Syagrus evansiana Noblick (2010: 113)

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

19. Syagrus evansiana Noblick (2010: 113) . Type :— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais, Montes Claros, N side of BR 365 (Pirapora\Montes Claros) at km 70.5, 960 m, –17.07, –44.34, 20 June 2008, R. Tsuji, H. Lorenzi, L.A. Ventura, L.R. Noblick 2703 (holotype HPL!, isotypes ESA!, FTG!, K!, RB!, NY!, UB!)

Figures 26–27 plates, Figure 20 map.

Small, solitary palm, usually less than 60–100 cm tall. Stem very short to subterranean, nearly acaulescent. Leaves 3–11; sheathing leaf base ca. 10–20 cm long, fibrous with papery membrane between the fine principal fibers that tend to disintegrate along the margins; pseudopetiole to 10–40 cm long; petiole absent to nearly 18(–26.5) × 0.6– 1.5 cm, 0.3–0.8 cm thick; rachis 21–92 cm long; leaflets medium to dark gray green, concolorous, adaxial surface waxy, but abaxial surface with a thicker white waxy coating, linear, rigid-coriaceous with apex usually rounded, emarginated, more or less symmetrical, with a glaucous lower surface, leaflets 18–48 along one side, irregularly distributed in clusters of 2–4(–5), inserted in divergent planes over the rachis, no ramenta scales or tomentum present where the leaflets are inserted on the rachis, and none along the abaxial midvein of the leaflet; basal leaflets 4–27 × 0.2–0.8 cm, middle leaflets 12–30 × 1.5–3 cm, apical leaflets 3–12 × 0.1–0.9 cm, both lobes of the asymmetric tip are rounded. Inflorescence erect, commonly spicate, 4.5–17 cm long; prophyll 6–16 × 1.5–2.5 cm; peduncular bract ca. 12–48 cm long, expanded portion 7–22 × 1.5–7 cm, including a beak of 0–1.5 cm, 3–11 cm perimeter, 1–2 mm thickness, woody, sulcate, exterior with a thin indument becoming increasingly dense near the base; peduncle ca. 8–27 cm × 3–7 mm, 3–5 mm thick, elliptical in cross-section, glabrous; inflorescence axis 4.5– 17 cm long; rachis 0–6 cm long; rachillae 1–9, 4.5–10 cm long at the base, (2–) 5–8 cm at the apex, glabrous; staminate flowers 8–10 × 4–5 mm, yellow, sepals 1.5–2.0 × 1.5–2.0 mm, petals 7 × 4–5 mm with acute tips, nerves indistinct, stamens 4–5 mm long, 3.5–4.0 mm long, filaments 1 mm long, pistillode less than 1 mm long; pistillate flowers elongate pyramidal, 8–10 × 4–7 mm at the apex, 11–19 × 5–10 mm at the base, glabrous, sepals 11–19 × 4– 5 mm, petals 10–11 × 3.5–4.0 mm, valvate tips 2/5–1/2 the length of the petals, 4–5 mm long, unnerved, pistil 10– 11 × 3.5–4.0 mm, with lepidote indument from base to nearly the base of the stigmas, stigmas 3–5, 3 mm long, glabrous, staminodal ring ca. 1–3 mm high, 6-dentate. Fruit globose, about as long as wide 1.5–2.3 cm in diameter, yellowish brown when mature, obscured by a thick brown indument or lepidote tomentum, epicarp less than 0.5 mm thick, mesocarp 1–2 mm thick, succulent and fibrous (pulpy); endocarp ca. 1.4–1.6 × 1.1–1.3 cm, ca. 1 mm thick, with 3–5 pores on the basal end; seed nearly globose, ca. 0.8 cm in diameter, endosperm homogeneous. Germination remote-tubular.

Common name:— palmeirinha.

Etymology:— The specific epithet, evansiana , honors Don Evans , retired Director of Grounds Management at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Florida, USA, who first brought this plant to the author’s attention after returning from a field trip with Roberto Burle Marx to Minas Gerais.

Distribution and habitat:— This palm species is endemic to the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in the Cadeia do Espinhaço region, in high elevation campo rupestre or cerrado, generally in well-drained rocky terrain. It is locally common in the well-drained, rocky soils and high grassy plains (900–1300 m) of the campo rupestre regions north of Diamantina, Minas Gerais, east of Pirapora and west to Itacambira including the Serra Cabral State Park near Joaquim Felício, Minas Gerais. There are areas where it is a dominant plant, i.e. the high flat grassy plateaus near Itacambira, Minas Gerais.

