PALM S Zona & Baker: Solfia Vol. 58(4) 2014

SCOTT ZONA Dept. of Biological Sciences Florida International University 11200 SW 8 St. Miami, Florida 33199, USA Solfia [email protected] Transferred AND

WILLIAM J. B AKER to Balaka Herbarium Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK [email protected]

Solfia , a monotypic from Samoa, is synonymized with Balaka , based on molecular evidence. When transferred to Balaka , Solfia samoensis requires a new name for which we propose Balaka insularis .

Recent research in the subtribe Ptycho- could continue to stand as a genus sister to all spermatinae has brought us incrementally Balaka , the position taken in Genera closer to understanding the evolutionary Palmarum ed. 2. (Dransfield et al. 2008). history of this important, species-rich branch of the palm family tree. One long-standing The juxtaposition of Balaka , with its black, problem in the group has been the disposition angular, beaked endocarps (square or of Solfia samoensis , a seldom-seen species from pentagonal in cross-section) with Solfia (straw- Samoa. It was originally described by Rechinger colored endocarps, circular in cross-section) in 1907, but soon thereafter was transferred to was unexpected. Hodel (2010) claimed that Drymophloeus by Martelli, based on the work the Samoan Balaka species have obscurely or of Beccari (Martelli 1935). The work of the first slightly angled endocarps with no beaks, but author (Zona 1999), analyzing morphological specimens examined by the first author of the characters, suggested that the species be Samoan Balaka samoensis (Zona et al. 717 ) and returned to its own genus. That decision was B. tahitensis (McClatchey 1191 ), both in the based on the fact that it lacked many of the herbarium of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden characters of Drymophloeus , including wedge- (Fig. 1), have strongly angled endocarps with shaped leaflets and a persistent peduncular tapered beaks, similar in morphology to bract. endocarps found in Fijian taxa. The advent of molecular work shed new light The fell apart with the work of on the phylogenetic position of Solfia . Initial Alapetite et al. (2014), which included five studies (Norup et al. 2006; Baker et al. 2009) species of Balaka , along with Solfia samoensis . paired it, for the first time, with Balaka , a genus In their work, based on eight gene sequences, of seven species in Fiji and two in Samoa, but Solfia was unambiguously placed on the these studies had only one species of Balaka to strongly supported branch of the tree that compare with the one species of Solfia . More comprises Balaka . It resolved as sister to B. recent studies with two species of Balaka (Baker tahitensis , which despite its name, is native to et al. 2011, Zona et al. 2011) continued to Samoa. The remaining species of Balaka show Solfia to be most closely related to two formed another very strongly supported Balaka species. In terms of the taxonomy, Solfia branch. There are two solutions that would

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1. Left to right, rachillae, and of Balaka tahitensis (McClatchey 1191 ); and of Solfia samoensis (Tipama’a 2 ); fruits, seed and seed cross-section of Balaka samoensis (Zona et al. 717 ). Scale is mm. make the taxonomy reflect the evolutionary BAKER , W.J., V. S AVOLAINEN , C.B. A SMUSSEN -L ANGE , history suggested by Alapetite et al. (2014). M.W. C HASE , J. D RANSFIELD , F. F OREST , M.M. The first solution is to transfer the Samoan HARLEY , N.W. U HL AND M. W ILKINSON . 2009. Balaka into Solfia . This option has molecular Complete generic-level phylogenetic support but would make Solfia a dis- analyses of palms () with harmonious genus in which dark, angular comparisons of supertree and supermatrix endocarps are present in two (former Balaka ) approaches. Systematic Botany 58: 240–256. species and terete, straw-colored endocarps are found in the type species. The second option, DRANSFIELD , J., N.W. U HL , C.B. A SMUSSEN , W.J. the one followed here, is to sink Solfia into BAKER , M.M. H ARLEY AND C.E. L EWIS . 2008. Balaka , thereby creating one monophyletic Genera Palmarum: the Evolution and genus, Balaka , in which only one species is a Classification of Palms. Kew Publishing, morphological outlier. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, UK. When included in Balaka , Solfia samoensis HODEL , D.R. 2010. A synopsis of the genus requires a new epithet. The one chosen here Balaka . Palms 54: 161–188. is a nod to its home in Samoa and to its MARTELLI , U. 1935. La sinonimia delle palme isolated morphology within the genus. gerontogee della tribù delle Arecaceae. Balaka insularis Zona & W.J. Baker, nom. nov . Nuovo Giornale Botanico Italiano (Nuova serie) 42: 17–88. based on Solfia samoensis Rech., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 4: 233. 1907 (non Balaka NORUP , M.V., J. D RANSFIELD , M.W. C HASE , A.S. samoensis Becc., Webbia 4: 267. 1914). Type: BARFOD , E.S. F ERNANDO AND W.J. B AKER . 2006. Samoa, Savai’i, August 1905, K. Rechinger 79 Homoplasious character combinations and (FI!). generic delimitation: a case study from the LITERATURE CITED Indo-Pacific arecoid palms (Arecaceae: ). American Journal of Botany 93: ALAPETITE , E., W.J. B AKER AND S. N ADOT . 2014. 1065–1080. Evolution of stamen number in Ptycho- spermatinae (Arecaceae): Insights from a new ZONA , S. 1999. New perspectives on generic molecular phylogeny of the subtribe. limits and relationships in the Ptycho- Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 76: spermatinae (Palmae: Arecoideae). Memoirs 227–240. of the New York Botanical Garden 83: 255–263. BAKER , W.J., M.V. N ORUP , J.J. C LARKSON , T.L.P. COUVREUR , J.L. D OWE , C.E. L EWIS , J-C. P INTAUD , ZONA , S., J. F RANCISCO -O RTEGA , B. J ESTROW , W.J. V. S AVOLAINEN , T. W ILMOT AND M.W. C HASE . BAKER AND C.E. L EWIS . 2011. Molecular 2011. Phylogenetic relationships among phylogenetics of the palm subtribe Ptycho- arecoid palms (Arecaceae: Arecoideae). spermatinae (Arecaceae). American Journal Annals of Botany 108: 1417–1432. of Botany 98: 1716–1726.

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