Coccothrinax salvatoris León (1939: 125)

Henderson, Andrew, 2023, A revision of Coccothrinax, Hemithrinax, Leucothrinax, Thrinax, and Zombia (Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 614 (1), pp. 1-115 : 73-75

1.32. Coccothrinax salvatoris León (1939: 125) .

Lectotype (designated by Moya 2020):— CUBA. (Oriente), entre Mon Ciego y El Faro, Bahía de Manatí, 4 January 1937, Fr. León 16800 (lectotype HAC!, isolectotypes BH!, MICH n.v., MICH image!, US!). Plate 21

Coccothrinax salvatoris var. loricata León (1939: 127) . Coccothrinax salvatoris subsp. loricata (León) Borhidi & Muñiz (1971a: 175). Lectotype (designated by Moya 2020):— CUBA. (Camagüey), Silla del Versalles, Cayo Romano, 4 January 1936, Fr. León 16489 (lectotype HAC!, isolectotypes A!, AJBC n.v., BH!, GH!, MICH n.v., MICH image!, US!).

Coccothrinax muricata León (1939: 129) . Lectotype (designated by Moya 2020):— CUBA. Camagüey, Sierra del Chorrillo, 31 December 1932, Fr. León 15892 (lectotype HAC!, isolectotypes A!, BH!, GH!, MICH n.v., MICH image!, US!).

Stems 9.0 m long, diameter not recorded, solitary. Leaves more or less deciduous or only leaf bases persisting on stem; leaf sheath fibers 3.1(1.5–7.5) mm diameter, stout, woody, loosely woven, the inner and outer layer combining at the apices to form erect, spine-like fibers; petioles 13.2(8.1–16.4) mm diameter just below the apex; palmans 10.0(3.8– 14.0) 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 32(22–42) per leaf, the middle ones 38.2(21.5–51.0) cm long and 4.2(3.0–5.5) 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, light green to greenish-brown center, without transverse veinlets. Inflorescences curving, arching, or pendulous amongst the leaves, with few to numerous partial inflorescences; rachis bracts somewhat flattened, loosely sheathing, usually tomentose with a dense tuft of erect hairs at the apex; partial inflorescences number not recorded; proximalmost rachillae straight, 7.8(5.6–11.0) cm long and 1.4(1.1–1.8) mm diameter in fruit; rachillae glabrous at or near anthesis; stamens 8; fruit pedicels 1.6(0.6–2.7) mm long; fruits 5.9(5.2–7.8) mm long and 6.1(5.3–7.9) mm diameter, purplish; 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 (Camagüey, Las Tunas, Holguín) ( Fig. 16 ) in woods on limestone hills or mogotes at 100 m elevation.

Taxonomic notes:— Two preliminary species ( Coccothrinax salvatoris , C. muricata ) share a unique combination of qualitative character states and are recognized as a phylogenetic species, for which the earliest name is C. salvatoris .

Subspecific variation:— León (1939) considered that Coccothrinax salvatoris was very variable and he noted in particular the thicker leaf sheath fibers of his subsp. loricata . Craft (2017) noted that there were two forms of C. salvatoris , one with a thick layer of wax on the leaves adaxially, although no such specimens have been seen in the present study. Coccothrinax salvatoris occurs in eight, widely separate populations, two of which overlap with C. miraguama . Specimens lacking leaf sheath fibers are difficult to distinguish from C. miraguama (see notes under that species).

From the west, there is a population in Camagüey on Cayo Romano. The only specimen known from there, the type of subsp. loricata , has exceptionally thick sheath fibers and longer pedicels. The fruits have projecting fibers.

Further to the east, in Camagüey, there is a population on Cayo Guajaba growing on hills. This population has small leaves, short segment apices, and shorter pedicels. Segment apices could almost be scored as rounded. The two specimens (Shafer 676, 2827) are somewhat tentatively included here.

Further to the east, also in Camagüey, there is a population near Nuevitas, occurring on much exposed rocks or in dense woods and thickets. This population has shorter pedicels. The young fruits of one specimen have projecting fibers .

Further inland in Camagüey there are two populations, previously recognized as C muricata . One population occurs on limestone rocks. On the specimens examined the fibers combine at the apices to form erect , spine-like fibers, but according to the image in Craft (2017) they do not cleanly separate into spine-like fibers. León (1937) reported the abaxial surface of the segments to be non-indumentose, although this has not been found here. The fruits of the specimens examined are not muricate in the sense used here, but rather have projecting fibers, as in several other specimens of C. salvatoris .

Further east along the coast, on the shores of Manatí bay in Las Tunas, there is a population (including the type of C. salvatoris ) occurring in woods on limestone hills. Specimens have thick fibers, approaching those of subsp. loricata , and longer pedicels.

Further inland, from around the city of Holguín, the population occurs in woods on limestone hills. Specimens from here have longer pedicels.

One other, sterile specimen (Britton 12452) from Nipe Bay is also tentatively included here. Moya (2020) stated that C. salvatoris occurred in this area.

Figures

FIGURE 16. Distribution of Coccothrinax pseudorigida, C. pumila, C. rigida, and C. salvatoris.

PLATE 21. Coccothrinax salvatoris, Cuba, with leaf bases persisting on stem, the leaf sheath fibers combining at the apices to form erect, spine-like fibers. (Image by Raúl Verdecia Pérez).