Syagrus pleiocladoides

Syagrus (see-AHG-ruhs) pleiocladoides (pleh-ee-oh-clahd-oh-EE-dehs)
Institute Plantarum, Nova Odessa, São Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Photo by Mauricio Moreira Caixeta.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Syagrus (see-AHG-ruhs) Species: pleiocladoides (pleh-ee-oh-clahd-oh-EE-dehs)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
Morphology
Habit: Solitary Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
coqueirinho-mirim.

Habitat and Distribution

Mato Grosso and Goiás, Brazil. In open cerrado vegetation in rocky areas with sandy and median textured, well drained

soil, between 350–500 m elevation.

Institute Plantarum, Nova Odessa, São Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Photo by Mauricio Moreira Caixeta.

Description

Palm with an overall height of 50–70 cm, stem generally solitary, short (ca. 20 cm) or subterranean. Leaves nearly 1 m long and 4–9 in the crown; sheath 2.5–5.0 cm long; pseudopetiole with fibrous margins, 14–26 cm long, true petiole nearly absent to 15 × 0.4–1.0 cm by 0.2–0.5 cm thick; rachis 43–81 cm long; leaflets 11–25 along each side of the rachis, linear, pendulous, bright green, with long acuminate and asymmetrical apex, distributed mostly regularly except at the base where irregular in clusters of 2 and inserted in one plane, leaflets strongly deflexed or pendulous forming what appears to be an upside down “V” under the rachis; basal leaflets 7–22 × 0.1–0.5 cm, middle leaflets 21–35 × 1.0–1.5 cm, apical leaflets 7–13 × 0.1–0.6 cm. Inflorescence erect, spicate or rarely branched, with peduncle ca. 10–20 cm long; prophyll 8–13 × 0.8–1.8 cm; peduncular bract (6–) 14–37 cm long, expanded part 6.5–12.0 × 0.8–4.2 cm and 1–2 mm thickness; spike or inflorescence axis 3–14 cm long, rachis usually not measureable, usually with 1 primary branch 3–14 cm long, pistillate portion ca. 2.5–4.0 cm long with 3–5 pistillate flowers or fruits, staminate portion ca. 3.5–4.0 cm long; staminate flowers 8.5–12.0 × 4 mm, sepals fleshy 1 mm long or less and connate at the base, petals 7–11 × 3–4 mm (7–8 mm long at apex) with acute tips, nerves indistinct, stamens 5–6 mm long, anther 4.5–5.0 mm long, filaments 1.5–2.0 mm long; pistillate flowers pyramidal, glabrous, 12–13 × 6 mm at the base of the inflorescence and 6 × 2.5–3.0 mm at the apex, sepals imbricate 10–12 × 4–5 mm, petals unnerved, imbricate at the base but (upper 1.5–2.0 mm) valvate at the tip, 7.5–9.0 × 3.5–4.0 mm, pistil glabrous, 6 × 2.5–3.0 mm diam., stigmas 3, 3 mm long, glabrous, staminodial ring about 1 mm high and 6-dentate. Fruits ovoid with a short apical beak, 2.0–2.3 × 1.3–1.5 cm, with a fibrousfleshy mesocarp, endocarp 1.9–2.2 × 1.2–1.3 cm; seed 1.1 cm in diam. with a small central cavity. (Dr. LARRY R. NOBLICK & Dr. HARRI LORENZI 2010) Editing by edric.

NOTES: Harri Lorenzi discovered S. pleiocladoides in Mato Grosso and successfully introduced it into his garden collections. This acaulescent palm with its deflexed leaflets resembles S. pleioclada, but differs from it in having a straight, spicate inflorescence instead of one with several gnarly branches. It also has regularly spaced leaflets (basal ones excepted) instead of clustered leaflets and a distinctively different leaflet anatomy. The S. pleiocladoides has thinner leaflets with distantly spaced large vascular bundles (veins) that are attached only to the upper surface of the leaflet along with numerous smaller nonvascular fibers that are found along both the upper and lower surface of the leaflet. Syagrus pleioclada has a thicker leaflet that has larger, more closely spaced vascular bundles that touch both the upper and lower surface of the leaflet along with a few large nonvascular fibers. The two species are separated by hundreds of kilometers with S. pleiocladoides growing in Mato Grosso and possibly western Goiás and S. pleioclada in eastern Minas Gerais. (Dr. LARRY R. NOBLICK & Dr. HARRI LORENZI 2010)

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 10a

Comments and Curiosities

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet “pleiocladoides” alludes to its close resemblance to S. pleioclada, with similar strongly pendant leaflets, which grows in eastern Minas Gerais in the Serra do Cipo and Cadeira do Espinhaço region. (Dr. LARRY R. NOBLICK & Dr. HARRI LORENZI 2010)

PHENOLOGY: Fruiting in November.