Zombia, Bailey, 1939

Henderson, Andrew, 2023, A revision of Coccothrinax, Hemithrinax, Leucothrinax, Thrinax, and Zombia (Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 614 (1), pp. 1-115 : 102-104

ZOMBIA

Zombia is a genus of a single species known only from Hispaniola. This palm was first described by Plumier (1703), using a pre-Linnaean polynomial. Plumier also made two drawings of the palm in Haiti. The first Linnaean binomial, Chamaerops antillarum , was published by Descourtilz (1821). Bailey (1939c) erected a new genus, Zombia , and the palm thus became Zombia antillarum (Descourtilz) Bailey. One of Plumier’s drawings is designated as the lectotype.

Morphology

In the following discussion, morphology is treated in detail and several attributes of Zombia not used in delimiting species are discussed. A detailed generic description can be found in Dransfield et al. (2008).

Stems are recorded as 1.0–3.0 m long and 10.0 cm diameter, and clustered ( Fig. 25A ). Bailey (1939c) described the habit of Zombia : “It grows in separate or isolated clumps or stools of different ages, the older ones with two or more trunks…… The trunk dies and falls apparently after two or three fruiting periods….” There are no other records of a palm with such a life history — clustered habit with stems reproducing and dying after two to three years.

As in Coccothrinax , leaf sheaths are not split at the base. The arrangement of the leaf sheath fibers of Zombia is its most distinctive character. Fibers are 0.8–2.7 mm diameter, stout, woody, and form a ring of horizontal or reflexed spines at the sheath apex ( Fig. 25C ). Cook (1941) questioned how such an elaborate system of fibers could have evolved when there are no grazing animals in Hispaniola.

Adaxial hastulas are almost trilobed in some populations. Palmans are relatively long, without prominent adaxial veins. Leaf segments are relatively long and narrow without a shoulder distal to the palman, and taper gradually towards the apex and are widest at palman apex. They are briefly bifid at the apices ( Fig. 25B ). Transverse veinlets are present and segments have a thin layer of wax abaxially.

Inflorescences are scored as erect amongst the leaves, with 6–13 partial inflorescences. Rachis bracts are narrow and closely sheathing, sparsely tomentose, and usually without hairs at the apex. Rachillae are glabrous at or near anthesis. Pedicels are so short that their bracteoles appear to directly subtend the flowers. Flower arrangement is unusual in Zombia , and flowers are alternately and distichously arranged along the rachillae. The perianth consists of a six-lobed cupule. Nine stamens have been recorded here, and stamens are elongate and spread irregularly at anthesis, with latrorse, relatively long anthers. The gynoecium is slightly ridged and the style relatively short.

Fruits of Zombia are amongst the largest in the Thrinax unit and range in size from 11.5–18.2 mm long and 11.1–16.0 mm diameter. Fruits are white and the surfaces are smooth or with short projections.

Seeds, as in Coccothrinax , have deeply lobed surfaces. However, they are slightly different from Coccothrinax in that the lobing reaches all the way to the top of the seed. Lobes are quite shallow except for a deeper, irregular lobe that divides the seed into two halves. The halves are joined by a subapical part of the endosperm containing the subapical embryo.

Figures

FIGURE 25. Zombia antillarum. A. Habit, with clustered stems. B. Leaf segments. C. Stout, woody leaf sheath fibers forming rings of horizontal or reflexed spines at the sheath apex.