Syagrus itapebiensis (Noblick & Lorenzi) Noblick & Meerow (2015: 61)

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

31. Syagrus itapebiensis (Noblick & Lorenzi) Noblick & Meerow (2015: 61) . Lytocaryum itapebiense Noblick & Lorenzi (2010a: 13) . Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia: Municipio de Itapebi, [the exact location has been withheld because of the vulnerable state of this population] 23 June 2008, H. Lorenzi, L.R. Noblick , et al. [C. A. Guimarães, J. E. dos Santos ] 6496 (holotype HPL!, isotypes FTG!, NY!, K!, CEPEC!, RB!, SP!)

Figures 44–45 plates, Figure 38 map.

Small solitary palm 35–65 cm tall. Stem short, subterranean. Leaves 4–11 in the crown; sheathing leaf base ca. 8– 11 cm long; pseudopetiole 12–25 cm long; petiole 3–7 × 0.5–0.6 cm, 0.4 cm thick; rachis 31–52 cm long; leaflets dark shiny green, discolorous, abaxial surface with a silvery pubescence, 21–26 along one side, regularly

A REVISION OF THE GENUS SYAGRUS

Phytotaxa 294 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 121 distributed along rachis, ramenta scales or tomentum present where the leaflets are inserted on the rachis, and none or only occasional ramenta or tomentum along the abaxial midvein; basal leaflets 10–13.5 × 0.2–0.6 cm, middle leaflets 11–16 × 1.2–1.9 cm, apical leaflets 5–7 × 0.4–0.5 cm with an asymmetric tip and a long drip tip. Inflorescence erect, bilaterally branched; prophyll 4–8 × 1.3–1.5 cm; peduncular bract 21–24 cm long, usually with no expanded portion (one exception measured 5–12 × 0.6 cm with a 1 cm beak, 1.5 cm perimeter), 0.5 mm thickness or less, very narrow, thin, woody, slightly sulcate, exterior with scattered thin indument; peduncle ca. 32– 66 cm × 2.5–3 mm, nearly round in cross-section, glabrous; inflorescence axis, 7–9 cm long; zig-zag rachis 2–4 cm long; rachillae 4–6, glabrous, lying in nearly the same plane, 5–5.5 at the apex, 6.5 cm long at the base; staminate flowers 4–4.5 × 2 mm, green to yellow, sepals 1.7–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous, with raised nerves, petals 3.5–4 × 2 mm with acute tips, nerves indistinct to slightly raised, stamens 2–3 mm long, anthers 1.5–1.8 mm long, filaments 1–2 mm long, pistillode 1.8–2 mm long; pistillate flowers elongate, conical, 3– 2 mm long at the apex, 5 × 3 mm at the base, glabrous, sepals 2.5–3 × 3 mm, green, glabrous, petals 3–5 × 3 mm, green to yellow, glabrous, obscurely nerved, valvate tips less than ¼ the length of the petals, less than 1 mm long, pistil 4 × 2 mm, glabrous, stigmas less than 0.5 mm long, glabrous, staminodal ring ca. 1 mm high, 6-dentate. Fruit conical, 1.2–1.5 × 0.9–1.1 cm, red to reddish-orange when mature, glabrous, epicarp less than 0.5 mm thick, mesocarp 2–2.5, mm, succulent and fibrous, composed of two layers, an out red or orange fleshy part ca. 1.5 mm thick with an inner white fibrous layer 0.8–1 mm thick; endocarp 1.0–1.3 × 0.6–0.7 cm, very thin, less than 0.5 mm thick; seed ellipsoid, ca. 10–12 × 5–6 mm, endosperm homogeneous. Germination adjacent-ligular.

Common name:— icá-mirim.

Etymology:— The specific epithet, itapebiensis , refers to the municipality of Itapebi, Bahia, Brazil, where the only known population of this species is found.

Distribution and habitat:— Brazil, rare on the drier upper shaded slopes of a rainforest in clay soils. The plant is known from only one forest valley in the Municipio of Itapebi, Bahia, but has not been searched for extensively in adjacent valleys, where there may be other populations.

Conservation:— Much of the area has been converted into pasture. The area is unprotected and owned by cattle ranchers, who annually torch their pastures, burning deeper into the adjacent forest with each burn cycle, threatening the forest where this palm grows. The only known population is extremely threatened with only a few plants left in the wild. Most of the known plants were removed to save them from the expanding pastures. This species grows well as a potted plant and continues to flower and fruit more vigorously in a pot than it does in the wild. Therefore, ex situ conservation is a potential conservation strategy, and recent successes in germinating the seed have sparked new hope for the species (C. A. Guimarães, pers. comm.). Nevertheless from our current knowledge, it is classified as Critically Endangered, CR B2ab(i, ii, iii, iv, v); C2a(i, ii); D.

Phenology:— Flowering in the wild in June with some plants having immature fruits also in June. Potted plants appear to flower and fruit year around.

Uses:— This palm has great ornamental potential with its small size and very attractive foliage and fruit. It grows well in shade and thrives as a potted plant.

Notes:— Carlos Alex Guimarães, a palm enthusiast and plant collector from Bahia, Brazil, was visiting his friend, João E. de Santos (see Syagrus santosii ), when he noticed an attractive potted palm that had shiny dark green foliage with silvery undersides and beautiful red fruits. He inquired where his friend had purchased the plant, and his friend responded that the palm was native. Alex sent images to the author, and in June 2008, the author and Harri Lorenzi went to look at this palm in the wild and confirmed that it was new to science. Syagrus itapebiensis is acaulescent. The inflorescence is unique in that the branches of the inflorescence appear to be oriented in nearly the same plane (nearly dichotomously so). The peduncular bract often tightly hugs the peduncle with no or little expanded portion, which is very atypical of most Attaleinae palms, but has been observed in some of the grassy Butia species, i.e. Butia exospadix . As the inflorescence emerges from the peduncular bract and some of the staminate flowers begin to open, the peduncle is still shorter than the leaves; as the female flowers become receptive and the fruits mature to a reddish color, the peduncle expands far above the peduncular bract and often above the leaves themselves. It has a very thin endocarp and a very small fruit in comparison to most other Syagrus .

Specimen examined:— Known only from the holotype.

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Figures

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

FIGURE 44. Syagrus itapebiensis. A. Habit. B. Leaf. C. Leaflets. D. Inflorescence. E. Flowers. F. Prophyll front-view. G. Prophyll side-view. H. Peduncular bract with emerging inflorescence. I. Fruit showing layers with fleshy mesocarp, white fibrous layer, thin endocarp and central endosperm. J. Fruit. K. Endocarp apex. L. Endocarp base. M. Endocarp side view. All scales are in centimeters, except A and B in decimeters and E in mm. Drawn by Wes Jurgens.

FIGURE 45. Syagrus itapebiensis. A. Habit in the forest near Itapebi, Bahia. B. Potted palm with inflorescence. C. Inflorescence. D. Base of palm showing prophyll with sulcate peduncular bract on the right. E. Middle leaflets, base of peduncle, and top of narrow striate peduncular bract. F. Potted palm with infructescence. G. Infructescence with mature red fruits. H. Leaflet tips with one half, a drip tip. I. Open yellow staminate flowers. Scale in inches and centimeters. Photo F by Harri Lorenzi.