Geonoma deversa

Geonoma deversa (Poit.) Kunth, Enum. pl. 3: 321. 1841.Gynestum deversum Poit., Mém. Mus. Hist. Nat. 9: 390. 1822. Type. FRENCH GUIANA. Without locality, n. d., A. Poiteau s. n. (holotype: P!).

Plant height 2.3(0.5-5.0) m, CV 0.4, n = 155; stems clustered, rarely solitary, yellowish-brown, smooth; stem diameter 1.0(0.4-1.9) cm, CV 0.3, n = 175; internode length 1.8(0.5-5.8) cm, CV 0.6, n = 154; number of leaves per stem 10(6-16), CV 0.3, n = 45. Leaves irregularly pinnate with multi-veined pinnae, sometimes regularly pinnate with mostly 1-veined pinnae, rarely simple; sheath length 11.3(5.0-21.0) cm, CV 0.3, n = 65; petiole length 19.2(4.2-82.0) cm, CV 0.5, n = 118; rachis length 39.1(17.2-80.0) cm, CV 0.3, n = 194; rachis width 3.0(1.4-5.7) mm, CV 0.3, n = 230; number of leaf divisions per side of rachis 4(1-25), CV 1.0, n = 235; basal angle of pinna divergence 42(20-75)°, CV 0.3, n = 190; basal pinna width 6.3(0.5-27.0) cm, CV 0.6, n = 193; apical angle of pinna divergence 28(14-40)° CV 0.2, n = 192; apical pinna width 12.3(0.6-25.5) cm, CV 0.3, n = 198; apical pinna length 19.4(8.8-33.0) cm, CV 0.3, n = 156. Inflorescences infrafoliar, rarely interfoliar; prophyll length 6.3(3.0-10.3) cm, CV 0.2, n = 33; peduncular bract length 4.4(3.2-6.0) cm, CV 0.2, n = 7; distance between bract scars 0.3(0.1-0.7) cm, CV 0.4, n = 222; peduncle length 8.4(3.3-19.0) cm, CV 0.3, n = 195; peduncle width 3.4(1.9-8.7) mm, CV 0.3, n = 233; orders of inflorescence branching 1-3, n = 244; rachilla length 16.1(6.5-28.5) cm, CV 0.3, n = 238; rachilla width 1.8(1.0-2.8) mm, CV 0.2, n = 266; number of rachillae 12(3-43), CV 0.5, n = 216; flower pits tricussate; fruit diameter 5.7(4.4-6.9) mm, CV 0.1, n = 95; fruit length 6.6(4.5-8.0) mm, CV 0.1, n = 94.

Geographic distribution was analyzed and disjunction found in several areas. PCA was therefore carried out using 153 specimens (136 specimens excluded because of missing data) and six (rachis length, rachis width, number of divisions, peduncle length, peduncle width, rachillae width) universal standardized quantitative variables (only six variables were used because the subgroups of interest was based on specimens with many missing data). In a scatterplot (not shown) of the first two components, specimens were divided on axis 1 into two groups. The majority of specimens clustered together in a group of smaller-sized specimens. Three specimens, larger in size than the others, clustered in a separate group. Specimens in this group came from the western Amazon region of Brazil. These specimens (n = 3, plus four others not included in PCA because of missing data) differ significantly from smaller-sized specimens in 13 quantitative variables (t-test, P <0.01). The short, thick peduncle is distinctive, and peduncle width has a non-overlapping distribution with that of smaller-sized specimens. These results suggest that these specimens can be recognized as a subspecies (G. deversa subsp. myriantha).

KEY TO THE SUBSPECIES OF G. DEVERSA

1a. Peduncle width 3.8(1.9-8.7) mm..... G. deversa subsp. deversa.
1b. Peduncle width 13.0(9.1-19.1) mm..... G. deversa subsp. myriantha.

Geonoma deversa subsp. deversa

Geonoma paniculigera Mart., Hist. nat. palm. 2: 11. 1823. Type. BRAZIL. Without locality, n. d., C. Martius s. n. (holotype: M! F neg. 18517).

Geonoma desmarestii Mart. in A. D. Orb., Voy. Amérique mér. 7(3). Palmiers 23. 1847. Type. BOLIVIA. Cochabamba: without locality, n. d., A. d´Orbigny 50 (holotype: P! F neg. 38647).

Geonoma rectifolia Wallace, Palm Trees of the Amazon 67. 1853. Lectotype (Glassman, 1972). Wallace, Palm Trees of the Amazon t. 25. 1853.
Geonoma longipetiolata Oersted, Vidensk. Meddel. Dansk Naturhist. Foren. Kjobenhavn 1858: 36. 1858. Type. NICARAGUA. Río San Juan, n. d., A. Oersted s. n. (holotype: C).
Geonoma microspatha Spruce, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 11: 108. 1871. Geonoma paniculigera var. microspatha (Spruce) Trail, J. Bot. 5: 327. 1876. Type. BRAZIL. Amazonas: Rio Negro, Serra do Gama, Sâo Gabriel, Feb 1853?, R. Spruce 28 (holotype: K! F neg. 38653).

