I14 PRINCIPES [Vol. Il THEEDITOR'S CORNER above Santa Barbara in California. The With this issue of PnrllcrpBs we are secondregular feature we are introduc- "Collec- inaugurating two new features which ing with this issue is entitled we hope will become a permanent part tor's Choice." Here a member of the of the journal. One of them we are en- Society will present a purely subjec- "Garden titling Tour." This will be a tive picture of his favorite palm, relat- trip to a garden where palms are a con- ing his experienceswith that particular spicuous or dominant part of the land- speciesand explaining what it means scape theme. We hope to present not to him as.a connoiseur of palms. Lest only the various speciesof palms that anyone doubt the appropriateness of "favorite are growing in the garden, but also a selectinga palm," let him re- discussion of how they are used and call that David Fairchild was not above what the companion are. In this selecting his favorite palm and pro- issue we are taken by Barry Osborne claiming it from the housetops. It was on a tour of Mme. Ganna Walska's Pigaletta elata, or more correctly Piga- 'olotusland" garden set in the hills letta lilaris. w.J.D. The genusGastrococos (Palmae-Cocoideae) H.rnor-r E. Moonn, Jn." The island of Cuba is the home of a scription of {lowers given by Morales, prickly palm sometimesfound in culti- prove deceptivewhen details of the in- vation, where it is generally known as florescenceand flowers are studied. armentalis or Acrocomia There are significant differences crispa. L. H. Bailey included the which set Acrocom,ia crispa aparl Irom in his preliminary study of Acrocomia, all other speciesoI Acrocomia. Exam- using the name A, armentalis (Gentes ining the rachillae of the inflorescencein Herbarurn 4: 462. I94L). On the basis Acrocomia, one finds that the female of this study, but using an older epithet, flowers are few, restricted to the thicker the species was listed as Acrocomia basalpart of the rachilla. generallyac- crispa in a checklist of cultivated palms companied by two lateral male flowers (Principes 7: L24. 1963). more or less reduced in size, and the It has becomenecessary to study this group of three flowers, or triad, is sub- palm more closely to determine whether tended by a rather prominent bractlet or not the speciesproperly belongs in and appearsto be slightly sunken in the Acrocomia, whether it is best placed in rachilla. Male flowers are much more some other of the prickly palms numerous and are borne in a special- included in the tribe Bactrideae of the ized terminal portion of the rachilla. subfamily Cocoideae, or whether it Above the triads, except in A. crispa, should represent a distinct genus for one finds usually a few male flowers which the narne GastrococosMorales is borne in pairs, each pair subtendedby available. The habit and general aspect a rather prominent bractlet, but the of the fruit, which appearto have guided majority are borne singly, each sub- Bailey despite the excellent detailed de- tended by a prominent thin bractlet which is united with bractlets adjacent *From work relating to National Science Foun- dation Grant GB-3528. to it forming a little cup in which the 7e671 MOORE:GASTROCOCOS