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Conservation:— This species has an ample distribution within the northeastern portion of Minas Gerais. Where it grows in better soils, it is threatened by agriculture including Eucalyptus plantations. Fortunately, it also grows well in rocky areas, campo rupestre vegetation, which is not valuable for agriculture, and therefore is

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Phytotaxa 294 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 77 somewhat protected. For this reason it is not considered to be threatened. Some have been even sighted just outside the boundaries of a state park ( Serra Cabral near Joaquim Felício) and probably occur within the protection of the park itself. Therefore, it is classified as least concern, LC.

Phenology:— Flowering in June–August and also December and with mature fruits in December.

Uses:— This petite palm is attractive due to its ornamental gray-green foliage, and could be cultivated with success in the landscaping of full-sun gardens, as much in tropical regions as subtropical tolerating weak freezes and fires.

Notes:— This species has leaves that resemble miniature Syagrus duartei or S. glaucescens , differing principally in its much smaller size, shorter leaves, shorter and often spicate inflorescences, shorter stamens, shorter fruits and smaller endocarps. Leaflet tips are frequently asymmetric, with both halves rounded. The expanded portion of the peduncular bract is smaller in S. evansiana than in S. duartei (7–22 vs. 20–40 cm). It has a smaller inflorescence, often spicate (4.5–17 cm vs. 15–36 cm long), and smaller rachis (0–8 cm vs. 5–23 cm). Syagrus evansiana fruits are less than 2.5 cm long (2.3 cm), while S. duartei have the largest fruits at nearly 4 cm (3.8 cm) in length. One unusual character of this species is the variable number of pores in its endocarp, with most having three, but several having as many as four and five pores. The overall size of the plants increase (from less than 40 cm to more than a meter) from the western side of its distribution (west of Montes Claros) to the eastern side of its distribution (north of Diamantina), from rocky soils to deep clay soils.

Representative specimens:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Itacambira, na estrada de terra para Caçaratiba, 17 December 2003, H. Lorenzi 4276 (FTG!, HPL!); Itacambira, estrada para Montes Claros, 9 January 1986, R. Mello-Silva et al. 9158 (K, SPF 41319!); Juramento, SE of the city of Juramento on Rd. to Itacambira (Itacambira\Montes Claros), Serra Catuni , border bt. Juramento and Itacambira, –17.00, –43.50, August 1992. Don Evans s.n (FTG!); Juramento, nas proximidades do municipio de Juramento, a 6 km de Pau-de-Óleo, na subida da serra, sentido a Itacambira, 17 December 2003, H. Lorenzi 4269 (HPL!); Montes Claros, 52 km de Montes Claros para Pirapora, 30 January 1965, R.P. Belém & J.M. Mendes 413 (HBR!, UB!); Penha de França, ca. 100 km ao nordeste de Diamantina, ca. 1000 m, –18.08, –43.08, 11 March 1995, Splett 875 (UB!); São Gonçalvo do Rio Preto, nas proximidades da BR 367, 30 July 2004, H. Lorenzi 4913 (HPL!).

Figures

FIGURE 20. Distribution maps of Syagrus coronata, S. deflexa, S. duartei, S. elata, S. emasensis and S. evansiana.

FIGURE 26. Syagrus evansiana. A. Habit. B. Leaflets with emarginated tips. C. Infructescence. D. Inflorescence. E. Receptive pistillate flower. F. Pistillate flower opened to see the pistil. G. Staminate flower. H. Staminate flower opened to see stamens. I. Fruit. J. Endocarp end view showing pores. K. Endocarp side view. L. Leaf. Habit, leaf and leaflets drawn from images supplied by Harri Lorenzi. Reproductive parts drawn from Lorenzi 4276. All scales are in 1 cm units except A and L which are in 1 dm units. Drawn by Wes Jurgens.

FIGURE 27. Syagrus evansiana. A. Cultivated specimen at Jardim Botânico Plantarum. B. Leaf. C. Ends of leaflets showing emarginate tips. D. Newly opened inflorescence with staminate flowers. E. Older inflorescence with pistillate flowers. F. Infructescence. Ruler is in inches and centimeters. G. Infructescence with fruit and old pistillate flowers. Note waxy bloom on abaxial surface of leaflets. H. Habitat with palms.