Syagrus ruschiana (Bondar) Glassman (1963: 261)

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

54. Syagrus ruschiana (Bondar) Glassman (1963: 261) . Cocos ruschiana Bondar (1941: 45)

Arikuryroba ruschiana (Bondar) Toledo (1944: 6) . Lectotype (designated by Glassman [1987: 42]): — BRAZIL. Espirito Santo: Colatina and S. Mateus, 1941, G. Bondar s.n. (F! [F-620822]).

A REVISION OF THE GENUS SYAGRUS

Phytotaxa 294 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 189 190 • Phytotaxa 294 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press

NOBLICK

Figure 75 plate, Figure 65 map.

Medium-sized, clustering to rarely solitary palm. Stem ca. 2–8 m × 4–12 cm, caulescent, erect or arching, often with persistent leaf bases. Leaves 7–12; sheathing leaf base ca. 30–36 × 7–8 cm; pseudopetiole 90–140 cm long; petiole 18–30 × ca. 1.5 cm, 0.9–1.0 cm thick; rachis 128–200 cm long; leaflets slightly lighter on the abaxial surface, 48–58 along one side, evenly spaced along the rachis, ramenta scales or tomentum present where the leaflets are inserted on the rachis and also along the abaxial midvein; basal leaflets 39–45 × 0.1–0.8, middle leaflets 50–53 × 2.4–3.5 cm, apical leaflets 23–30 ×0.5–1.0 cm with an asymmetric tip. Inflorescence erect to pendulous, spirally branched; prophyll 27–35 × 2.5–4.5 cm; peduncular bract 72–135 cm long, expanded portion 65–91(–110) × 2–5 cm, including a 0–2.5 cm beak, 4–7 cm perimeter, 1 mm thickness, narrow, woody, sulcate, exterior with scattered thin indument, especially on the proximal portion of the bract; peduncle ca. 44–74 cm × 7–10 mm, 6–7 mm thick, elliptical in cross-section, brown tomentose; inflorescence axis 52–82 cm long; rachis 26–61 cm long; rachillae 41–75, with scattered brown tomentum, 8–28 cm long at the apex, 25–61 cm long at the base; staminate flowers 3–5 mm long at the apex, 5–6(–9) × 2–5 mm at the base, green to yellow, sepals 1–2.5 × 1–2 mm, glabrous, no visible nerves, petals 4–5 mm long at the apex, ca. 5 × 1.5–2 mm at the base with acute tips, nerves visible at the base of the petal, stamens 3.7–3.8 mm long, anthers 3.4–3.5 mm long, filaments 1–1.5 mm long, pistillode 0.5–1 mm long; basal pistillate flowers rounded, 4–6 × 4–5 mm, yellow, glabrous, sepals 4–5 × 3–4 mm, glabrous with very visible veins, not keeled, petals 3–4 × 2–3 mm, glabrous, visibly veined, valvate tips 1/5–2/5 the length of the petal, ca. 1 mm long or less, pistil 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, glabrous, stigmas ca. 1 mm long, glabrous, staminodal ring ca. 0.5–0.7 mm high, 6-dentate. Fruit ovoid to nearly globose, 2.5 × 2 cm, golden, orange-yellow when mature, glabrous for the most part, but with thin indument at apex, epicarp less than 1 mm thick, mesocarp 1–3 mm thick, succulent and fibrous; endocarp ca. 2.1–2.5 × 1.8–2 cm, 1–2 mm thick on all sides; seed nearly globose, ca. 1.4 × 1.3 mm, endosperm homogeneous. Germination remote-tubular.

Common name:— coco-da-pedra, coco-de-pedra, colatina

Etymology:— The specific epithet, ruschiana , honors Dr. Enrico J. A. Ruschi, the Secretary of Agriculture of the state of Espírito Santo, who kindly facilitated Bondar’s visit to the state of Espirito Santo in 1941. He was also the brother of Brazil’s most esteemed naturalist and passionate conservationist, Augusto Ruschi.

Distribution and habitat:— Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais. Brazil, in the Atlantic Forest region, on rocky granitic mountains in very thin soils.

Conservation:— This species does not grow on valuable agricultural land, but rather in cracks in the rock and in thin organic soils of steep rock faces. Therefore, it is not threatened by anything but fire. It produces many seeds, which germinate well. There are many large populations in Espirito Santo and a few in Minas Gerais. It is classified as least concern, LC.

Phenology:— Fruits abundantly in spring and summer (October–March).

Uses:— Palm extremely ornamental by virtue of its graceful, shiny foliage and resistance to periodic dryness, making it possible to be cultivated with success in tropical regions.

Notes:— A rock-loving, clustering palm with evenly spaced, bluish-green, thick, coriaceous leaflets, and orange fruits whose epicarp and mesocarp frequently split at the apex at maturity. In his description, Bondar (1941) included four black and white images, did not list any specimens, and wrote that the endosperm was ruminate; but the author found the endosperm to be homogeneous. The mention of ruminate endosperm led Toledo (1944) to transfer Cocos ruschiana to Arikuryroba , but he did not designate a type. When Glassman (1972b) placed Cocos ruschiana in the genus Syagrus , he mentioned Bondar’s images including a Bondar specimen, but he also did not designate a type. Only later, did Glassman (1987) officially designate Bondar’s 1941 collection as the lectotype.

