PALMS Moya and Leiva: Checklist of Cuban palms Volume 44(2) 2000 Checklist of CELIO E. MOYA LóPEZ Jardín Botánico Sancti Spiritus the Palms of Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente Apdo. 52, CP 60200 Cuba, with Sancti Spiritus, Cuba Notes on their [email protected] AND Ecology, ANGELA T. LEIVA SÁNCHEZ Jardín Botánico Nacional Carr. El Rocío, km 3 1/2 Distribution Calabazar, CP 19230 Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba and [email protected] Conservation Cuba has a rich palm flora despite its relatively small territory. The palms play an important role in Cuba's landscape and vegetation and in the everyday life of Cuban people, who have multiple uses for these plants (Muñiz & Borhidi 1982). The goal of this study is to up-date the list of Roystonea (Zona 1996), Sabal (Zona 1990) and Cuban palms given by León (1946), taking into Thrinax (Read 1975), as well as the revision of consideration the revisions of several palm Bactris for the Caribbean (Salzman & Judd 1995). genera from the new world and the new species The most recent additions to the list of palms reported for Cuba. This new checklist will allow from Cuba by Moya et al. (1991), Zona (1992) future publications to use the correct and Borhidi and Hernández (1993) were also nomenclature. included. In preparing this checklist, we reviewed the The family Palmae in Cuba is represented by 15 following lists of Cuban species: Grisebach (1866), genera, two subgenera and 81 species, six hybrids Sauvalle (1868), Beccari (1912, 1913), Dahlgren and nine infraspecific taxa for a total of 96 (1936), León (1946), Alain (1969), Muñiz and indigenous palms (Table 1). Of these, 83 taxa Borhidi (1982), Borhidi and Muñiz (1985) and (87%) are endemic, i.e., found only in Cuba. The Henderson et al. (1995). The nomenclature from percentage of endemics is high, one of the highest these lists was up-dated according to the modern for Cuban plant families. One genus (Gastrococos) revisions of neotropical genera: Calyptronoma and two subgenera (Coperniciasubg. Coperniciopsis (Zona 1995), Gastrococos (Moore 1967), Gaussia and Thrinax subg. Hemithrinax) are endemic. (Quera & Read 1986), Prestoea (Henderson & Our checklist differs from that of previous authors. Galeano 1996), Pseudophoenix (Read 1968), Scheelea cubensis Burret is not included because its PALMS 44(2): 69-84 69 PALMS Moya and Leiva: Checklist of Cuban palms Volume 44(2) 2000 Table l. The Cubanpalms according to Uhl and Dransfield (1987). SUBFAMILY TRIBES SUBTRIBES GENERA TAXA CORYPHOIDEAE 1 5 6 81 CEROXYLOIDEAE 2 2 3 ARECOIDEAE 2 5 7 12 TOTAL 5 10 15 96 presence in Cuba has not yet been confirmed. The Hemithrinax compacta (Griseb. & H. Wendl.) name was based on a single collection that was Hook f. probably erroneously attributed to the island or Thrinax ekmaniana (Burret) Borhidi & Muñiz based on a cultivated specimen. Likewise, Hemithrinax ekmaniana Burret Acrocomia subinermis León ex Bailey, is omitted. Thrinax morrisii H. Wendl. This palm was described from along the road from Thrinax drudei La Cruz de Piedra to Guatao, Havana. We have Becc. found that only Gastrococos crispa occurs in this Thrinax microcarpa Sarg. area. It seems likely that Acrocomia subinermis was Thrinax punctulata Becc. based on an adult specimen of Gastrococos crispa Thrinax radiata Lodd. ex Schult. & Schult f. with an unarmed trunk. Elaeis guineensis Jacq. is Thrinax parvifloraSw. excluded; it was cultivated in Baracoa and erroneously considered naturalized in that region. Thrinax wendlandiana Becc. Hemithrinax, formerly treated at the generic rank, Thrinax rivularis (León) Borhidi & Muñiz var. is now considered to be a subgenus of Thrinax rivularis (Borhidi & Muñiz 1985). Hemithrinax rivularis León In current literature, Coccothrinax miraguama has Hemithrinax rivularis (León) Borhidi & Muñiz var. rivularis been cited as described by León. However, León onLy amplified and completed the original Thrinax rivularis (León) Borhidi & Muñiz var. savannarum Borhidi & Muñiz description made by Beccari. Hemithrinax savannarum León Sorne modern authors have considered the list of Hemithrinax rivularis (León) Borhidi & Muñiz Cuban palm species by Henderson et al. (1995) as var. savannarum Muñiz definitive.However, Henderson et al. stated clearly 11 COCCOTHRINAX Sargent that ••• this Guide is not a taxonomic treatment, but a field guide for nonspecialists. For this reason Coccothrinax acunana León we have tended to combine closely related and Coccothrinax alexandri León ssp. alexandri doubtfully distinct species and also groups of León species that we consider to be part of species Coccothrinax alexandri León ssp. nítida (León) complexes." Hence, our list differs significantly Borhidi & Muñiz from the list of Henderson et al. (1995). C. alexandri