Geonoma microspatha var. pacimoensis Spruce, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 11: 108. 1871. Type. BRAZIL. Amazonas: Rio Casiquiare, n. d., R. Spruce 41 (holotype: K!).

Geonoma flaccida H. Wendl. ex Spruce, J. Linn. Soc. Bot. 11: 108. 1871. Type. COSTA RICA. Heredia: Río Sarapiqui, n. d., H. Wendland s. n. (holotype: K).

Geonoma paniculigera var. papyracea Trail, J. Bot. 5: 326. 1876. Type. BRAZIL. Amazonas: Rio Javari, 8 Dec 1874, J. Trail 943/CXCIII (holotype: K!).

Geonoma paniculigera var. cosmiophylla Trail, J. Bot. 5: 326. 1876. Type. BRAZIL. Amazonas: Tabatinga, 30 Nov 1874, J. Trail 956/CLXXVII (holotype: K!; F neg. 38656).

Geonoma paniculigera subvar. gramineifolia Trail, J. Bot. 5: 327. 1876. Type. BRAZIL. Amazonas: Tabatinga, 30 Nov 1874, J. Trail 958/CLXXVII (holotype: K!).

Geonoma trijugata Barb. Rodr., Enum. palm. nov. 12. 1875. Lectotype (Wessels Boer, 1968). Barb. Rodr., Sert. palm. brasil. 1: t. 14. 1903.

Geonoma yauaperyensis Barb. Rodr., Contr. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 3: 88. 1902. Lectotype (Wessels Boer, 1968). Barb. Rodr., Sert. palm. brasil. 1: t. 30. 1903.

Geonoma leptostachys Burret, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin- Dahlem 10: 1014. 1930. Type. BRAZIL. Amazonas: Rio Negro, Camanaos, 26 Sep 1928, P. Luetzelburg 23072 (holotype: B; isotypes: M, R, F neg. 18511).

Geonoma macropoda Burret, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin- Dahlem 10: 1015. 1930. Type. BRAZIL. Amazonas: Manaus, 26 Aug 1928, P. Luetzelburg 22089 (holotype: B, destroyed; isotypes: M, R! F neg. 18513).

Geonoma major Burret, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 10: 1016. 1930. Type. BRAZIL. Amazonas: Rio Negro, Serra do Cucui, 25 Sep 1928, P. Luetzelburg 22273 (holotype: B, destroyed; isotypes: M, R! F neg. 18515).

Geonoma killipii Burret, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 11: 320. 1932. Type. PERU. Junin: Puerto Bermudez, ca. 375 m, 14-17 Jul 1929, E. Killip & A. Smith 26594 (holotype: B, destroyed; isotypes: NY! US!).

Number of leaf divisions per side of rachis 4(1-25), CV 1.0, n = 235; basal angle of pinna divergence 42(20-75)°, CV 0.3, n = 190; peduncle length 8.4(3.3-19.0) cm, CV 0.3, n = 233; peduncle width 3.8(1.9-8.7) mm, CV 0.3, n = 257; rachilla length 16.1(6.5-28.5) cm, CV 0.3, n = 238.

Distribution. Two hundred and eighty-two specimens from 17°03´N-17°00´S and 49°31´-89°01´W at a mean elevation of 254 (5-1200) m in Central America and northern South America (map).

There is variation within this subspecies in number of leaf divisions. There are isolated populations with regularly pinnate leaves with mostly 1-veined pinnae occurring in Costa Rica, Venezuela, Peru, and Brazil. In some cases these occur with the more usual leaf type, with three divisions (see Hammel et al., 2003 for Costa Rica). Because of this, the pinnate leafed forms are not recognized taxonomically. There is also variation in size, and smaller-sized plants are found in Panama, the eastern Andean slopes of Peru and Ecuador, and the Guianas. See under G. leptospadix for hybrids with that species.

Geonoma deversa subsp. myriantha (Dammer) Henderson, stat. nov. Geonoma myriantha Dammer, Verh. Bot. Vereins Prov. Brandenburg 48: 120. 1907. Type. BRAZIL. Acre: Rio Juruá, Juruá-mirim, Sep 1901, E. Ule 5882 (holotype: B, destroyed; isotype: MG!).

Number of leaf divisions per side of rachis 14(10-19), CV 0.3, n = 6; basal angle of pinna divergence 72(65-80)°, CV 0.2, n = 3; peduncle length 5.2(3.5-7.5) cm, CV 0.3, n = 5; peduncle width 13.0(9.1-19.1) mm, CV 0.3, n = 5; rachilla length 26.7(19.0-32.0) cm, CV 0.2, n = 5.

Distribution. Seven specimens from 6°28´-8°57´S and 68°46´-73°38´W at low elevations in the western Amazon region of Brazil (map).