Syagrus is a genus of Arecaceae (palms), native to South America, with one species endemic to the Lesser Antilles.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families The genus is closely related to the Cocos, or coconut genus, and many Syagrus species produce edible seeds similar to the coconut.
Description Palms in this genus usually have solitary stems; clustered stems are less common, and a few are stolon-like subterranean. The stems are normally spineless, but some species have spiny leaf sheaths or spines. Those species that have upright trunks grow tall with stems that are in diameter.
The leaves of all but one species, S. smithii, are pinnately compound. Leaf sheaths are split along their entire length, and consequently, crownshafts are not present in this genus. The transition from the leaf sheath to the petiole can be gradual and difficult to identify, but in species where they can be distinguished, leaf sheaths are long and the petioles are .
The inflorescences are unbranched or branch once; a single hybrid, S. × lacerdamourae, occasionally shows second-order branching, and emerge from between the leaves. They are monoecious, with both male and female flowers borne in the same inflorescence. The fruit are drupes, which vary in colour from green to orange to brown. They range in size from in length, and in diameter.
Taxonomy
Syagrus has been placed in the subfamily Arecoideae, the tribe Cocoseae and the subtribe Attaleinae, together with the genera Allagoptera, Attalea, Beccariophoenix, Butia, Cocos, Jubaea, Jubaeopsis, Parajubaea, and Voanioala.
The genus Lytocaryum is now included in Syagrus. It has been treated as a distinct genus, differentiated only by abundant tomentum, strongly versatile anthers, and slight differences in the pericarp.Uhl, Natalie W. and Dransfield, John (1987) Genera Palmarum - A classification of palms based on the work of Harold E. Moore. Lawrence, Kansas: Allen Press. /
Species , Plants of the World Online accepted the following species and hybrids:
Syagrus allagopteroides Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus amara (Jacq.) Mart. – overtop palm Syagrus amicorum K.Soares & C.A.Guim. Syagrus angustifolia Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus aristeae B.F.Sant'Anna-Santos Syagrus botryophora (Mart.) Mart. Syagrus caerulescens Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus campestris (Mart.) Bomhard Syagrus campylospatha (Barb.Rodr.) Becc. Syagrus cardenasii Glassman Syagrus cataphracta (Mart.) Noblick Syagrus cearensis Noblick Syagrus cerqueirana Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus cocoides Mart. Syagrus comosa (Mart.) Mart. Syagrus coronata (Mart.) Becc. – licuri palm Syagrus deflexa Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus duartei Glassman Syagrus elata (L.R.Moreno & O.I.Moreno) Noblick Syagrus emasensis Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus evansiana Noblick Syagrus flexuosa (Mart.) Becc. Syagrus glaucescens Glaz. ex Becc. Syagrus glazioviana (Dammer) Becc. Syagrus gouveiana Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus graminifolia (Drude) Becc. Syagrus guaratingensis Noblick Syagrus guimaraesensis Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus harleyi Glassman Syagrus hoehnei Burret, syn. Lytocaryum hoehnei Syagrus inajai (Spruce) Becc. Syagrus insignis (Devansaye) Becc., syn. Lytocaryum insigne Syagrus itacambirana Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus itapebiensis (Noblick & Lorenzi) Noblick & Meerow, syn. Lytocaryum itapebiense Syagrus kellyana Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus lilliputiana (Barb.Rodr.) Becc. Syagrus loefgrenii Glassman Syagrus longipedunculata Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus lorenzoniorum Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus macrocarpa Barb.Rodr. Syagrus mendanhensis Glassman Syagrus menzeliana Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus microphylla Burret Syagrus minor Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus oleracea (Mart.) Becc. Syagrus orinocensis (Spruce) Burret Syagrus petraea (Mart.) Becc. Syagrus picrophylla Barb.Rodr. Syagrus pimentae Noblick Syagrus pleioclada Burret Syagrus pleiocladoides Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus pompeoi K. Soares & R. Pimenta Syagrus procumbens Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus pseudococos (Raddi) Glassman Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.) Glassman – queen palm Syagrus rupicola Noblick & Lorenzi Syagrus ruschiana (Bondar) Glassman Syagrus sancona (Kunth) H. Karst. Syagrus santosii K. Soares & C.A. Guim. Syagrus schizophylla (Mart.) Glassman – arikury palm Syagrus smithii (H.E.Moore) Glassman Syagrus stenopetala Burret Syagrus stratincola Wess.Boer Syagrus vagans (Bondar) A.D. Hawkes Syagrus vermicularis Noblick Syagrus weddelliana (H.Wendl.) Becc., syn. Lytocaryum weddellianum Syagrus werdermannii Burret Syagrus yungasensis M. Moraes
Hybrids Syagrus × altopalacioensis K.Soares & L.C.Assis Syagrus × andrequiceana K.Soares & L.C.Assis Syagrus × campos-portoana (Bondar) Glassman Syagrus × cipoensis K.Soares & L.C.Assis Syagrus × costae Glassman Syagrus × lacerdamourae K.Soares & C.A.Guim. Syagrus × matafome (Bondar) A.D.Hawkes Syagrus × mirandana Noblick Syagrus × serroana K.Soares & L.C.Assis Syagrus × teixeirana Glassman Syagrus × tostana (Bondar) Glassman
Formerly placed here Butia campicola (Barb.Rodr.) Noblick (as S. campicola (Barb.Rodr.) Becc.) Butia capitata (Mart.) Becc. (as S. capitata (Mart.) Glassman) Butia eriospatha (Mart. ex Drude) Becc. (as S. eriospatha (Mart. ex Drude) Glassman) Butia paraguayensis (Barb.Rodr.) L.H.Bailey (as S. paraguayensis (Barb.Rodr.) Glassman) Butia yatay (Mart.) Becc. (as S. dyerana (Barb. Rodr.) Becc. and S. yatay (Mart.) Glassman)
Distribution Syagrus is an almost entirely South American genus. The only non-South American species, S. amara, is endemic to five islands in the Lesser Antilles. The genus is found from sea level to elevations of above sea level.
Ecology S. coronata nuts are the favored food of Lear's macaw, whose bill size and shape are particularly adapted to crack them.
Syagrus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Batrachedra nuciferae (recorded on S. coronae) and Paysandisia archon (recorded on S. romanzoffiana).
Cultivation and uses Syagrus weddellianum is a commonly potted plant throughout Europe. It prefers shade and rich, friable, quickly draining soil with some acidity.Riffle, Robert L. and Craft, Paul (2003) An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Portland: Timber Press. /
References
Jones, D. L. (2000). Palms in Australia. Reed Books.
External links