Coccothrinax bonettiana Henderson, Fernández & Bacon

Henderson, Andrew, 2023, A revision of Coccothrinax, Hemithrinax, Leucothrinax, Thrinax, and Zombia (Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 614 (1), pp. 1-115 : 36-38

1.6. Coccothrinax bonettiana Henderson, Fernández & Bacon in Henderson et al. (2023: 102).

Type:— DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Provincia Espaillat, Municipio Gaspar Hernández , saliendo del Poblado Río Piedras a 2 km a lo largo de la carretera, en una finca privada, 19º37’N 70º13’W, 22 m, 19 December 2021, O. Montero, T. Clase, C. Bacon & E. Fernández 435 (holotype JBSD!, isotype NY!). Plate 6

Stems 4.1(2.8–6.5) m long, diameter not recorded, solitary. Leaves more or less deciduous or only leaf bases persisting on stem; leaf sheath fibers 1.2(0.8–2.0) mm diameter, stout, woody, loosely woven, ± joined or briefly free at the apices; petioles 8.3(6.9–9.9) mm diameter just below the apex; palmans 8.5(6.4–10.8) 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 33(30–39) per leaf, the middle ones 62.6(58.0–70.0) cm long and 2.9(2.3–3.7) cm wide; segments pendulous at the apices, giving a three-dimensional appearance to the leaf; middle leaf segments relatively long and narrow, tapering from base to apex, scarcely folded, flexible and not leathery, a shoulder or constriction absent or poorly developed, the apices thin, deeply splitting and breaking off; middle leaf segment apices attenuate; leaf segments not waxy or sometimes with a deciduous, thin layer of wax adaxially; leaf segments without indumentum, scales, or wax abaxially, with well-developed 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(3–5); proximalmost rachillae straight, 7.7(6.6–10.3) cm long and 1.2–1.3 mm diameter in fruit; rachillae glabrous at or near anthesis; stamens 7; fruit pedicels 0.4(0.2–0.7) mm long; fruits 7.5(7.1–7.9) mm long and 8.2(7.5–8.8) 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:— North-central Dominican Republic (Espaillat) ( Fig. 10 ) in broadleaf forest on serpentine soils at 80(22–230) m elevation.

Taxonomic notes:— As a preliminary species, Coccothrinax bonettiana has a unique combination of qualitative character states and is recognized as a phylogenetic species. It is notable for its stout, woody, loosely woven leaf sheath fibers and segments without any indumentum abaxially, and serpentine habitat.

Figures

PLATE 6. Coccothrinax bonettiana, Dominican Republic, with leaf segments pendulous at the apices, giving a three-dimensional appearance to the leaf. (Image by Eladio Fernández).

FIGURE 10. Distribution of Coccothrinax baracoensis, C. bonettiana, C. borhidiana, and C. boschiana.