LATEST JOURNAL: Vol. 69(3) Sep. 2025 |
FRONT COVER Colpothrinax cookii. See article by M.Á. Pérez-Farrera et al., p.109. Photo by Miguel Ángel Pérez-Farrera.
BACK COVER A clustering Phoenix altantica with dark green leaves, a Cape Verde endemic palm, Boa Vista Island, Fogão, with invasive Prosopis juliflora on the left. See article by L. Nobick and I. Gomes, p. 142. Photo by L. Noblick. | Colpothrinax cookii: A New Record for Mexico M.Á. PÉREZ-FARRERA, H. GÓMEZ DOMÍNGUEZ, D. VILLAR-MORALES, M.G. MARTÍNEZ-MARTÍNEX & G. MORENO MÉNDEZ Considered one of the world’s megadiverse countries, Mexico harbors ca. 23,000 indigenous vascular plant species. Palms are represented by 21 genera and about 100 species. During recent fieldwork in the Selva Zoque region, on the state border of Chiapas and Oaxaca, several palms were collected and later identified as Colpothrinax cookii. Previously, this species had been recorded only from Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, making this discovery its first record for the Mexican flora. The addition of Colpothrinax raises the number of indigenous genera recognized in Mexico from 21 to 22 and expands the known distribution of the species. Human Legacies on Palms in Belize C.D. BACON, S. BREWER, S. ESHLEMAN, K PRUFER & M. ROBINSON We visited the Bladen Nature Reserve in the Maya Mountains of Belize to study palms and other forest plant species important to Maya communities. We observed and collected most of the 24 palm species found in the reserve. Our main objective was to collect material to understand how plant communities changed through time in response to the rise and fall of Maya settlements, and palms form a major component of those communities. Sabal tamaulipensis, a New Species from Northeastern Mexico A.D.GRINAGE, K.A. PERALTA & M.M. SALINAS-RODRÍGUEZ We describe populations of Sabal from northeastern Mexico as a new species, S.tamaulipensis. Molecular data indicate S. tamaulipensis is monophyletic and sister to S. minor. Sabal tamaulipensis is distinguished from S. minor by its larger fruit and seed size, and inflorescence equaling or shorter than the height of the leaves. Sabal tamaulipensis occurs in subtropical submontane scrub, a distinct habitat from the floodplain habitat of S. minor. The recognition of all populations from the Mexican states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo León as a separate species now confines the native range of S. minor to the southern United States. A. HENDERSON This article gives a brief outline of the extraordinary life of the eminent Brazilian botanist and entomologist, Gregório Bondar. A Unique Anatomical Character Distinguishes Phoenix atlantica from Other Phoenix Species L. NOBLICK & I. GOMES In the quest to distinguish Phoenix atlantica from Phoenix dactylifera, many current researchers have ground up its leaflets to extract and analyze its DNA, demonstrating it to be a feralized P. dactylifera. This paper has opted to examine anatomically the leaflets rather than grind them. We discovered a unique anatomical character that not only distinguishes P. atlantica from P. dactylifera but also distinguishes it from nearly all other Phoenix species. Phoenix atlantica leaflets contain numerous fibrous strands embedded in its mesophyll, giving the cross-sections a unique polka-dot appearance. |
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