Representative specimens:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Água Doce do Norte, Córrego Havaí , afloramento rochoso para torre de celular/rampa de voo livre, –18.58, –40.99, 27 April 2008, A.P. Fontana 5056 ( MBML) ; Águia Branca, Córrego do Trinta ( CEIER) , Prop.: Alex Sandro , –19.023, –40.65, 170 m, 25 April 2006, V. Demuner 2195 ( MBML) ; Águia Branca, Pedra da Bandeira, Santa Luzia , prop.: Ciro Ferreira , 170 m, –18.98, – 40.67, 26 July 2006, L.F.S. Magnago 1134 ( MBML) ; Águia Branca, Santa Luzia, Prop. Ciro Ferreira , 170 m, – 18.98, –40.67, 4 July 2007, R.R. Vervloet 2776 ( MBML) ; Baunelha, 13 km E of Colatina (5 km W of Baunelha), 1969, S.F. Glassman & J.T. de Medeiros-Costa 8743 (F!); Caladina , estrada que liga Caladina-Domingos , 22 July 1998, E.R. Salviani & H. Lorenzi 132 ( HPL!) ; Colatina , –19.54, –40.63, 9 December 1988, H.Q. Boudet Fernandes 2685 ( MBML!) ; Colatina, margens do Rio Pancas, Rio Doce , 19 September 1930, J.G. Kuhlmann 366 ( RB!) ;

A REVISION OF THE GENUS SYAGRUS

Phytotaxa 294 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 191 Colatina , Rio Pancas, Colatina, –19.54, –40.63, 8 December 1943, J.G. Kuhlmann 6661 ( RB!) ; Colatina ; 14 km north of the turn off for Baixo Guando and Aimores on the ES-080 just north of the Policia militar post, 200–500 m, –19.41, –40.68, 3 August 1997, L.R. Noblick 5169 ( IPA!) ; Nova Venécia , Serra de Baixo , –18.78, –41.43, 7 September 1989, H.Q. Boudet Fernandes 2796 ( MBML!) ; Nova Venécia , a 3 km de Todos os Santos, lado esquerdo, into para Partista, 200 m, –18.78, –40.40, 8 September 1989, H.Q. Boudet Fernandes et al. 2827 ( MBML!) ; Nova Venécia , Serra de Baixo , beira da rodovia Nova Venécia-São Gabriel da Palha, propriedade do Sr. Valdemar. Área de Proteção Ambiental da Pedra do Elefante, 314 m, –18.80, –40.47, 9 May 2008, C.N. de Fraga 2079 ( MBML, RB, UPCB) ; Nova Venécia , Serra de Baixo, Pedra da Torre. Área de Proteção Ambiental da Pedra do Elefante, –18.78, –40.45, 18 February 2008, P. Labiak 4685 ( MBML, RB) ; Pancas , estrada Pancas, Vila Verde, cerca 2 km da Sede Municipal, –19.23, –40.85, 9 December 1988, H.Q. Boudet Fernandes 2678 ( IAC, MBML!) ; Pancas , 3 km NW of town on the road Pancas / Vila Verde, 250–400 m, –19.25, –40.87, 10 March 1992, L.R. Noblick 4838 (K!, MBML!, NY!, VIES!) ; Pedra do Pancas , rio Pancas, além da Colonia, Colatina, November 1951, J.G. Kuhlmann s.n. ( RB) ; Serra do Cristalino , Norte do Espírito Santo, 16 November 1953, A.P. Duarte 4049 ( RB!, US!) ; Linhares , Palmeto, –19.39, –40.07, 11 April 2000, D.A. Folli 3600 ( CVRD) ; São Gabriel, E.R. Salviani et al. 132 (HPL!); Minas Gerais : Carlos Chagas, Rod. BR-418, km 112, 11 April 1984, G. Hatschbach 47808 ( MBM!) ; Teófilo Otoni , Margem da Rodovia Nanuque-Teófilo Otoni, 14 August 1965, R.P. Belém 1628 ( BH!, UB!) ; Teófilo Otoni , Margem da Rodovia Teófilo Otoni, Nanuque, 30 June 1968, R.P. Belém 3789 ( CEPEC!, NY!, US) ; Teófilo Otoni , na beira da BR 418, –17.87, –41.05, 8 February 2010, H. Lorenzi et al. 6831 ( HPL!) .

Figures

FIGURE 65. Distribution maps of Syagrus pimentae, pleioclada, S. pleiocladoides, S. pompeoi, S. procumbens, S. pseudococos, S. romanzoffiana, S. rupicola, and S. ruschiana.

FIGURE 75. Syagrus ruschiana. A. Habit in Minas Gerais with Lester Cline. B. Habit with Gilson Essenfelder in Minas Gerais with cacti. C. Leaf sheaths below crown. D. Clustering specimen in Espirito Santo. E. Flaccid crown with inflorescence in Espirito Santo. F. Inflorescence. G. Habit in very rocky habitat. H. Infructescence. I. Fruits showing spitting tips.