Geonoma Chlamydostachys, Anew Species from Colombia

19861 GALEANO-GARCES: GEONOMA 71 Principes. 30(2). 1986. pp. 71-74 Geonoma chlamydostachys, aNew Species from Colombia GLORIA GALEANO-GARcEs Instituto de Ciencias Naturales-Museo. de Historia Natural. Apartado 7495. Bogota. Colombia The region of the middle Magdalena 3 pinnae on each side, these similar, River, in northwestern Colombia, has a very subopposite, 4-6 cm apart, long-acumi rich, interesting and little known flora, nate, each with 8-14 primary veins; which is being rapidly devastated before a sometimes with 1-4 uninerved, linear pin considerable number of its elements are nae between the wide pinnae; middle pin scientifically known. The study of some nae 24-30 cm long, apical pinnae ca. 20 recent palm collections from that region cm long along the upper margin; primary has disclosed a new species of Geonoma, veins 26-32 on each side, 0.7-1 cm which is described below. apart, emerging at about 45-50° from the rachis, prominent and rounded above, less Geonoma chlamydostachys Gal prominent, acute and scarcely pilose below; eano, sp. noy. (Fig. 1) secondary veins immersed above, more prominent than the primary ones and with Caudex solitarius, 1-2.5 m altus, ca. 2 scaly caducous hairs below. Inflorescence cm diam. Lamina ambitu oblonga, 45-60 spicate; prophyll 15 x 1-1.5 cm, linear, cm longa, 25-30 cm lata. Segmenta ple thin, covered with a dense brown-ferru rumque 3 in quoque latere. Nervi primarii ginous persistent tomentum; peduncular 26-32 utrinsecus, cum rachi angulum bract 20-26 cm long, its shape and indu 45-50° formantes. Inflorescentia spicata, mentum like those of the prophyll, inserted pedunculo 35-43 cm longo, spica 15-32 ca. 1 cm above; peduncle 35-43 cm long, cm longa, 7-8 mm diam.; foveae in serie 3-4 mm wide, compressed, with scaly bus 8 dispositae, labio inferiore valde pro reddish-brown persistent hairs, toward the tracto; tubus staminodialis in dentes 6 lin apex with 3-4 small bracts, less than 1 eares profunde divisus. Fructus ovatus, cm long; spike 15-32 cm long, 7-8 mm acutus, 10-12 mm longus, ca. 6 mm in diam.; pits densely arranged in 8 some diam. Typus: Colombia, Rio Claro, Her what oblique series, each pit 2-3 mm wide, nandez et al. 685 (Holotypus HUA). bilabiate, the upper lip entire, short, the Solitary palm. Stem 1-2.5 m high, ca. lower one ovate, slightly striate, briefly 2 cm in diam., conspicuously ringed. bifid, long protracted, about 3 mm long, Leaves reddish when young; sheath 10 completely covering the pit or sometimes 15 cm long, thin, covered with ferrugi exceeding it, the surface covered with a nous easily removable indumentum; peti thin, brown-ferruginous, persistent indu ole 10-15 cm long, the abaxial surface mentum. Staminate flowers near anthesis strongly convex and covered with a scat 4-5 x 2-2.5 mm; sepals oblong-Ianceo tered indumentum like that of the sheath; late, obtuse, keeled toward the apex, cil rachis 45-60 cm long, produced at the iate at the margin, 3.5-4 x ca. 2 mm; apex into a slender thread; blade oblong petals lanceolate to obovate-Ianceolate, in outline, 25-30 cm wide, usually with slightly nerved, acute and thickened at 19861 GALEANO-GARCES: GEONOMA 73 the apex, 4-5 mm x 1.5 mm; stamens flowerpits, and the digitately lobed stami 6, the filaments 4 mm long, connate for nodial tube of the pistillate flowers. ca. 2.5 mm; thecae linear, free, ca. 2 mm Eight species were previously known in long, apparently sharply reflexed from the section Taenianthera (Wessels-Boer filaments; pistillode pyramidal, ca. 1 mm 1968, De Granville 1975); five of them, long, briefly trifid at the apex. Pistillate Geonoma acaulis Mart., G. camana Trail, flowers near anthesis 3.5-4 mm long, G. macrostachys Mart., G. poiteauana elongate; sepals oblong-Ianceolate; petals Kunth, and G. tamandua Trail are dis linear-Ianceolate, acute and thickened at tributed in the Amazon basin, the last two apex, 3.5-4 mm x 1 mm; staminodial species being known also from the Guiana tube 1-1.5 mm long, digitately 6-lobed, shield. The remaining three species have each lobe 1-1.5 x ca. 0.2 mm; gynoe a more limited distribution; G. oldemanii cium ca. 1 mm long; style 3 mm long, J. J.