Syagrus cerqueirana

Syagrus (see-AHG-ruhs) cerqueirana (sehr-keh-RAHN-ah)
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Scientific Classification
Genus: Syagrus (see-AHG-ruhs) Species: cerqueirana (sehr-keh-RAHN-ah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
Morphology
Habit: Solitary & clustering Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
acumã-mirim.

Habitat and Distribution

Brazil West-Central. Paraguay and in the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso do Sul and maybe São Paulo, in cerrado, generally in sandy to rocky clay soils. At this writing, it is one of two acaulescent Syagrus in Paraguay, the other being S. lilliputiana. All other closely related acaulescent palms are in the genus Butia.

Dr. Harri Lorenzi's PLANTARUM (Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora LTDA), Nova Odessa, Campinas, Brazil. Photo by Alberto Leonardo Barkema.

Description

Palm solitary or caespitose, less than 1 m tall, with short or subterranean stem. Leaves medium-green, 5–9 per stem; sheath 15–30 cm long, pseudopetiole 13–23 cm long, true petiole 7–24 cm long, both with smooth margins; rachis is 43–75 cm long; leaflets 28–62 on each side of the rachis, linear with long acuminate and asymmetric to bifid apex, arranged in clusters of 2–3 along the rachis, basal leaflets measuring 19.0–28.5 × 0.4–0.7 cm, middle leaflets, 20–33 × 0.5–1.2 cm, and apical leaflets 7.5–22.0 × 0.1–0.3 cm. Inflorescences erect and branching; peduncle 4–9 cm long; prophyll 8–14 × 2.2–2.5 cm; peduncular bract 18–27 cm long, the expanded portion 13–18 × 2.3–3.0 cm; inflorescence axis 13–24 cm long, rachis 2–9 cm long with 4–12 filaments 1.5 mm long, basal pistillate flowers elongate conical, glabrous, 12.0–12.5 × 7.5 mm (apical flowers 10.0 × 6.5 mm), sepals imbricate 10–12 × 5 mm, petals glabrous, imbricate at the base but (upper 4–5 mm) slightly valvate at the tips, 11 × 4–5 mm, pistil glabrous, 9 × 4 mm in diameter, stigmas 3 in number, and 4 mm long, glabrous, staminodial ring about 1 mm high and 6-dentate. Fruits ovoid, brownishyellow, 2.3–3.5 × 1.2–2.2 cm, containing a fibrous-fleshy mesocarp, endocarp 1.8–2.2 × 0.8–1.1 cm and 0.8–1.5 mm thick, seed and endosperm with no central cavity. (Dr. LARRY R. NOBLICK & Dr. HARRI LORENZI 2010) Editing by edric.

NOTES: In Paraguay, Larry collected this plant and identified it as S. petraea, because it was identified as such in all of the local herbaria; however, it did not look like the plants of S. petraea that he had collected elsewhere in Brazil, so he suspected that it may not be identified correctly. Suspicions were confirmed when he had the opportunity to compare the leaflet anatomy of this plant to Bolivian material collected from the type locality and discovered that it was different. Syagrus cerqueirana has small vascular bundles on both the upper and lower surface of the leaf and very few nonvascular fibers on either surface, while S. petraea from Bolivia has small vascular fibers only along the lower surface and an abundance of nonvascular fibers along the upper surface. Syagrus cerqueirana has leaflet anatomy similar to S. allagopteroides which grows above 600 m in Bahia, Goiás and Minas Gerais, but it is a larger plant with a leaf rachis measuring 43–75 vs. 23–52 cm and middle leaflets measuring 20–33 vs. 12–20 cm. Also S. allagopteroides tends to be solitary, but S. cerqueirana tends to be caespitose. (Dr. Noblick & Dr. Lorenzi)

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 9b

Comments and Curiosities

ETYMOLOGY: This palm is named in honor our mutual friend and palm enthusiast, Luiz Sergio Coelho de Cerqueira of Pará, who aided both of us while doing palm research in the Amazon region and due to his untimely death will be sorely missed. (Dr. Noblick & Dr. Lorenzi)

PHENOLOGY: Flowering specimens seen in June.

A solitary or clustering dwarf palm from Paraguay and southwestern Brazil with green leaves that have narrow leaflets. (RPS.com)