Hybrids in the Genus Syagrus
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
PALM S Hodel: Syagrus Hybrids Vol. 55(3) 2011 Hybrids in DONALD R. H ODEL University of California 4800 E. Cesar Chavez Ave. the Genus Los Angeles, CA 90022 USA Syagrus [email protected] 1. Syagrus × montgomeryana holds many, dark green, ascending to arching leaves. Ingwersen nursery, Lampang, Thailand. Several natural hybrids occur in Syagrus , a large, diverse and wide-ranging genus of pinnate-leaved, cocosoid palms from South America and the Caribbean, attesting to the relative ease of hybridization between some of its species. This relative ease of hybridization, along with the highly ornamental nature and cold tolerance of some of its species from southern Brazil, has attracted several collectors and growers who, through hybridization, wish to expand the landscape potential of this useful genus. Because at least one of these artificial hybrids has entered the trade and is being widely promoted, I name and describe it here as a new hybrid species while I discuss other natural and artificial hybrids in the genus. PALMS 55(3): 141 –154 141 PALM S Hodel: Syagrus Hybrids Vol. 55(3) 2011 At least five natural interspecific hybrids occur very slightly channeled adaxially, 2.5–4 cm in Syagrus where the ranges of species overlap wide at apex and there convex abaxially and (Lorenzi et al. 2010) and at least two ± flat adaxially, green but with whitish or intrageneric hybrids (one artificial and the grayish, scurfy, mealy, ± deciduous tomentum other natural but occurring spontaneously in abaxially, margins with tan, coarse fibers to 10 cultivation) are documented (Hodel 2005, cm long and finer hair-like fibers to 60 cm Lorenzi et al. 2010) for Syagrus and related long in proximal 75 cm, these progressively genera, and collectors and growers, including reduced to small teeth or scurfy, wing-like Jack Ingwersen in Thailand and Dick Douglas fibers in distal 25 cm; rachis 2.5–3 m long, and Patrick Schafer in northern California, are convex with tomentum abaxially as in petiole, continuing to make more. In general the ± flat adaxially near the base progressively hybrids are variable and the artificial hybrids becoming an angled, sharp costa distally; frequently tend to resemble the seed (pistillate) pinnae 100–120 per side, irregularly arranged, parent more than the pollen (staminate) clustered and fanned in 1 or 2 planes in parent, a situation that is less likely to occur proximal one-half to two-thirds of blade, in natural hybrids where there are multiple regularly arranged and in 1 plane in distal one- opportunities for the hybrid to occur with third to one-half of blade, proximal pinnae to either of the parents serving as the seed or 65 × 0.8 cm, proximal mid-blade pinnae pollen provider. largest, these to 85 × 3.2–4 cm, most distal pinnae 45 × 0.5 cm, long-lanceolate, straight, A New Artificial Hybrid thin-leathery, dark green, tips split for 8–10 Ingwersen, who is doing most of the cm, midrib prominent and elevated adaxially, interspecific hybridization in Syagrus , has with 5–7 conspicuous secondary nerves on focused his attention on a superb hybrid either side, these conspicuous abaxially, midrib between S. schizophylla and S. romanzoffiana , with whitish or grayish, medifixed ramenta to which he has been distributing to the trade 8 mm long scattered in proximal one-half to for several years under the registered trademark nearly the entire pinna length abaxially. name Coconut Queen® and for which I here provide a formal hybrid species name. 2. Syagrus × montgomeryana makes a handsome Syagrus × montgomeryana Noblick ex Hodel ornamental. Ingwersen nursery, Lampang, Thailand. sp. hyb. nov. (S. schizophylla × S. romanzoffi- ana ). Palma inter Syagrum schizophyllam et S. romanzoffianam quasi intermedia et hybridatione harum specierum orta, magnitudine habitus inter parentes media, ad illud habitu maiore, trunco maiore, pinnis pluribus, petiolis et rachidibus foliorum et bracteis pedunculorum longioribus, rachillis brevioribus differt; ad hoc habitu minore, trunco minore, pinnis paucioribus, petiolis et bracteis pedunculorum longioribus, rachillis pluribus et longioribus differt. Typus: CULTIVATED. USA. California, San Diego County, Vista, nursery of John Ingwersen. D. R. Hodel 2030 (holotypus BH, isotypus HNT). Figs. 1–7. Solitary, moderate, tree palm, to 12 m tall (Figs. 1 & 2). Trunk 25 cm diam., ringed, internodes 5 cm. Leaves 40–60, ascending, eventually spreading, 3–4 m long, distal 60–90 cm drooping; base 40 cm long, persistent and becoming woody, deeply split opposite petiole, margins with coarse, hair-like fibers to 10 cm long (Fig. 3); petiole to 1.1 m long, 5–10 cm wide at base and there convex abaxially and 142 PALM S Hodel: Syagrus Hybrids Vol. 55(3) 2011 3 (left). Petiole margins of Syagrus × montgomeryana have coarse, hair-like fibers to 10 cm long ( Hodel 2030 , holotype). Ingwersen Nursery, Vista, California. 