León var. nítida León There are still pressing taxonomic problems in Coccothrinax baracoensis Borhidí & Muñiz Cuban palms. There is an urgent need for modern Coccothrinax bermudezii León taxonomic revisions of Coccothrinax, Copernicia Coccothrinax borhidiana Muñiz (Fig. 2) and Acrocomia, as well as detailed evolutionary Coccothrinax brevicrinis Borhidi & Muñiz genetic studies of hybrids and disjunct taxa. C. crinita (Griseb. & H. Wendl.) Becc. ssp. CUBAN PALMS AND IMPORTANT SYNONYMS brevicrinis Borhidi & Muñiz Accepted names are in bold; synonyms are given Coccothrinax camagueyana Borhidi & Muñiz in Italics. Coccothrinax clarensis León ssp. clarensis CORYPHOIDEAE Griffith C. clarensis León var. perrigida León THRINAX O. Swartz Coccothrinax clarensis León ssp. brevifolia (León) Borhidi & Muñiz Thrinax compacta (Griseb. & H. Wendl.) Borhidi & Muñiz C. clarensis -León var. brevifolia León 70 PALMS Moya and Leiva: Checklist of Cuban palms Volume 44(2) 2000 1. Coccothrinax hiorami, Guantánamo. (photo by S. Zona) 71 PALMS Moya and Leiva: Checklist of Cuban palms Volume 44(2) 2000 Coccothrinax crinita (Griseb. & H. Wendl. ex Coccothrinax miraguama (Kunth) Becc. ssp. Wright) Becc. miraguama Thrinax crinita Griseb. & H. Wendl. C. acuminata (Griseb. & H. Wendl.) Sarg. Coccothrinax cupularis (León) Muñiz & Borhidi Thrinax acuminata Griseb. & H. Wendl. C. miraguama (Kunth) Becc. var. cupularis León Thrinax miraguana Mart. Coccothrinax elegans Muñiz & Borhidi Coccothrinax miraguama (Kunth) Becc. ssp. Coccothrinax fagildei Borhidi & Muñiz arenicola (León) Borhidi & Muñiz Coccothrinax fragrans Burret C. miraguama (Kunth) Becc. var. arenicola León Coecothrinax miraguama (Kunth) Becc. ssp. Coccothrinax garciana León havanensis (León) Borhidi & Muñlz Coccothrinax guantanamensis (León) Muñiz & Borhidi C. miraguama (Kunth) Becc. var. havanensis León C. argentea (Lodd.) Sargent var. guantanamense Coccothrinax miraguama (Kunth) Becc. ssp. León roseocarpa (León) Borhidi & Muñiz Coccothrinax gundlachii León C. miraguama (Kunth) Becc. var. roseocarpa León Coccothrinax hiorami León (Fig. 1) Coccothrinax moaensis (Borhidi & Muñiz) Muñiz Coccothrinax leónis Muñiz & Borhidi Coccothrinax munizii Borhidi Coccothrinax litoralis León Coccothrinax muricata León Coccothrinax macroglossa (León) Muñiz & Coccothrinax nipensis Borhidi & Muñiz Borhidi Coccothrinax orientalis (León) Muñiz & Borhidi C. miraguama (Kunth) Becc. var. macroglossa C. yuraguana (A. Rich.) León var. orientalis León León Coccothrinax pauciramosa Burret Coccothrinax microphylla Borhidi & Muñiz Coccothrinax pumila Borhidi & J. A. Hernández Coccothrinax pseudorigida León 2. Coccothrinax borhidiana. (photo by C. Morid) C. pseudorigida León var. acaulis León Coccothrinax rigida (Griseb. & H. Wendl.) Becc. Thrinax rígida Griseb. & Wendl. Coccothrinax salvatoris León ssp. salvatoris Coccothrinax salvatoris León ssp. loricata (León) Borhidi & Muñiz C. salvatoris León var. loricata León Coccothrinax savannarum (León) Borhidi & Muñiz C. muricata León var. savannarum León Coccothrinax saxicola León Coccothrinax trinitensis Borhidi & Muñiz Coccothrinax victorini León Coccothrinax yunquensis Borhidi & Muñiz Coccothrinax yuraguana (A. Rich.).León C. miraguano Becc. · ';_., COLPOTHRINAX Grisebach & H. Wendland Colpothrinax wrightii Griseb. & H.Wendl. ex Siebert & Voss. Pritchardia wrightii (Griseb. & H. Wendl.) Becc. ACOELORRAPHE H. Wendland Acoelorraphe wrightii (Griseb. & H. Wendl.) H. Wendl. ex Becc. Copernicia wrigthii Becc. COPERNICIA Martius 72 PALMS Moya and Leiva: Checklist of Cuban palms Volume 44(2) 2000 Copernicia baileyana León Sabal yapa Wright ex Becc. (Fig. 7) C. baileyana León var. laciniosa León S. mayarum Bartlett Copernicia brittonorum León CEROXYLOIDEAE Drude C. brittonorum León var. acuta León PSEUDOPHOENIX H. Wendland ex Sargent C. brittonorum León var. sabaloense León Pseudophoenix sargenti H. Wendl. ex Sarg. ssp. Copernicia x burretiana León (pro sp.) (C. saonae (O. F. Cool<) Read var. saonae liospita x C. macroglossa) GAUSSIA H. Wendland Copernicia cowellii Britt. & Wilson Gaussia princeps H. Wendl. Copernicia curbeloi León Gaussia spirituana Moya & Leiva (Fig. 3) Copernicia curtissii Becc. ARECOIDEAE C. clarensis León PRESTOEA Hook.f. ex Benth. & Hook. f. C. pauciflora Burret P. acuminata (Willd.) H. E. Moore var. montana C. hospita Mart. var. clarensis León (Graham) Henderson & Galeano Copernicia fallaensis León (Fig. 4) Prestoea montana (R. Graham) Nichols. Copernicia gigas Ekman ex Burret ROYSTONEA O. F. Cook C. excelsa León Roystonea lenis León Copernicia glabrescens H. Wendl. ex Becc. var. R. regia (Kunth) O. F. Cook var. pinguis Bailey g1abrescens Roystonea maisiana (L. H. Bailey) Zona (Fig. 8) Copernicia glabrescens H. Wendl. ex Becc. var. ramosissima (Burret) Muñiz