I. A group oI Gastrococoscrispa at Calabazar, Province o{ Havana, Cuba. Photo by L. H. Bailey.

flower sits. When the {lowers are re- by a thin bractlet which is quite free moved, the upper portion of the rachilla from those adjacent to it, thus there is looks like a section of honeycomb. no appearance of a honeycomb when , however,has male the flowers are removed. flowers borne in pairs throughout or If we compare flowers, another set of nearly throughout that portion of the diflerences becomes erident. The fe- rachilla above the basal triads. At the male flowers oI Acrocomia have a calyx tip of the rachilla one may find male composed of sepals which are distinct {lowers borne singly through the loss o{ and overlapping, a corolla o{ petals one in a pair. Each pair of flowers, or w hich are free and overlappi'ng or each flower when single, is subtended shortly united with each other by their ll il6 PRINCIPES lVol. inner {aces but then the margins are The six prominent staminodesare united free and overlapping at the base. Sta- with each other in a tube as long as or minodes (sterile stamens) are united lonser than the corolla-tube, to which with eachother basally in a 6-lobedtube they are united for about three-fourths which may be completelyfree from the their length, then distinct and triangular petals or united with them basally. The to awl-shaped. i"male flowers ol A. crispa' in contrast, The male flowers also differ. Those have short sepals united in a 3-lobed oI Acrocomia have distinct short sepals cup, thickish petals united with each and a prominent pistillode; those of I' other for some distance, then distinct crispa have sepals united in a low 3- with essentiallyvalvate triangular tips. lobed cup and a short deeply trifid pis- tillode. The petals are briefly united with the floral receptaclein both' Sta- men-filamentsin Acrocomia are inflexed at the apex in bud and the anthers are dorsifixed and versatile. In A. crispa, the stamen-filaments are erect, the an- thers basifixed. Though the fruit oL A. crispa gener' ally resembles that oI Acrocomia in shape and color, it is smaller than most and has a thin mesocarp which separates easily from a distinctly pitted endocarp. Acrocomia proper has fruit with a thick mesocarpof very short densefibers ad' herent to an essentially smooth or more rarely shallowly pitted endocarp. These fibers are removed from the endocarp only by considerable scraping with a scalpel. Taking these differences in sum, it appears clear that Acrocomin crispa diI' fers from all remaining speciesof the genus, including others in Cuba, in an assemblageof characteristicsdespite its seneral habital resemblance.Acrocomia L""o*", a genus which is readily char' acterized and recognizedeven from ra- chillae lacking flowers when A. crispa is removed. lf A. crispacannot be retainedin lc- rocomia, can it be placed in one of the other cocoid genera armed with prick- les? Astrocaryu'm,'and' Deswon- czrsdiffer markedly in having petals of 2. Gastrococos crispa (left) with persistent pistillate flowers united in a tubular 3- pr.ickles in rings on trunks, a of ftol- lobed. 3-toothed or even truncate cor- itonea regia to r.ight, Camaguey Province, olla as well as in other characteristicsso Cuba. Photo by J. A. G. Dary' 1967) MOORE:GASTROCOCOS 1I7 that A. crispa clearly does not belong with them. Comparing with , however, one finds many similarities both in inflorescenceand flowers. The arransement of staminate flowers in

iffi i;.ls 4. Representative fruits of Gastrococos crispa. Reoroduced- from Gentes Herbarum 4z 463, fis.290. I94L.

