Coccothrinax pauciramosa Burret 1929

1.28. Coccothrinax pauciramosa Burret (1929: 12).

Type:— CUBA. Prov. Oriente, Sierra de Nipe in Sabana Risueña, propre Bayate, 18 July 1914, E. Ekman 2021 (holotype S n.v., S image!; isotype B destroyed)

Coccothrinax nipensis Borhidi & Muñiz in Muñiz & Borhidi (1981 publ. 1982: 446). Lectotype (designated by Moya 2021):— CUBA. Oriente, S. de Nipe, Mayari, Loma de la Bandera, 19 April 1960, Alaín, Acuña & Ramos 7758 (lectotype HAC!).

Coccothrinax savannarum (León) Borhidi & Muñiz in Muñiz & Borhidi (1981 publ. 1982: 452). Coccothrinax muricata var. savannarum León (1939: 130). Coccothrinax muricata subsp. savannarum (León) Borhidi & Muñiz (1971a: 176). Lectotype (designated by Moya 2020):— CUBA. Oriente, Sabana Risueña, Bayate, January 1933, O. Heimer & V. Held 15910 (lectotype HAC!, isolectotypes A!, AJBC n.v., BH!, MICH n.v., MICH image!, US!).

Stems length and diameter not recorded, solitary. Leaves more or less deciduous or only leaf bases persisting on stem; leaf sheath fibers 1.9(1.3–3.2) mm diameter, stout, woody, loosely woven, the inner and outer layer combining at the apices to form erect, spine-like fibers; petioles 7.4(5.8–9.6) mm diameter just below the apex; palmans 3.0(1.7–4.3) cm long, relatively short, with the adaxial veins prominent and terminating in a slight raised ridge and distinct pulvinus; leaf blades not wedge-shaped; segments 21(17–30) per leaf, the middle ones 31.6(30.3–35.5) cm long and 2.6(1.8–3.5) cm wide; segments not pendulous at the apices, giving the leaf a flat appearance; middle leaf segments relatively short and broad, abruptly narrowed (shoulder) toward the apex, otherwise parallel-sided, often strongly folded, stiff and leathery, the apices briefly splitting; middle leaf segment apices attenuate; leaf segments not waxy or sometimes with a deciduous, thin layer of wax adaxially, densely indumentose abaxially, with irregularly shaped, persistent, interlocking, fimbriate hairs, each one with a rounded, raised, light green to greenish-brown or reddish-brown center, without transverse veinlets. Inflorescences erect amongst or above the leaves, with few partial inflorescences at apex of inflorescence; rachis bracts narrow, closely sheathing, sparsely tomentose, usually without hairs at the apex; partial inflorescences 3(2–4); proximalmost rachillae straight, 6.6(5.5–7.5) cm long and 1.1(0.9–1.3) mm diameter in fruit; rachillae not recorded at or near anthesis; stamens not recorded; fruit pedicels 1.2(0.5–2.1) mm long; fruits 5.5 mm long and 5.6(5.3–5.9) mm diameter, black; fruit surfaces smooth or sometimes with projecting fibers; seed surfaces deeply lobed, the lobes running from base of seeds almost to apices.

Distribution and habitat:— Cuba ( Holguín, Santiago de Cuba) (Fig. 15) on or near the Altiplanicie de Nipe, in savannas, pine forests, or hills on limestone or serpentine soils at 450 m elevation.

Taxonomic notes:— Three preliminary species (C. nipensis, C. pauciramosa, C. savannarum) share a unique combination of qualitative character states and are recognized as a phylogenetic species, the earliest name for which is C. pauciramosa.

Coccothrinax savannarum is somewhat problematic. Muñiz & Borhidi (1981), in recognizing C. muricata var. savannarum at the species level, distinguished it from C. muricata by its long, erect inflorescences. Confusingly, Craft’s (2017) and Moya’s (2020) illustrations appear to show curved inflorescences. The leaf segments of one of the isotypes appear almost rounded at the apices. Coccothrinax orientalis occurs at or near the type locality of C. savannarum and it is possible that the type specimen is a hybrid. Craft (2017) considered that C. pauciramosa may hybridize with C. orientalis.