-de Granville is known only from deeply trifid. Fruits ovoid, acute at apex, French Guyana, and G. paradoxa Burret 10-12 x ca. 6 mm, the surface slightly and G. chococola W. Boer are known granulate; seed ovoid, acute at apex, dark from the Pacific coastal area in western brown, shining. Colombia. G. chlamydostachys, discov Distribution and Habitat: known only ered in northwestern Colombia is, thus, from southeast Departamento de Antio the northernmost species in the section. quia, in the zone of influence of middle Only two species of section Taenian Magdalena River, at 300-1,000 m alti thera, G. macrostachys and G. choco tude, in disturbed moist forest. cola, resemble G. chlamydostachys. The Specimens Examined: Colombia: new species can be distinguished from G. Departamento de Antioquia: Municipio de macrostachys mainly by its leaves with San Luis, Rio Claro, 400-1,000 malt., the veins emerging from the rachis at a 13 Jan 1983, Hernandez et al. 685 wider angle (45-50° vs 20-35°), and by (holotype HUA); same locality, 480 malt., the fruits being ovoid instead of subglo 12 Oct 1981, Hernandez & Hoyos 89 bose. From G. chococola, which is a more (COL, HUA); same locality, 600 malt., massive palm, the new species can be dis 24 Jun 1982, Hernandez & Hoyos 415 tinguished, at first glance, by its much (COL, HUA); same locality, 325-450 m smaller leaves (rachis 45-60 cm long vs alt., 1984, Cogollo 1280 (JAUM); same 90-140 cm long), its more slender spike locality, 330-500 malt., 1 May 1984, (7-8 mm diam. vs 10-15 mm diam.), Cogollo & Borja 1633 (JAUM); same with pits arranged in a lesser number of locality, 21 Feb 1982, Renteria et al. vertical series (8 vs 11-12), and the much 3038 (JAUM). smaller and pointed fruits (10-12 mm Geonoma chlamydostachys belongs to long, ca. 6 mm diam. vs ca. 20 mm long, section Taenianthera (Burret) W. Boer, ca. 15 mm diam.). according to the last interpretation of the genus Geonoma (Wessels-Boer 1968). The Acknowledgments species of this section, formerly regarded I thank biologists Saulo E. Hoyos and as constituting a genus of their own (Bur Alvaro Cogollo for bringing the taxon to ret 1930), were considered by Wessels my attention. The Herbaria of Universi Boer to be a natural group characterized dade Antioquia (HUA), and of Jardin by the combination of several characters, Botanico Joaquin Antonio Uribe (JAUM) particularly the acaulescent or short made possible the study of specimens for stemmed habit, the spicate, long-pedun the description and illustration. Eugenia cled inflorescence, the densely arranged de Brieva, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, 74 PRINCIPES [VOL. 30 Universidad Nacional de Colombia, GRANVILLE 1. 1. DE 1975. Un nouveau palmier en Bogota, made the drawing. Guyane Fran~aise. Adansonia, ser. 2, 14(4): 553-559. WESSELS·BoER, 1. G. 1968. The geonomoid palms. LITERATURE CITED Verhandelingen der Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Afd. Natu BURRET, M. 1930. Geonomeae Americanae. Engler urkunde, ser. 2, 58: 1-202. Bot. lahrb. 63: 123-270. Principes, 30(2),1986, pp. 74-76 PALM BRIEF areas, and is now known to occur in cer tain localities over a very large area north Barcella odora of the Rio Negro. This area stretches from the Rio Padauiri in the west almost four In 1874 the Scottish botanist James hundred kilometers east to the Manaus Trail collected a palm on the Rio Padauiri, Boa Vista road. The habitat of the palm a tributary of the Rio Negro in Brazil. He is campinarana, a kind of low, dense, thought this palm was a species of the shrubby vegetation found on white sand, genus Elaeis, the oil palm, and in 1877 transitional between savanna and forest. described it as Elaeis (subgenus Barcella) Barcella is extremely abundant in the odora. campinaranas. Actually Trail's palm is quite distinct The derivation of the name Barcella from Elaeis. It is acaulescent with a few was not given by Trail. Harold Moore erect pinnate leaves, up to 2 m long, and guessed that it may have come from the with non-spiny petioles. The inflorescence Latin word for boat in its diminuitive form, is borne on a long peduncle, and although "barca-ella," in reference to Trail's form the prophyll is below ground level, the of transport. It seems more likely that Trail peduncular bract is erect and wo?dy, a~d took the name from the nearby town of persists while the fruits are formmg (Fig. Barcelos, a town more important then than 1). Inflorescences have either all stami it is now, and just downstream from where nate flowers or both staminate and pistil. the Padauiri flows into the Negro. The late (Fig. 2). In the latter case the sta common name for the palm is piassaba minate flowers open first, and, as noted brava, piacaba preta, or piacabarana. The by Trail, have a strong sweet scent which name piacaba or piassaba is usually given attracts numerous bees, wasps, and flies. to another Brazilian palm, Leopoldinia These differences persuaded Drude, in his piassaba, and to the strong fibers it yields. treatment of the Palmae for Flora Brasi Barcella also has fibers, in its petioles, liensis in 1881, to recognize this palm as and these persist on the ground even after a distinct genus, and so it became Bar the leaf has died and rotted away.

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