Geonoma is a genus of small to medium-sized palms native to the forest understorey of tropical Central and South America.
This palm genus is one of the largest in the Neotropics. Its 64 species are distributed from Mexico and Haiti in the north to Paraguay in the south; two are found in the Lesser Antilles.
Uses In South America, the leaves of species such as Geonoma deversa, Geonoma orbignyana, and Geonoma macrostachys are economically important for their use in thatching roofs.
Taxonomy The genus is a member of the palm tribe Geonomateae (Arecaceae: Arecoideae), an important Neotropical group due to its wide distribution across Central and South America, its diversity and abundance, and the use of a number of species by local human populations.Roncal, J. Francisco-Ortega, C.B. Asmussen, and C.E. Lewis (2005). 'Molecular phylogenetics of the tribe Geonomeae (Arecaceae) using nuclear DNA sequences of Phosphoribulokinase and RNA Polymerase II'. (Systematic Botany 30(2): 275–283). The distribution of the tribe Geonomeae stretches from southeast Mexico down through Central America and into South America, notably Brazil and Bolivia, and species are also found in the Greater and Lesser Antilles.Wessels Boer (1968) as cited by Roncal, J. Francisco-Ortega, C.B. Asmussen, and C.E. Lewis (2005). 'Molecular phylogenetics of the tribe Geonomeae (Arecaceae) using nuclear DNA sequences of Phosphoribulokinase and RNA Polymerase II'. (Systematic Botany 30(2): 275–283) This tribe consists of a group of understory and sub-canopy palms that populate both tropical lowland and montane forests. While members of this group are relatively easy to collect, as they are not canopy palms or spiny palms, and are well represented in herbaria, the taxonomy and phylogeny of the species within the tribe are still uncertain.Roncal, J. Francisco-Ortega, C.B. Asmussen, and C.E. Lewis (2005). 'Molecular phylogenetics of the tribe Geonomeae (Arecaceae) using nuclear DNA sequences of Phosphoribulokinase and RNA Polymerase II'. (Systematic Botany 30(2): 275–283)Asmussen, C.B. and Chase, M.W. (2001) 'Coding and noncoding plastid DNA in palm systematics' (American Journal of Botany 88: 1103–1117) The resolution of the tribe has been disputed despite the fact that Geonomateae species are characterized by three morphological synapomorphies: the petals of pistillate flowers are basally connate, the presence of slender and elongate styles, and the flowers are borne in pits in the rachillae.Uhl and Dransfield 1987 as cited by Roncal, J. Francisco-Ortega, C.B. Asmussen, and C.E. Lewis (2005). 'Molecular phylogenetics of the tribe Geonomeae (Arecaceae) using nuclear DNA sequences of Phosphoribulokinase and RNA Polymerase II'. (Systematic Botany 30(2): 275–283)
Species The following species are currently recognized:
Geonoma appuniana Spruce Geonoma arundinacea Mart. Geonoma aspidiifolia Spruce Geonoma atrovirens Borchs. & Balslev Geonoma baculifera (Poit.) Kunth Geonoma brenesii Grayum Geonoma brevispatha Barb.Rodr. Geonoma brongniartii Mart. Geonoma camana Trail Geonoma chlamydostachys Galeano-Garcés Geonoma chococola Wess.Boer Geonoma concinna Burret Geonoma congesta H.Wendl. ex Spruce Geonoma cuneata H.Wendl. ex Spruce Geonoma densa Linden & H.Wendl. Geonoma deversa (Poit.) Kunth Geonoma divisa H.E.Moore Geonoma epetiolata H.E.Moore Geonoma ferruginea H.Wendl. ex Spruce Geonoma frontinensis Geonoma gamiova Barb.Rodr. Geonoma gastoniana Glaz. ex Drude Geonoma hoffmanniana H.Wendl. ex Spruce Geonoma hugonis Grayum & Nevers Geonoma interrupta (Ruiz & Pav.) Mart. Geonoma irena Borchs. Geonoma jussieuana Mart. in A.D.d'Orbigny Geonoma laxiflora Mart. Geonoma leptospadix Trail Geonoma linearis Burret Geonoma longipedunculata Burret Geonoma longivaginata H.Wendl. ex Spruce Geonoma macrostachys Mart. Geonoma maxima (Poit.) Mart. Geonoma monospatha de Nevers Geonoma mooreana de Nevers & Grayum Geonoma myriantha Dammer Geonoma oldemanii Granv. Geonoma oligoclona Trail Geonoma orbignyana Mart. in A.D.d'Orbigny Geonoma paradoxa Burret Geonoma paraguanensis H.Karst. Geonoma pauciflora Mart. Geonoma poeppigiana Mart. in A.D.d'Orbigny Geonoma pohliana Mart. Geonoma polyandra Skov Geonoma polyneura Burret Geonoma rubescens H.Wendl. ex Drude Geonoma santanderensis Galeano & R.Bernal Geonoma schottiana Mart. Geonoma scoparia Grayum & Nevers Geonoma seleri Burret Geonoma simplicifrons Willd. Geonoma spinescens H.Wendl. Geonoma stricta (Poit.) Kunth Geonoma supracostata Svenning Geonoma talamancana Grayum Geonoma tenuissima H.E.Moore Geonoma triandra (Burret) Wess.Boer Geonoma triglochin Burret Geonoma trigona (Ruiz & Pav.) A.H.Gentry Geonoma umbraculiformis Wess.Boer Geonoma undata Klotzsch Geonoma weberbaueri Dammer ex Burret Geonoma wilsonii Galeano & R.Bernal
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