Coccothrinax clarensis León (1939: 147)

Henderson, Andrew, 2023, A revision of Coccothrinax, Hemithrinax, Leucothrinax, Thrinax, and Zombia (Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 614 (1), pp. 1-115 : 41

1.9. Coccothrinax clarensis León (1939: 147) .

Lectotype (designated by Moya 2020):— CUBA. Las Villas , orillas del río Primero, este de Santa Clara city, 27 March 1934, Fr. León 16080 (lectotype HAC!, isolectotypes A!, BH!, FTG!, GH!, MICH n.v., MICH image!, MT n.v., US!). Plate 9

Coccothrinax clarensis var. brevifolia León (1939: 148) . Coccothrinax clarensis subsp. brevifolia (León) Borhidi & Muñiz (1971a: 176). Lectotype (designated by Moya 2020):— CUBA. Camagüey, Cerro de Jobosí, no lejos del limite de Santa Clara, 2 July 1937, Fr. León 16928 (lectotype HAC!, isolectotypes A!, BH!, MICH n.v., MICH image!, US!).

Coccothrinax clarensis var. perrigida León (1939: 149) . Coccothrinax clarensis subsp. perrigida (León) Borhidi & Muñiz (1971a: 176). Lectotype (designated by Moya 2020):— CUBA. (Camagüey), près la route central, entre Jatibonico y Ciego de Ávila, 28 December 1938, Fr. León & M. Victorin 18603 (lectotype HAC!, isolectotypes A!, BH!, MICH n.v., MICH image!, US!).

Stems length and diameter not recorded, solitary. Leaves more or less deciduous or only leaf bases persisting on stem; leaf sheath fibers 1.8(1.1–3.6) mm diameter, stout, woody, loosely woven, the inner and outer layer combining at the apices to form erect , spine-like fibers; petioles 9.5(6.4–14.4) mm diameter just below the apex; palmans 6.3(4.7–11.0) 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 25(20–28) per leaf, the middle ones 45.9(34.6–59.0) cm long and 2.9(2.7–3.2) 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; 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, amongst or above the leaves, with few partial inflorescences; rachis bracts narrow, closely sheathing, sparsely tomentose, usually without hairs at the apex; partial inflorescences 4–5; proximalmost rachillae straight, 7.5(5.5–10.5) cm long and 1.1(1.0–1.3) mm diameter in fruit; rachillae at or near anthesis not recorded; stamens not recorded; fruit pedicels 2.2(1.5–3.3) mm long; fruits 9.0(7.8–10.5) mm long and 10.0(8.4–11.7) 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:— Central Cuba (Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey) ( Fig. 11 ) in savannas and xeromorphic matorral on serpentine soils at 180 m elevation.

Taxonomic notes:— As a preliminary species, Coccothrinax clarensis has a unique combination of qualitative character states and is recognized as a phylogenetic species. The isotype at FTG may be a mixed specimen. Stems are scored from the image in León (1939). Leaf sheath fibers are scored as combining at the apices to form erect , spine-like fibers, but these are not well-developed in some specimens and could just as well be scored as not forming spine-like fibers. León’s (1939) varieties, var. brevifolia and var. perrigida , are not recognized here; C. clarensis is a widespread and variable species with several local populations, as discussed below.

Subspecific variation:— Coccothrinax clarensis is patchily distributed in central Cuba, with six disjunct populations.

From the west, there is a population in Villa Clara province near Santa Clara city, occurring in dry areas on serpentine soils. Specimens of this population, including the type, have less well-developed sheath spines and elongate leaf segment apices. The fruits of three specimens (Howard 319, 5015, León 5280) have slight ridges.

Further to the east, in Camagüey province on the Cerro de Jobosí on serpentine hills there is a population represented by two specimens. One, the type of var. brevifolia , has longer sheath spines and shorter segment apices. León (1939) considered that the second specimen (León 16139) was intermediate between var. brevifolia and var. clarensis .

Further to the east there is a population in Sancti Spíritus province at Jatibonico in dry shrubland on serpentine soils represented by one specimen (Calonje 1707). Sheath fibers are hardly separate at the apices, and segments have elongate apices .

The population in Camagüey province between Jatibonico and Ciego de Ávila is represented by a single specimen, the type of var. perrigida . This has exceptionally stout sheath fiber spines and an exceptionally large inflorescence.

The easternmost population comprises two specimens from Caobilla in Camagüey province .

Finally, the southernmost population comprises one specimen (León 14918) from Tayabacoa in coastal thickets. The specimen is rather incomplete and thus difficult to compare with others .

Figures

PLATE 9. Coccothrinax clarensis, Cuba, with inflorescences erect, at least initially, amongst or above the leaves, with few partial inflorescences. (Image by Raúl Verdecia Pérez).

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