Sabal maritima
Encyclopedia
Sabal maritima, is a species of palm
which is native to Jamaica
and Cuba
.
with solitary, stout stems, which grows up to 15 metres (49 ft) tall and 25–40 cm (9.8–15.7 in) in diameter. Plants have about 25 leaves, each with 70–110 leaflets. The inflorescence
s, which are branched and as long as the leaves, bear pear
-shaped to globose, black fruit. The fruit are 0.8–1.4 cm (0.31496062992126–0.551181102362205 in) in diameter.
and the tribe
Sabaleae. As of 2008, there appear to be no molecular phylogenetic studies of Sabal.
The species was first described by Carl Sigismund Kunth
as Corypha maritima in 1816, based on collections made by Alexander von Humboldt
and Aimé Bonpland
. It was transferred to the genus Sabal by Italian naturalist Odoardo Beccari
in 1933.
Andrew Henderson
and colleagues noted that Sabal maritima, S. causiarum
and S. domingensis
form a species complex
that may constitute a single species.
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
which is native to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Description
Sabal maritima is a fan palmFan palm
Fan palm as a descriptive term can refer to any of several different kinds of palms in various genera with leaves that are palmately compound...
with solitary, stout stems, which grows up to 15 metres (49 ft) tall and 25–40 cm (9.8–15.7 in) in diameter. Plants have about 25 leaves, each with 70–110 leaflets. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s, which are branched and as long as the leaves, bear pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....
-shaped to globose, black fruit. The fruit are 0.8–1.4 cm (0.31496062992126–0.551181102362205 in) in diameter.
Taxonomy
Sabal is placed in the subfamily CoryphoideaeCoryphoideae
Coryphoideae is a subfamily of the palm tree family, Arecaceae....
and the tribe
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...
Sabaleae. As of 2008, there appear to be no molecular phylogenetic studies of Sabal.
The species was first described by Carl Sigismund Kunth
Carl Sigismund Kunth
Carl Sigismund Kunth , also Karl Sigismund Kunth or anglicized as Charles Sigismund Kunth, was a German botanist...
as Corypha maritima in 1816, based on collections made by Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
and Aimé Bonpland
Aimé Bonpland
Aimé Jacques Alexandre Bonpland was a French explorer and botanist.Bonpland's real name was Goujaud, and he was born in La Rochelle, a coastal city in France. After serving as a surgeon in the French army, and studying under J. N...
. It was transferred to the genus Sabal by Italian naturalist Odoardo Beccari
Odoardo Beccari
Odoardo Beccari was an Italian naturalist perhaps best known for discovering the titan arum, the plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world, in Sumatra in 1878...
in 1933.
Andrew Henderson
Andrew Henderson (botanist)
Andrew James Henderson is a palm-systematist and Curator of the Institute of Systematic Botany at the New York Botanical Garden. He has authored taxonomic descriptions of 140 species, subspecies and varieties of plants, especially in the palm family...
and colleagues noted that Sabal maritima, S. causiarum
Sabal causiarum
Sabal causiarum, commonly known as the Puerto Rican hat palm, is a species of palm which is native to Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands...
and S. domingensis
Sabal domingensis
Sabal domingensis, the Hispaniola palmetto is a species of palm which is native to Hispaniola and Cuba.-Description:Sabal domingensis is a fan palm with solitary, very stout stems, which grows up to tall and in diameter. Plants have 20–30 leaves, each with about 90 leaflets...
form a species complex
Species complex
A species complex is a group of closely related species, where the exact demarcation between species is often unclear or cryptic owing to their recent and usually still incomplete reproductive isolation. Ring species, superspecies and cryptic species complex are example of species complex...
that may constitute a single species.