24 Flora Neotropica Cook, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 554. 1901. Lectotype. from South America (Le., R. venezuelana); however, Jacquin's Select. stirp. Amer. hist. I. 1763, t. 170. [fide these differences are relatively minor and are not cor­ Glassman, 1972]. Figs. 2, 3B roborated by other differences. For this reason, a sin­ Euterpe caribaea Sprengel, Syst. veg. 2: 140. 1825. Oreodoxa caribaea (Sprengel) Dammer in Urban, Symb. gle species is recognized here. antiII. 4: 129. 1903 (as Oreodoxa charibaea in Beccari, The name Euterpe caribaea Sprengel was super­ Porn. Coil. J. Econ. Bot. 2: 263. 1912). Roystonea caribaea fluous when published because Sprengel cited Areca (Sprengel) Wilson, Bull. New York Bot. Gard. 8: 385. oleracea Jacq. as a synonym. The type of E. caribaea 1917, nomen superfl. Roysronea venezuelana L. H. Bailey, Gentes Herb. 8: 124. is the type ofA. oleracea. 1949. Type. Venezuela. Yaracuy: In level rain forest at alti­ Palms of this species are the largest in the genus, tude of 75 m, 29 May 1944, Steyermark 56852 (holotype, both in height and trunk diameter. They form a com­ BH, F). manding presence in the otherwise low vegetation of Lowest leaves held more or less horizontally; leaf the Lesser Antilles. In Barbados, where the remains 4.6-4.9 m long. Prophyll 46.5-52 cm long and of R. oleracea var. oleracea avenues still mark the 8.8-1.6 cm wide. Peduncular bract ca. 1.54 m long, entrances to the homes of once grand sugar estates, widest above the middle, apex caudate. Endocarp this taxon occurs spontaneously in the rocky gullies 9.8-12.9 mm long. Eophyll linear-elliptical, 10-21 that criss-cross the island. cm long and 1-2.4 cm wide, short- or exstipitate, Local names and uses. Cabbage tree, palmiste weakly costate. n = 18 (Sharma & Sarkar, 1957). (Trinidad), cabbage palm, royal palm (Barbados), pal­ Distribution (Fig. 8). Lesser Antilles (Guadeloupe, metto royal, palmier franc, chou palmiste, among Dominica, Martinique, Barbados [fide Read, 1979]), others (see Dahlgren, 1936; Read, 1979); chaguaramo, Trinidad and Tobago, northern Venezuela, in fertile mapar6 (Venezuela). Stems are used for construction soils up to 1640 m (in Venezuela; Braun, 1968), and and were formerly used as a source of starch (sago); northeastern Colombia. Naturalized in Guyana, Suri­ leaves are used for fiber. The terminal bud is edible. nam, and French Guiana (Boggan et aI., 1992), as well Delascio Chitty (1978) reported that alcohol is pro­ as Antigua (Bailey, 1949). duced from the fermented sap of immature inflores­ cences. Hughes (1750) noted that immature inflores­ Specimens examined. BARBADOS. ST. MICHAEL: cences were consumed as a pickled vegetable. Bridgetown, along Harbour Rd. (cultivated), Zona et at. 470 (BAR, FLAS). ST. PETER: Warleigh, Zona et at. 469 (BAR, FLAS). 6b. Roystonea oleracea var. jenmanii (Waby) Zona, COLOMBIA. META. Vicinity of Remolino, Rio Meta, Allen 3407-A (BH, MO). comb. nov. Oreodoxa regia var. jenmanii Waby, J. VENEZUELA. DISTRITO FEDERAL: Lower Cotiza, near Board Agric. Brit. Guiana 12: 5I. 1919. Type. Guy­ Caracas, Pittier 8147 (BH, GH, Pl. BARINAS: 2 km E of ana. Georgetown, [cultivated] in Botanic Garden, Campamento Cachicamo, E of EI Canton, Steyermark et at. 21-24 Mar 1921, Bailey 581 (neotype, designated 102156 (US); near Barrancas, forest of Caimital, Wessels Boer 1765 (NY). BOLIVAR: Sierra (mataca, E of EI Palmar, here, BH). Steyermark 88173 (BH, NY); near EI Palmar, Wessels Boer 2105-B (NY); E ofMiamo, Hato de Nuria, Steyermark 88733 Roystonea oleracea var. excelsior L. H. Bailey, Gentes Herb. (NY). FALC6N: NW of Soledad, between Soledad and 3: 369. 1935, nomen superfl. Sanare, Steyermark & Manara 110997 (BH). MONAGAS: 0 Rio Amana, 6 km W of Santa Barbara, Steyermark 61776 Lowest leaves held ca. 45 above the horizontal; (BH); Los Moros, near Caripito, Tamayo 3502 (MO). middle segments ca. 70 em long and 4.9 cm wide. TRINIDAD. Without locality, Hart s.n. (K); roadside, Prophyll ca. 53 cm long and 11.5 cm wide. Peduncu­ Britton 1987 (NY); Manazanilla, Britton & Britton 2195 lar bract not seen. Endocarp 12.4-13.7 mm long. (GH, NY, P); San Fernando, Broadway s.n. (MO); St. Patrick, Los Bajos, Wessels Boer 1652 (NY). Eophyll not seen. CULTIVATED. FRENCH GUIANA: Vicinity of Cayenne, hospital of St. Paul, Broadway s.n. (US). PANAMA: Canal Distribution. Known only from cultivation. Zone, Ancon, hospital grounds, Pitlier 6640 (US). This variety differs from the typical variety in the Despite assertions that differences exist between R. distinctly erect posture of its leaves (see Bailey, 1935: venezuelana and R. oleracea var. oleracea (e.g., Braun fig. 204). There appear to be no differences in floral & Delascio Chitty, 1987; Vlasic, 1993), I am unable to or fruit