Geonoma deneversii Henderson, 2011

Henderson, Andrew, 2011, A revision of Geonoma (Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 17, pp. 1-271 : 62

15. Geonoma deneversii Henderson , sp. nov. (Appendix IV, Plates 21–24)

A speciebus affinibus staminibus plus quam sex differt.

Type: PANAMA. Bocas del Toro: E of Gualaca-Chiriquí Grande road, 10 mi. N of continental divide, 1 mi. along side road E, 8°55’N 82°05’W, 100–500 m, 19 January 1989, G. de Nevers, F. Almeda & G. McPherson 8823 (holotype NY!, isotypes BH!, K!, MO!).

Plant height no data; stems 1.3 m tall, solitary; internodes no data. Leaves 20 per stem, irregularly pinnate, not plicate, bases of blades running diagonally into the rachis; sheaths no data; petioles drying green or yellowish; rachis 104.5 cm long, 5.4 mm in diameter; veins raised and rectangular in cross-section adaxially; pinnae 3 per side of rachis; basal pinna 87.0 cm long, 18.7 cm wide, forming an angle of 31° with the rachis; apical pinna 25.5 cm long, 27.5 cm wide, forming an angle of 27° with the rachis. Inflorescences unbranched; prophylls and peduncular bracts ribbed with elongate, unbranched fibers, both bracts tubular, narrow, elongate, closely sheathing the peduncle, more or less persistent; prophylls 35.5 cm long, not short and asymmetrically apiculate, the surfaces not ridged, without unequally wide ridges; peduncular bracts 31.0 cm long, well-developed, inserted 2.7 cm above the prophyll; peduncles 92.5 cm long, 5.2 mm in diameter; rachillae 1, 31.0 cm long, 9.9 mm wide, the surfaces without spiky, fibrous projections or ridges, drying brown or yellow-brown, without short, transverse ridges, not filiform and not narrowed between the flower pits; flower pits spirally arranged, glabrous internally; proximal lips with a central notch before anthesis, often the two sides of the notch overlapping, not recurved after anthesis, not hood-shaped; proximal and distal lips drying the same color as the rachillae, not joined to form a raised cupule, the proximal lip margins overlapping the distal lip margins; distal lips well-developed; staminate and pistillate petals not emergent, not valvate throughout; staminate flowers deciduous after anthesis; stamens more than 6; thecae diverging at anthesis, inserted directly onto the apiculate filament apices; anthers not short and curled at anthesis, usually elongate, spiraled and twisted or sometimes remaining straight; non-fertilized pistillate flowers deciduous after anthesis; staminodial tubes lobed at the apex, the lobes spreading at anthesis, acuminate; staminodial tubes projection no data; fruits no data.

Distribution and habitat:— At 8°55’N and 82°05’W on the Caribbean slope in Panama (Bocas del Toro) at 250 m elevation in lowland rainforest ( Fig. 15 ).

Taxonomic notes:— Geonoma deneversii differs from similar species ( G. camana , G. chlamydostachys , G. chococola ) in its staminate flowers with more than six stamens. It is also the only species of this group to occur in Central America.

Subspecific variation:— No trait varies within this species, and only one specimen is known.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Distribution maps of Geonoma cuneata subsp. procumbens, G. cuneata subsp. rubra, G. cuneata subsp. sodiroi, and G. deneversii.