pairs above the triads, the union of oetals with each other and with the sta- minodial tube in the pistillate {lower, the erect stamen-filamentsof the sta- minate flowers are similar in A. crispa and,Aiphanes. Yet there are differences which in sum again suggestthat to in- clude l. crispa in Aiphanes would de- stroy the homogeneity of that genus: the sepalsof both staminate and pistil- late flowers are united in A. crispa, dis' tinct in Aiphanes; the petals of pistil- late flowers are united basally and erect above in A. crispa, united basally but with spreading triangular valvate lobes in Aiphanes; the pinnae oI A. crispa are acute to acuminate, those of Aiphanes are oblique or truncate, broad, and strongly toothed at the apex; the trunk is swollen in A. crispa, essentiallyuni- form in Aiphanes; and A. crispa ocatrs in geographic isolation irom Aiphanes which extendsnorthward only to Puerto Rico in the . Both Aiphanes and Acrocomia crispa 3. An old of Gastrococos crispa appear to have evolved from a common with persistent bracts, Reproduced from Gez- tes Herbarum 4: 426, lig.25B. 194f, ancestral yet to dif{erent degrees IIB PRINCIPES lVol. ll and in di{ferent ways. Thus I prefer to nate in a shallow to deep cupule: sta' maintain two distinct generic units as minate flowers ancl the best way of expressingthis evolution various: fruit lacking abundant short in a taxonomic scheme: Aiphanes ior fibers adherent to the endocarp. some 40 taxa of Central and South 2. Pistillate petals connate 1/s'a/2their America and the West Indies north to length in a companulate tube with Puerto Rico; Gastrococos for the single prominent valvate lobes; stamin- and adnate to the speqiesof Cuba. The following as yet bdes connate corqlla-tubebasally, but distinct or preliminary key to the six genera which confinued in a free 3'6Jobed or recognize in the Bactrideae I currently -toothed or truncate tube some- in per- may serve to put Gastrococos times nearly equalling the stigmas spective.,A,crocom.ia I consider to in- above: staminateflowers with sta- clade Acanthococos as suggested by men-filaments erect, the basifixed Wessels'Boer (Flora ol Surinarne 5: anthers often sagittate basally; 122. L965) ; Bactris includes Guilielma, pistillode evident. Py renoglyphis and Y uy ba. 3. Sepals of pistillate flowers dis- Preliminary Key to Genera o{ tinct and imbricate; sepals of (ex- Bactrideae staminate flowers distinct cept where united to the floral I. Petals of the pistillate flowers distinct receptacle) and separated or and broadly imbricate, or if some' imbricate: lobes of pistillate co- times pirtially connate basally and rolla spreading at anthesis:pin- with an adnate staminodial tube, then nae variously oblique or trun- at least the margins free and imbri- cate, broad, and strongly toothed cate; pistillate sepals distinct; sta' at the apex: trunks essentially minate flowers with distinct sepals uniform in diameter. Aiphanes and the petals distinct and valvate or ' adnate basally to the short floral re- 3. Sepalsof both pistillate and sta- 'ceptacle then free and valvate; sta- minate flowers connate in cu- men-filaments inflexed at the apex pular calyces: lobes of pistillate iir bud, the anthers dorsifixed and corolla erect: pinnae acute or vbrsatile: fruit with abundant short acuminate: trunk markedly ven- , fibers in the mesocarp,these.strongly tricose. Gastrococos adherent to the smooth or only verY 2. Pistillate petals connate beyond shallowly pitted endocarp',:staminate the middle or completely connate flowers borne in, pairs lateral to the in a 3-lobed, 3-toothedor truncate pistillate in basal triads on the rachil- urceolate or tubular corolla, the lae, immediately above the triads in lobes, when developed,not spread- pairs, or mostly or entirely singly ing; staminodesdistinct or united and subtendedby membranousbract- in a short tube but not adnate to lets adnate on all sides to adjacent the corolla: staminateflowers with bractlets forming cells resembling stamen-filaments erect or inflexed those of a honeycomb. Acrocomia at the apex or from nearly the 1. Petals of the pistillate flowers con- middle in bud; pistillode usually nate 1/s-12their length in a campanu- ' lacking. l6te tube with prominent spreading 4. Staminate flowers not densely or ered valvate lobes, or more than terminal r/2 lheft length in an urceolate brief- aggregatedin a distinct lv 3Jobed" 3- toothed or even trun- portion of the rachilla but asso- cate tube; sepals of the pistillate ciated with the pistillate in triads flowers distinct.andimbricate or con- or irregularly interspersed 19671 MOORE:GASTROCOCOS I19 among the triads and subtended seding that given in the checklist of cul- by short distinct bractlets. tivated palms, and to supply descrip, tions of genus and species. 