Syagrus kellyana Noblick & Lorenzi (2010b: 21)

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

32. Syagrus kellyana Noblick & Lorenzi (2010b: 21) . Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Padre Paraíso, 22 km N of the city on BR-116 at Ponte de Dois Valante [Ponto dos Volantes ], 500–600 m, –16.92, –41.48. [Montgomery Botanical Center] Garden accession number 97289 and 97290. 23 July 1997, L.R. Noblick & L. Cline 5156 (holotype IPA!, isotype FTG!)

Figures 46–47 plates, Figure 38 map.

Moderate-sized, solitary palm. Stem 2–5 m × 16–18 cm, caulescent, erect, columnar, with visible leaf scars. Leaves 8–12 in the crown, somewhat plumose, spirally arranged, spreading in the crown, ca. 3 m long; sheath fibrous on the margins 70–138 cm long; pseudopetiole 27–64 cm long; petiole short, absent–11 × 3.5–4 cm, 1.5–2 cm thick; rachis 2.4–4 m long; leaflets 104–131 each side of the rachis, linear with acuminate, nearly symmetrical apex, distributed irregularly in clusters of 2–4(–5), inserted in more than one plane, no ramenta scales or tomentum present where the leaflets are inserted on the rachis, and none along the abaxial midvein; basal leaflets 58 × 0.8 cm, middle leaflets 57–72 × 3.3–4.5 cm, apical leaflets 24–26 × 0.3–0.6 cm. INFLORESENCE erect to pendulous, spirally branched; prophyll 40–67 × 6–8 cm; peduncular bract 110–160 cm long, expanded portion 62–97 × 15–20 cm, including a 3–8 cm beak, perimeter 14–25(–35) cm, 4–5 mm thickness, woody, deeply sulcate, strongly recurved; peduncle 56–82 × 3–4 cm, 2–2.5 cm thick, elliptical in cross-section, glabrous or covered with a lepidote indument; inflorescence axis 53–88 cm long; rachis 42–70 cm long; rachillae 47–69, 8–47 cm long; staminate flowers 11–21 × 4–7 mm, sepals 3–7 × 1–2 mm, glabrous, petals 12–17 × 5–6 mm with acute tips, nerves indistinct to slightly raised, stamens 7 mm long, anthers 6 mm long, filaments 2.5–3.0 mm long; pistillate flowers pyramidal, 8–15 × 7–13 mm at the apex, 16–21 × 9–13 mm at the base, glabrous, sepals 10–21 × 7–13 mm, petals 11–13 × 5– 8 mm, valvate portion 1/3 to 2/5 the length of the petals, ca. 4–5 mm long, glabrous, pistil 7–11 × 4–9 mm, with short white indument on the lower half becoming a brownish lepidote on more mature ovaries, stigmas 2–3 mm long, glabrous, staminodal ring ca. 2–3 mm high, 6-dentate. Fruit ovoid, 3.5–4 × 2.6–2.9 cm, with rougher brownish-yellow epicarp splitting a little at the apex when mature, less than 0.5 mm thick, mesocarp 3–7 mm thick, succulent and fibrous, mucilaginous, and thickest at the base of the fruit; endocarp 3.3–3.5 × 1.8–2.6 cm, 4–6 mm thick on the sides, 7–10 mm thick on the ends; seed ellipsoid, ca. 1.5–1.7 cm × ca. 1 cm, endosperm homogeneous with a central cavity. Germination remote-tubular.

Common name:— coco-de-quarta.

Etymology:— The specific epithet, kellyana , honors Loyd Kelly and his family, who have so generously supported the Montgomery Botanical Center and the author’s research over the years.

Distribution and habitat:— In eastern Minas Gerais in the Atlantic forest of Brazil, in well-drained soils, usually on rock granitic outcrops in thin soils at an elevation of ca. 550 m. Its distribution appears to run from Salinas to Padre Paraíso, Minas Gerais in the rocky outcrop areas.

Conservation:— This species grows in rocky outcrops, which are of no agricultural value, produces lots of seeds that germinate easily. For these reasons it is not threatened and is classified as least concern, LC.

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting in July. This species fruits moderately during the summer (December– March). The seeds germinate relatively easily in 2 to 4 months.

Uses:— The fruits and seeds are edible. The plant is ornamental with potential for landscaping in tropical regions.

