Coccothrinax clarensis León (1939: 147)

1.9. Coccothrinax clarensis León (1939: 147) View in CoL .

Lectotype (designated by Moya 2020):— CUBA. Las Villas , orillas del río Primero, este de Santa Clara city, 27 March 1934, Fr. León 16080 ( lectotype HAC!, isolectotypes A!, BH!, FTG!, GH!, MICH n.v., MICH image!, MT n.v., US!). Plate 9 View PLATE 9

Coccothrinax clarensis var. brevifolia León (1939: 148) View in CoL . Coccothrinax clarensis subsp. brevifolia (León) View in CoL Borhidi & Muñiz (1971a: 176). Lectotype (designated by Moya 2020):— CUBA. Camagüey, Cerro de Jobosí, no lejos del limite de Santa Clara, 2 July 1937, Fr. León 16928 ( lectotype HAC!, isolectotypes A!, BH!, MICH n.v., MICH image!, US!).

Coccothrinax clarensis var. perrigida León (1939: 149) View in CoL . Coccothrinax clarensis subsp. perrigida (León) View in CoL Borhidi & Muñiz (1971a: 176). Lectotype (designated by Moya 2020):— CUBA. ( Camagüey), près la route central, entre Jatibonico y Ciego de Ávila, 28 December 1938, Fr. León & M. Victorin 18603 ( lectotype HAC!, isolectotypes A!, 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 1.8(1.1–3.6) mm diameter, stout, woody, loosely woven, the inner and outer layer combining at the apices to form erect , spine-like fibers; petioles 9.5(6.4–14.4) mm diameter just below the apex; palmans 6.3(4.7–11.0) 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 25(20–28) per leaf, the middle ones 45.9(34.6–59.0) cm long and 2.9(2.7–3.2) 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; leaf segments densely indumentose abaxially, with irregularly shaped, persistent, interlocking, fimbriate hairs, each one with a rounded, raised, light green to greenish-brown center, without transverse veinlets. Inflorescences erect, at least initially, amongst or above the leaves, with few partial inflorescences; rachis bracts narrow, closely sheathing, sparsely tomentose, usually without hairs at the apex; partial inflorescences 4–5; proximalmost rachillae straight, 7.5(5.5–10.5) cm long and 1.1(1.0–1.3) mm diameter in fruit; rachillae at or near anthesis not recorded; stamens not recorded; fruit pedicels 2.2(1.5–3.3) mm long; fruits 9.0(7.8–10.5) mm long and 10.0(8.4–11.7) mm diameter, color not recorded; 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:— Central Cuba ( Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey) ( Fig. 11 View FIGURE 11 ) in savannas and xeromorphic matorral on serpentine soils at 180 m elevation.

Taxonomic notes:— As a preliminary species, Coccothrinax clarensis has a unique combination of qualitative character states and is recognized as a phylogenetic species. The isotype at FTG may be a mixed specimen. Stems are scored from the image in León (1939). Leaf sheath fibers are scored as combining at the apices to form erect , spine-like fibers, but these are not well-developed in some specimens and could just as well be scored as not forming spine-like fibers. León’s (1939) varieties, var. brevifolia and var. perrigida , are not recognized here; C. clarensis is a widespread and variable species with several local populations, as discussed below.

Subspecific variation:— Coccothrinax clarensis is patchily distributed in central Cuba, with six disjunct populations.

From the west, there is a population in Villa Clara province near Santa Clara city, occurring in dry areas on serpentine soils. Specimens of this population, including the type, have less well-developed sheath spines and elongate leaf segment apices. The fruits of three specimens ( Howard 319, 5015, León 5280) have slight ridges.

Further to the east, in Camagüey province on the Cerro de Jobosí on serpentine hills there is a population represented by two specimens. One, the type of var. brevifolia , has longer sheath spines and shorter segment apices. León (1939) considered that the second specimen ( León 16139) was intermediate between var. brevifolia and var. clarensis .

Further to the east there is a population in Sancti Spíritus province at Jatibonico in dry shrubland on serpentine soils represented by one specimen ( Calonje 1707). Sheath fibers are hardly separate at the apices, and segments have elongate apices .

The population in Camagüey province between Jatibonico and Ciego de Ávila is represented by a single specimen, the type of var. perrigida . This has exceptionally stout sheath fiber spines and an exceptionally large inflorescence.

The easternmost population comprises two specimens from Caobilla in Camagüey province .

Finally, the southernmost population comprises one specimen ( León 14918) from Tayabacoa in coastal thickets. The specimen is rather incomplete and thus difficult to compare with others .