.5(3.3–3.6) m long, diameter not recorded, solitary. Leaves more or less deciduous or only leaf bases persisting on stem; leaf sheath fibers 0.3(0.1–0.7) mm diameter, thin, flimsy, loosely woven, free and greatly elongate at the apices; petioles 12.5(9.7–16.4) mm diameter just below the apex; palmans 21.3(16.0–30.5) cm long, relatively long, without prominent adaxial veins; leaf blades not wedge-shaped; segments 40(36–42) per leaf, the middle ones 77.4(66.0–95.0) cm long and 3.8(3.2–4.5) cm wide; segments pendulous at the apices, giving a three-dimensional appearance to the leaf; middle leaf segments relatively long and broad, abruptly narrowed (shoulder) about the middle, stiff and leathery, the apices elongate beyond the shoulder, briefly splitting; middle leaf segment apices attenuate; leaf segments not waxy or sometimes with a deciduous, thin layer of wax adaxially; leaf segments densely indumentose abaxially, with irregularly shaped, persistent, interlocking, fimbriate hairs, each one with a rounded, raised, light green to greenish-brown center, without transverse veinlets. Inflorescences erect, at least initially, above the leaves, with numerous partial inflorescences; rachis bracts swollen, woody, not or sparsely tomentose; partial inflorescences 9; proximalmost rachillae straight, 8.9(6.2–11.5) cm long and 1.3(1.0–1.6) mm diameter in fruit; rachillae at or near anthesis not recorded; stamens not recorded; fruit pedicels 1.5 mm long; fruits 11.4 (10.2–12.5) mm long and 14.2(12.9–15.4) mm diameter, color not recorded; 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:— Cuba (Pinar del Río, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus) ( Fig. 11 ) in thickets on hills or in disturbed areas at 243 m elevation.

Taxonomic notes:— As a preliminary species, Coccothrinax crinita has a unique combination of qualitative character states and is recognized as a phylogenetic species. Moya (2020, 2021) has given a discussion of the nomenclature and typification of this species. Stem branching is scored from Craft (2017). Coccothrinax crinita is notable for its greatly elongate leaf sheath fibers and erect inflorescences projecting well above the leaves ( Plate 10 ). The large fruits are also notable and the correspondingly large seeds are more lobed than other species.

Coccothrinax crinita subsp. brevicrinis is included here. There are too few specimens to test for differences between subsp. crinita and subsp. brevicrinis , even though the two have a disjunct distribution. Craft (2017) considered that the leaf sheath fibers of subsp. crinita were considerably longer than those of subsp. brevicrinis . Moya (2021) has given notes on the type of C. crinita subsp. brevicrinis and Moya et al. (2016) reported its rediscovery in Sancti Spíritus.

A hybrid between Coccothrinax crinita subsp. brevicrinis and C. miraguama has been described from Cienfuegos, and has recently also been found in Sancti Spíritus province (Moya et al. 2018):

Coccothrinax × angelae Suárez (2015: 10) . Type:— CUBA. Cienfuegos, La Yaba , costa sur, 13 December 2005, D. Suárez & P. Oriol JBC-12500 (holotype AJBC n.v.) .

Figures

PLATE 10. Coccothrinax crinita, Cuba, with inflorescences erect, at least initially, above the leaves, with numerous partial inflorescences.

FIGURE 11. Distribution of Coccothrinax clarensis, C. concolor, C. crinita, and C. ekmanii.