Notes:— This palm has seed with a large central cavity like a coconut. The fruits are pulpier with more mucilage than the drier, thinner mesocarps of S. picrophylla and S. lorenzoniorum . Unlike S. picrophylla and S. lorenzoniorum , whose rachillae tips remain straight, turn green and have no or small rachillae bracts, the rachillae of S. kellyana dry up become twisted, turn brown or gray and have large rachillae bracts. Fruits are totally covered by a fine lepidote, but less than 1/3 covered in the other two species.

When this species from Minas Gerais was first collected by the author, it was believed to be a short Syagrus oleracea . However, after closer examination, it was discovered that it had pistillate flower petals that are broad at the base but terminate abruptly in a brief, acute, apiculate tip, which is characteristic of S. picrophylla . Therefore the author originally classified it as S. picrophylla .

A REVISION OF THE GENUS SYAGRUS

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NOBLICK A REVISION OF THE GENUS SYAGRUS

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The S. picrophylla complex ( S. cearensis , S. lorenzoniorum , S. kellyana , and S. picrophylla ) has caused much confusion among earlier botanists. They are superficially similar in appearance and are among the few Syagrus species to have seeds with large central cavities like a coconut. Most grow in very rocky terrain in shallow soils. Their distributions and similar rocky habitats stretch from Ceará on the north ( S. cearensis ) to Rio de Janeiro on the south ( S. picrophylla ). Perhaps it was the similarity of the palms and similarity of their habitat which led J. Barbosa Rodrigues (1903a) to write that the species ( S. picrophylla ) grew from Ceará to Rio de Janeiro. His 1903 publication had two drawings of S. picrophylla , neither of which resembled the other, causing more confusion. Barbosa Rodrigues’ original description was based on palms growing in the state of Rio de Janeiro and southern Espirito Santo. Fieldwork and closer examination of plants collected from northern Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Montgomery Botanical Center revealed morphological and anatomical differences that aided the author in distinguishing both S. kellyana from Minas Gerais, and S. lorenzoniorum from the northern half of Espirito Santo and southern Bahia. Syagrus kellyana differs from S. picrophylla and S. lorenzoniorum in being a stouter, thicker-stemmed palm with spreading, more arching leaves (rather than straighter, more ascending leaves). The fruits of S. kellyana are completely covered by a thin scaly lepidote, but those of S. picrophylla and S. lorenzoniorum are covered only at the tip or on the upper third. In S. kellyana , the tips of the inflorescence dry up and become twisted and shriveled during fruit development, but the tips stay alive, are nearly straight and turn a dark green in S. picrophylla . The primary branch tips also have conspicuous sub floral rachillae bracts (nearly absent in S. picrophylla ), giving S. kellyana a more ragged appearance. Anatomically, the abaxial surface of the leaflet has several distinct nonvascular fiber strands, which are missing in both S. lorenzoniorum and S. picrophylla .

Specimen examined:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Municipio de Ponto dos Volantes , na rodovia BR 101 (km 158), na localidade denominada “Morais,” –16.92, –41.47, 12 February 2009, H. Lorenzi, R. Campos & R. Pimenta 6628 (HPL!).

Figures

FIGURE 38. Distribution maps of Syagrus harleyi, S. hoehnei, S. inajai, S. insignis, S. itacambirana, S. itapebiensis and S. kellyana.

FIGURE 46. Syagrus kellyana. A. Habit. B. Leaf. C. Infructescence. D. Fruit. E. Endocarp. F. Primary branch with flowers. G. Pistillate flower opened. H–I. Pistillate flowers. J–K. Staminate flowers. Drawn fresh from MBC accession 97290 (Noblick 5157). The scales are as follows: A–B are in meters, D–F are in decimeters and all others are in centimeters. Drawn by Wes Jurgens.

FIGURE 47. Syagrus kellyana. A. Habit in near Padre Paraíso, Minas Gerais, Brazil (Noblick & Cline 5156). B. Palm at MBC. C. Lower crown of palm in Minas Gerais with a newly opened inflorescence (Noblick & Cline 5156). D. Infructescence. E. Stem with old often characteristically recurved peduncular bract. F. Inflorescence. G. Staminate flowers. H. Maturing fruits on the infructescence. I. Fruits with one showing mesocarp and fibers. Note two lower fruits with spitting apices. J. Endocarps with cross-section showing thick endocarp walls and homogeneous endosperm and small internal cavity. Photos I and J by Harri Lorenzi. All grids are in centimeters.