morphology. find any consistent morphological or molecular dif­ Although Bailey (1935) was correct in noting that ferences between the two taxa. Stamen, filament, and this palm, with its distinctive growth habit, is a vari­ anther lengths are marginally smaller in populations ety of R. oleracea, he was unaware that the name O. Systematic Treatment 25 regia var. jenmanii had been validly published for this Distribution (Fig. 7). This species is locally abun­ palm by Waby (1919). Bailey cited the supposedly dant in the Great Morass region of western Jamaica, unpublished name as a synonym, thus invalidating his in the vicinities of Black River and Negri!. R. oleracea var. excelsior. Bailey's superfluous name is typified by the type of the name that should have Specimens examined. JAMAICA. HANOVER: Bloody Bay, Read 1701 (UWI). ST. ELIZABETH: Middle Quarters, been adopted (Art. 7.13), but Waby designated no between Black River and Lacovia, Britton 1637 (NY), Proc­ type for his variety. Because Waby's variety was tor 18453 (11), Zona & SalZlrUln 454 (FLAS, RSA). WEST­ based on palms in cultivation in the Georgetown MORLAND: Vicinity of Negril, Britton & Hollick 2100 (NY); Botanic Garden and Bailey's type of R. olearacea var. Negril, Zona & SalzlrUln 456 (FLAS, RSA); Cave, Read 1570 (FIG, UWI). excelsior was taken from plants likely seen by Waby, Bailey 581 is designated as the neotype. Bailey's col­ The broadly lanceolate, long stipitate eophylls of R. lection and accompanying photographs are the best princeps are unique in the genus and readily distin­ record of this decorative and distinctive variety of R. guish this species from all others. The unopened oleracea. Otherwise, it has not been seen by the pres­ peduncular bract is very narrow, widest at the middle, ent author and is poorly known. and its tip extends among the petioles of the crown leaves. Also, the lax, airy inflorescence (Fig. 11; see Local names and uses. None recorded. also Bailey, 1935: fig. 218), which is totally unlike any other inflorescence in the genus, is a useful field char­ acter for this species. The flower parts of this species 7. Roystonea princeps (Beccari) Burret, Bot. Jahrb. are among the smallest in the genus but are poorly Syst. 63: 76. 1929. Oreodoxa princeps Beccari, known. In fact, the above description of the staminate Pomona CoIl. J. Econ. Bot. 2: 266. 1912. Type. flowers was drawn from only one collection. Jamaica. Morass at Middle Quarters, 23 Oct 1907, Harris 9843 (holotype, B, destroyed, fragment at Local names. Morass cabbage palm, Morass royal PI; isotypes, NY, UWI). Fig. II palm. Trunk gray-white, to 20 m tall, 27.5-42 cm diam. Leaves ca. 15, lowest leaves hanging below the hori­ 8. Roystonea regia (Kunth) O. F. Cook, Science, ser. zontal; crownshaft ca. 1.8 m long; rachis ca. 4 m 2, 12: 479. 1900, nomen cons. prop. Oreodoxa regia long; middle segments 75-78.5 cm long and 4.3-5.9 Kunth in Humbolt, Bonpland & Kunth, Nov. gen. et cm wide. Inflorescence ca. 1.3 m long and I m wide, spec. I: 305. 1816. Oenocarpus regius (Kunth) appearing diffuse and open; prophyll not seen; Sprengel, Syst. veg. 2: 140. 1825. Type. Cuba. Near peduncular bract ca. 1.8 m long and 21 cm wide, Havana, [s.d.], Bonpland 1276 (holotype, widest at the middle, apex caudate; rachillae 29-34.5 P-Bonpl.). Fig. I cm long and 1.1-2 mm diam., lax. Staminate flowers white; sepals triangular, ca. 0.4 mm long and 0.7 mm Roystonea elata (W. Bartram) Harper, Proc. BioI. Soc. Wash. wide; petals elliptical to linear, ca. 3.4 mm long and 59: 29. 1946, nomen rejec. prop. PallrUl elata W. Bartram, 1.8 mm wide; stamens 6, ca. 3.1 mm long; filaments Travels Carolina iv, 115-116. 1791. Type. Florida: Collier Co.: Collier Seminole State Park, 17 May 199/, Zona & awl-shaped, ca. 2.4 mm long; anthers ca. 2 mm long, Bigelow 406 (neotype, FLAS [Zona, 1994]). purplish; pistillode minute. Pistillate flowers white, Roystonea.floridana O. F. Cook, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 2-3.5 per cm; sepals reniform, 0.8-1 mm long and 554. 1901. Type. Florida: Western border of the Ever­ 2.5-3.1 mm wide; petals ovate, 2.5-2.9 mm long; sta­ glades, Jan 1882, Curtiss 2676* (holotype, US; isotypes, GH, K, NY, P, US). 0.~.7 minode 6-lobed, 1.7-2.2 mm long, free for Roystonea jenmanii (Wright) Burret, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 63: mm; gynoecium 1.7-2.6 mm long and 1.7-2.1 mm 76. 1929. Euterpe jenmanii Wright, Kew Bull. 1906: 203. diam. Fruits ellipsoid to obovoid, gibbous, 12.2-16.7 1906. Type. Guyana. Georgetown [cultivated], [1884], mm long, 8.7-11.7 mm dorsiventral thickness, and JenlrUln 2057 p.p. (lectotype, designated here, K). Roystonea ventricosa (Wright) L. H. Bailey, Gentes. Herb. 8.4-10.4 mm wide; epicarp purplish black, stigmatic 8: 133.