5. Erect plants: upPer Pinnae not modified into sPreading Morales, in Reper- or reflexed spinose organs: G.c.srnococosS. A. flowers all or nearly all borne torio Fisico-Natural de la Isla de in triads or' the staminate Cuba 1: 57, 30 Mai 1865. more numerous and irregu- Trunk solitary, ventricoseand spindle- larly interspersedamong tri- shapedat maturity, denselyarmed when ads: stamen-filamentsinflexed young with stout dark prickles in rings, at the apex or from nearlY sometimes becoming nearly or quite in bud; anthers the middle smooth in age except on new growth. mostly dorsifixed, versatile: Leaves numerous, with short prickly upper bract subtending the petiole, the rachis prickly or nearly inflorescenceborne near the narrow, at- lower at the base of the pe- smooth; pinnae numerous, duncle. Bactris tenuate, acute to acuminate but becom- ing briefly bifid at the apex when old Scandent plants: uPPer 5. Pin' or frayed, crowded and very narrow at nae modified into spreading the base,larger and regularly arranged or reflexed spinose organs: pairs toward the flowers in triads nearlY or in poorly defined in two or throughout the rachilla: sta- middle of the leaf and borne men-filaments erect in bud, more planes. Inflorescence stout, pen- short; anthersbasifixed, erect, dulous at least in {ruit, subtendedby a sagittate basally: upper bract short, erect, persistent, prickly, ancipi- of the in{lorescenceoften in- tous lower bract opening abaxially serted above the middle of abovethe middle and a,tomentosepersis- the tent, woody upper bract as long as the 4. Staminate flowers often asso' inflorescenceand splitting abaxially; pe' ciated with the Pistillate in tri- duncle elongate,densely prickly; rachis ads basally or along the lower elongate,prickly at the base or smooth, part of the rachilla but above bearing numerous elongate unarmed paired or generally solitarY and somewhat flexuous rachillae. Flowers densely aggregated in a dis' borne in triads o{ 2 staminateand a tinct terminal portion of the ra- central pistillate in the lower 1t"-t/" oI chilla, each pair of flowers or the rachilla, the pistillate lacking above flower subtended by a each and the staminate borne in pairs or at prominent bractlet adnate to or the apex solitary, the groups of flowers coherent with adjacent bract- subtended by a low rounded bractlet, lets to form a cupule sometimes the pairs as high as the flowers: stamen- the triads with 3 bracteoles, {ilaments inflexed at the apex in with I bracteole: staminateflowers with bud; anthers dorsifixed, versa- a short 3-lobed cupular calyx much ex- tile. ceededby the 3 valvate petalswhich are basally adnate to the floral receptacle; I h'avepreviously stated why the epi- stamens 6, the filaments distinct, sub- thet crispa seems applicable to what ulate, erect,the antherslinear, basifixed, Bailey called Acrocomia armentalis (.Princi,pes7: L7l-I72. f963). It re- erect, sagittate basally, acute or briefly mains now to transfer the epithet to Gas- bifid apically; pistillode short, deeply trococos, to provide synonymy super- trifid: pistillate flowers with a short 3- 120 PRINCIPES lVol. ll lobed cupular calyx much exceededby the attachment. Fruit globose or de- the 3 petals,these connate about /3 their pressed-globose, with apical stigmatic length basall|, valvate and erect above; residue; exocarp smooth; mesocarp staminodesnearly as long as the petals, pulpy rvith flat fibers, readily separated connatenearly three-fourthstheir length from the pitted endocarp; endocarp in a 6-lobed tube adnate basally to the thick, bony, with pores slightly above petals,{ree above; pistil ovoid, very mi- the middle: somewhat irregular nutely trichomatous, trilocular, triovu- with homogeneous hollow late, stigmas 3, recurved at anthesis, and lateral embryo. Chromosomenum- oyule attached near the middle of the ber: n:15 (R. W. Read, in Principes locule, the micropyle at right angles to 10: 66. 1966). 1\ €4 ill F/ ffiffi v-3c lr4.