4. (right). Inflorescences of Syagrus × montgomeryana are ascending to arching in flower. Ingwersen nursery, Lampang, Thailand. Inflorescences 4–7, interfoliar, to 2.25 m long, imbricate, collar-like bracteoles 0.75–1 mm ascending to arching in flower, pendulous in high; staminate flowers 8 × 13 mm, fragrant, fruit, 1-branched (Fig. 4); peduncle 90–120 cm yellow-orange (Fig. 5); calyx 2 × 3.5 mm, long, 2.5 cm wide and 1.2 cm thick at apex, cupular, sepals connate and cream-colored in gradually widening toward base, densely proximal 1 mm, distal lobes free, brown, covered with tan tomentum; peduncular bract rounded triangular, light yellow to nearly to 2 m long, thick-leathery, golden coppery transparent, barely exceeding base of petals; and finely striate to nearly smooth adaxially, petals 9 × 3 mm, long-ovate, yellowish orange, greenish with deciduous, mealy, white to tan valvate, free nearly to base, acute, very faintly tomentum and prominently, densely, and nerved; stamens 6, 4–5 mm long, shorter than deeply grooved abaxially; rachis to 75 cm long, petals, style 3 mm long, light yellow, anthers 2.5 cm wide at base and flattened, tapering to 4 mm long, dorsifixed below middle; pistillode 1 cm wide at apex; rachillae ca. 90, to 65 cm short, 1 mm tall, columnar, barely trifid long, to 1 cm diam. at base, 0.75 mm diam. at apically, yellowish; pistillate flowers 9 × 7 mm, apex, cream to yellow-green in flower, ± lax, ovoid, greenish yellow (Fig. 6); calyx 7 × 7 forward pointing, conspicuously flexuous. mm, cupular, sepals imbricate nearly to apex Staminate flowers in distal one-half to two- and there broadly rounded, acute, light green, fifths of rachillae, seated in shallow clefts 1 margins thin, nearly transparent; petals 7 × 7, mm long, 1 mm wide, 1 mm deep and 2–4 cup-like, imbricate nearly to apex and light mm distant, the proximal lip of cleft a green except for mucronate, erect, free, prominent, collar-like bracteole 0.75 mm high; yellowish tip and clear, thin, nearly triads, consisting of a center, later-opening transparent margins, staminodes connate in a pistillate flower flanked on each of two sides clear, collar-like ring 2.5 mm high; pistil 8.5 × by earlier-opening staminate flowers, in 5 mm, ovoid, style lacking, stigma trifid, tips proximal one-half to three-fifths of rachillae, conspicuous, 2 mm long, free, recurved. Fruit triads in prominent clefts 8 mm long, 6 mm 3.5 × 2.8 cm, irregularly oblong-ovoid, wide, 2.5 mm deep and subtended by 2 maturing yellow-orange (Fig. 7). 143 PALM S Hodel: Syagrus Hybrids Vol. 55(3) 2011 5 (top). Staminate flowers of Syagrus × montgomeryana are fragrant and yellow- orange ( Hodel 2030 , holotype). Ingwersen Nursery, Vista, California. 6 (middle). Pistillate flowers of Syagrus × montgomeryana are greenish yellow ( Hodel 2030 , holotype). Ingwersen Nursery, Vista, California. 7 (bottom). Fruits of Syagrus × montgomeryana are irregularly oblong-ovoid and mature yellow-orange (Hodel 2030 , holotype). Ingwersen Nursery, Vista, California. Noblick (1992) suggested the specific epithet grows them on for the trade in their nursery, to honor the late Robert H. Montgomery and Jungle Jack’s Palms, in Vista, under the the Montgomery Botanical Center in Florida. registered trademark name Coconut Queen®. The original plant to which Noblick referred In extolling the virtues of Syagrus × was in Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden in montgomeryana Coconut Queen® the Florida, was likely an unintentional hybrid, Ingwersens state that the hybrid has the and perished in Hurricane Andrew (Noblick, gracefulness and elegance of a kentia palm per. comm.). Although not the first to make it, (Howea forsteriana ) and the hardiness of a Jack Ingwersen has championed this hybrid queen palm. Indeed, they report that visitors and has been making the cross for nearly 10 to their California nursery sometimes at first years at his nursery near Lampang, Thailand, sight mistake it for an extraordinarily vigorous using Syagrus schizophylla as the seed parent kentia palm ( Howea forsteriana ). and S. romanzoffiana as the pollen parent. He ships the seeds produced in Thailand to The Ingwersens report that the handsome California, where his son John germinates and Syagrus × montgomeryana Coconut Queen® has 144 PALM S Hodel: Syagrus Hybrids Vol. 55(3) 2011 several horticultural features that make it a some of his hybrids. I list these hybrids without superb choice and better alternative to the names and place the seed parent first followed ubiquitous queen palm ( S. romanzoffiana ) in by the pollen parent. subtropical and Mediterranean-climate Syagrus coronata × S. picrophylla. landscapes. With a much fuller canopy, it holds two to three times as many leaves (40–60 Solitary, moderate to robust tree palm to 15 m vs. 15–20) as a queen palm, and the leaves are tall (Fig. 8). Trunk 25–35 cm diam., flared or consistently darker green, possibly indicating slightly enlarged at base, ringed, internodes 5 a lower nitrogen requirement than queen cm.