Leucothrinax morrisii
| Leucothrinax morrisii | ||||||||||||
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Leucothrinax morrisii |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Leucothrinax | ||||||||||||
| C. Lewis & Zona | ||||||||||||
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| Leucothrinax morrisii | ||||||||||||
| ( H. Wendl . ) C. Lewis & Zona |
Leucothrinax morrisii is a species of palm native to the Caribbean. It is the only member of the genus Leucothrinax . In the Caribbean it is one of the palm trees that are often cultivated as an ornamental plant.
features
Leucothrinax morrisii forms only one trunk, which can reach a height of 11 m and a diameter of 35 cm. It is an unreinforced, hermaphrodite fan palm . The leaves are induplicate (V-shaped) folded. The petiole tears open basally with network-like fibers. It is usually longer than the leaf blade . The underside of the leaf stalk and blade is covered with whitish wax scales. Hastula and the bracts in the inflorescence are covered with silky, white, deciduous scales.
The inflorescence is curved and longer than the leaves. The flowers are sessile or stand on stems less than 1 mm in height. The fruits are white and spherical. The endosperm is homogeneous.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 36.
Distribution and locations
Leucothrinax morrisii is found in Florida , the Bahamas , Cuba , Puerto Rico , Hispaniola, and the western islands of the Lesser Antilles .
The species grows in coral sand and on sandstone near the coast.
Systematics
The genus Leucothrinax C. Lewis & Zona is placed within the family Arecaceae in the subfamily Coryphoideae , Tribe Cryosophileae . Her sister group may be Hemithrinax .
In the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , only the species Leucothrinax morrisii (H. Wendl.) C. Lewis & Zona is recognized.
The species was listed in the genus Thrinax until 2008 . However, molecular genetic studies showed that it is not closely related to the other representatives of Thrinax . Therefore, the species was transferred to its own genus Leucothrinax . The name is composed of the ancient Greek word for white and the genus name Thrinax , the genus to which it is morphologically most similar. White refers to the white wax scales on young leaves, young inflorescences and the undersides of the leaves that the representatives of Hemithrinax and Thrinax lack.
supporting documents
- John Dransfield, Natalie W. Uhl, Conny B. Asmussen, William J. Baker, Madeline M. Harley, Carl E. Lewis: Genera Palmarum. The Evolution and Classification of Palms . Second edition, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2008, ISBN 978-1-84246-182-2 , pp. 230-232.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d C. E. Lewis, Scott Zona: Leucothrinax morrisii, a New Name for a Familiar Caribbean Palm . Palms, Vol. 52, 2008, pp. 84-88.
- ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Leucothrinax. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved March 26, 2011.
Web links
- Leucothrinax on the website of the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden