Syagrus deflexa

Syagrus (see-AHG-ruhs) deflexa (deh-FLEHKS-ah)
São Paulo, Brazil. Foto de Dr. Kelen P. Soares.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Syagrus (see-AHG-ruhs) Species: deflexa (deh-FLEHKS-ah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
Morphology
Habit: Clustering Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
acumã-branco, White acuma Palm

Habitat and Distribution

Brazil West-Central. This palm is endemic to northern Goiás in the Chapada dos Veadeiros region,

Harri Lorenzi's PLANTARUM, Nova Odessa, Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alberto Leonardo Barkema.

in the campo rupestre and cerrado vegetation in the sandy, rocky soils between Alto Paraíso de Goiás and Teresina de Goiás.

Description

Palm caespitose, rarely solitary, stems generally arched, ringed but often covered with leaf base remains, 2–3 m in height and 6–10 cm in diam. Leaves 5–7 in the crown, a little more than 1 m long; sheath with fibrous margin 25–38 cm long; pseudopetiole 14–33 cm long, petiole about 12–22 × 0.7–0.9 cm; rachis 52–85 cm long; leaflets, coriaceous, 39–50 along each side, irregularly spaced, the majority in clusters of 2–5 (–6) inserted in different planes, all strongly bent or deflexed downward, initially glaucous on the lower surface, later wax wearing off; basal leaflets (6.5–) 21–34 × 0.1–0.4 cm, middle leaflets 16–37 × 1–2 cm, apical leaflets (7–)14–25 × 0.3–0.5 cm. Inflorescences with a slightly flattened peduncle covered with silver lepidote indument, 12–16 × 0.6–0.9 cm, 0.4–0.6 cm thick, prophyll 12–14 × 1.4–1.5 cm; peduncular bract glaucous, 34–48 cm long, expanded portion 22–30 × 4–7 cm; inflorescence axis 22–33 cm long; rachis 12–25 cm; primary branches 8–17, the upper ones especially spiraled around the rachis (in younger plants only with smaller inflorescences branches arranged unilaterally similar to S. flexuosa), 7–13 cm long at the apex, 15–29 cm at the base; staminate flowers ca. 15 × about 3–4 mm (apical ones ca. 8–10 mm long), sepals about 2–3 × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous, keeled and connate at the base, petals 6–9 × 2–3 mm with acute to acuminate tips, nerves indistinct to slightly raised, stamens 4.5–5 mm long, anther about 4 mm long, filaments about 2 mm long, basal; pistillate flowers elongate pyramidal, lepidote, 15–19 × 8–10 mm (apical flowers 9–12 × 5–7 mm), sepals imbricate 15–19 × 7–7.5 mm, petals slightly to distinctly nerved, sparsely lepidote, imbricate at the base but slightly valvate at the tips (upper 5–9 mm), 14–17 × 6.0–8.5 mm, pistil with lepidote indument from the base to nearly the base of the stigmas, 12–14 × 6 mm, stigmas 3, 3–4 mm long, staminodial ring about 3–3.5 mm high, 6- dentate. Fruits lepidote or somewhat tomentose at the tip but otherwise glabrous, ellipsoid with an apical beak, yellowish-green, 3.0–4.0 × 1.5–2.0 cm (still immature, probably a bit larger), with a thick, sweet, fibrous-fleshy mesocarp about 2 mm thick, endocarp about 3.2 × 1.6–1.7 cm and 3–4 mm thick; seed elliptical about 12–15 × 10 mm. (Dr. Noblick & Dr. Lorenzi) Editing by edric.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 9b+

Comments and Curiosities

ETYMOLOGY: The name is derived from the fact that all of the leaflets are bent downwards; deflexed.

PHENOLOGY: There are flowers and somewhat immature fruit in June.

In 2010 described new species, which is found only in a small area in the Cerrado Goias State, Brazil, north of the capital Brasilia. It is a small, fine leaf Palm, with many slender, up to 3 m tall stems, each carrying a bright crown of pinnate leaves. The leaflets are dark green leaf upper and a silvery leaf underside. Outside of Brazil it is virtually unknown in cultivation but would thrive in all warm temperate and tropical regions. (RPS.com)