/\ {f vl \,Ju,/

5. Gastrococos crispa. a, portion o{ rachilla with staminate Jlowers X 2; b, portion of rachilla, staminat; flowdrs removed x 4; c' staminate bud x 4; d, staminate bud in vertical section X 4; e, staminatecalyx X 4: {. slaminatepetal. interior view i +''t.Ila n. stamensin three views X 4; h,'pistillode X 8: i. basalporlion of rachilla *ltt x 2; j, triad, flowers re-oued, x 2; k, pistillate flower X- 4; l, pistillate flower in vertical-iection X 2; m, pistillate calyx X 4; n, pistillate flower, calyx re- p, pistil -"""a i 2;o, fistillate corolla and'staminodesexpanded, inlerior!q* X.2; x 2; q, ouu.y in cross-section x 4; t, fruit x l-; s, fruit in vertical-section X l; t' fruit'in'cross-section X l; u, v, endocaip in lateral and top views X l; w,-x, y, seed in top, lateral and bottom views X 1. a-qirom material of Read 821 preserved in liquid; r-y {rom dried material oI Walsingham s. n. 19671 BARRY:HYBRIDS r21 Endemic to Cuba, where found on longer and stouter prickles, the upper calcareous soils in all the provinces margins fibrous and extending along according to Le6n, Flora d,e Cuba I: the petiole nearly to the first pinnae, 245. 1946. the free portion of the petiole about 45 cm. (18 in.) long with brown or yel- cRISpA(Humboldt, Bon- Glsrnococos lowish prickles, some very stoutI ra- E. Moore, lr. pland & Kunth) H. chis more than 2.5 m. (87/z ft.) long, noa. often with short yellowish prickles along Cocos crispa Humboldt, BonPland & the lower margin and on the lower sur- Kunth, Nova Genera et SPecies face near the junction with the petiole; Plantarum 1:302 f{olio 242]- pinnae to 120 or more on each side of 1816. the rachis, the lower onesshort, narrow, Acrocornia crispo (Humboldt, Bon- and closely placed, those in the center pland & Kunth) C. F. Baker ex to f m. (3r/2fi.) Iong, 3 cm. (1 3/16 Beccari, in Pomona College Jour' itt.) wide, the midnerve gr€en, the nal of Economic 2: 364. lower surface pale. Inflorescenceto 1.5 I9T2. m. (5 ft.) long or more, the upper bract Gastrococosarrnentalis S. A. Morales, brown tomentosel peduncle about 7'5 in Repertorio Fisico-Natural de la dm. (.27/z ft.) long, densely brown Isla de Cuba I: 58. 1865. or yellowish prickly; rachis about as Acrocomia armentalis (S. A. Mora- long as peduncle,smooth or with prick' les) L. H. Bailey, Hortus Second les at base; rachillaeto 30 cm. (l ft.) 22. r94L long or more. Flowers Yellow to or' (II/32 Trunk to I8 m. (60 ft') high. Leaves ange,the staminate8-9 mm. in.) (3/32 in.) large: sheath and petiole 7.5 dm. (2t/2 long with calyx about 2 mm. ft.) long, the sheath densely covered high, the femalesabout the sameheight' with upward-pointing slender brown Fruit smooth, yellow to orange at ma' prickles of varying lengths to 3 cm. tirity, 2.5-2.75 cm. (I-tt7* in.) in di- (I 3/16 in.) long and occasionalmuch ameter. Hybrids in Chamaedorea D,q,vDBannv, Jn. near In June L923, the lournal d,e Ia So' nerial Garden o{ Schoenbrunn, ci6t6.Nationale d"Horticulture d'eFrance Vienna. The author adds that the voy' (ser. 4, 24: 223'2M, L923) ran an ager Warscewicz, and especially Lin- article on the cultivated Chamaed'orea den, the celebrated horticulturist of by Dr. M. A. Guillaumin of the Jardin Ghent, introduced the major Part o{ des Plantes, Paris. After describing the speciesin those early days. Many about fifty speciesthe author lists sev- were introduced between 1840 and eral hybrids. These are referred to as I89O. recent hybrids, meaning that they were The first hybrid was made bY a Rus' made after the turn o{ the century. They sian, F. Katzer, of Pavlosk, about 1899. would indeed be recent when com- It was described as Chamaedorea X pared to the dates given for the intro- Katzeri Loebner, in Gartenuteh13: 159. duction to horticulture of various spe' 1909. The parentswere C. concolor and cies of Chamaed,orea.The first species C. Ernesti-Augusti.The was suck' was introduced in 1794 to the Im- ering, the terminal leaves simple, like