Beaucarnea sanctomariana (Nolinaceae), a New Micro-Endemic Species of Ponytail Palm from

the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

Author(s): Luis Hernández-Sandoval
Source: Novon, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Spring, 2001), pp. 50-54
Published by: Missouri Botanical Garden Press
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 Beaucarnea sanctomariana(Nolinaceae), a New Micro-EndemicSpecies
Oaxaca, Mexico
ofPonytailPalmfromtheIsthmusofTehuantepec,
Luis Herndndez-Sandoval
Escuela de Biologfa, Universidad Aut6noma de Queretaro, Cerro de las Campanas s/n,
Quer6taro 76017 Qro, Mexico. luishs@sunserver.uaq.mx

ABSTRACT.A newspecies ofponytailpalm,Beau- of the genusBeaucarnea (Nolinaceae),a specimen

carnea sanctomariana(Nolinaceae), is described collectedbyThomasL. Wendtwas foundto be no-
and illustrated.Withthisaddition,the neotropical tablydifferentfromthe restof the knownspecies
genusBeaucarneanowhas 10 species. It occursin (Trelease, 1911; Hernindez, 1993). The plant
tropicaldeciduousforestsin the biodiversity hot- growsin the tropicaldeciduousforestin the Chi-
spotarea knownas theChimalapasin theTehuan- malapasregionoftheStateofOaxaca, Mexico,and
tepec Isthmus,Oaxaca, Mexico.The new taxonis has largerecurvedleaves, undulatedinflorescence
similarto Beaucarnea recurvataLemaire and to bracts,and the smallestflowersand fruitsof the
Beaucarnea hiriartiaeL. Hernindez, but differs entiregenus. The species is describedhere, and
fromboth in its smaller flowersand fruits(the observationsfromthe fieldare presented.
smallestin theentiregenus),and in thearticulation
ofthepedicel in bothstaminateand pistillateflow- Beaucarnea sanctomariana L. Hernindez,sp.
ers. In addition,B. sanctomarianadiffersfromB. nov.TYPE: Mexico.Oaxaca: Mpio. Santa Ma-
recurvatain the smallertrunkbases withoutbut- ria Chimalapa, afloramientosde roca en la
tresses,shorterleaves, and undulatebractsof the crestaS del cafi6ndel Rio Corte,ca. 4 kmal
inflorescence,and fromB. hiriartiaein having N de Sta. Maria,cerca de la vereda al Paso
widelyconical trunkbases, rugose bark, smooth de la Cueva, 28 Apr. 1988, T Wendt5914
leafsurface,largerinflorescence
stalks,and shorter (holotype,MEXU; isotypes,CHAPA, LL, MO,
inflorescence branches.A discussionoffieldchar- UAT). Figure1.
actersis presented.
Haec speciesBeaucarneae
recurvataesimilissedab ea
RESUMEN. Se describee ilustrauna especie nue- bracteis undulatis
inflorescentiae angustioribusatqueflo-
feresessilibus
minutis
ribusfructibusque differt.
va de "palma petacona",Beaucarneasanctomaria-
na (Nolinaceae).Con esta adici6n,el g neroNeo- Tree4-7 m high,profusely branched;base wide-
tropicalBeaucarneacomprendeahora10 especies.ly conical, 1.0-1.5 m diam.,0.8-1.0 m highwith
Formapartede los bosques tropicalescaducifolios
thick,brown-gray barkdisplayinga rectangular to
del ireaconocidacomoLas Chimalapasen el Istmo
largelypolyhedral pattern;brancheselongate,slen-
de Tehuantepec,Oaxaca, Mexico,de granimpor- der,withleaf rosettessphericalto widelyovoidin
tanciaporsu biodiversidad.El tax6nnuevoes simi-
shape. Leaves linear,recurvate,verylong acumi-
lar a Beaucarnea recurvataLemairey a B. hiriar-
nate, 75-85 cm long, 12-16 mm wide, smooth,
tiae L. Hernmndez,pero se diferenciade ellas por
brightgreen;marginspale green,denticulate;den-
sus floresy frutosmuchomi-spequefios(los misticles translucentwhite,persistent;leaf base del-
pequefiosdel g nero) y en la articulaci6nmedial
tate. Inflorescence a scapose thyrse,largelyovoid
del pedicelo. Ademas,B. sanctomarianase dife-
to largelyellipsoidin shape,0.8-1.0 m long,1 cm
renciade B. recurvataporlas bases del troncomas
diam. at the base, pedunclebranchingca. 20 cm,
pequefiasy sin contrafuertes, hojas mas cortasy
mainaxis and branchespale yellow;brancheswith
bracteasde la inflorescenciaonduladas.De B. hi-
branchletsgrowingsympodially; primary branches
riartiaese distinguepor las bases de los troncos
slightlyundulate,the largerones 10-15 cm long,
anchamentec6nicas, superficielisa de sus hojas,
the shorterones 3-8 cm long; bractsof inflores-
pedUnculosde la inflorescenciami-slargosy ramas
cence scape and ofbrancheslinearto narrowly tri-
de la inflorescenciamais cortas. Se presentauna
angular,very long acuminate, basally undulate,
discusi6nsobrecaracteresde campo. pale greento yellow;secondaryorderbranchesor
Keywords: Beaucarnea,Mexico,Nolinaceae. branchletsslightlyundulate,1-4 cm longwith10
to 20 fertilenodes, each one formingterminal
Duringthe of
preparation a taxonomic
revision cymes (rhipidia);tertiaryorder branchesabsent;
NovoN 11: 50-53. 2001.

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Volume11, Number1 Hern'ndez-Sandoval 51
2001 fromOaxaca
Beaucarneasanctomariana

1mm

"
C,

vi4

1cm

Figure1. Illustration
ofBeaucarneasanctomarianaL. Hernindezbased on theherbarium specimensWendt 5914 and
Wendt5915.-A. Leaf attachedto stem.-B. Staminateflower. -C. Stamen.-D. Fruit.-E. Seed. -F. Last unitof
inflorescence
withbracteolesand lowerportionsof pedicels persistent. branch.-H. Habit shape
-G. Inflorescence
(froma phototakenby T. Wendt).

bractssubtendingsecondarybrancheslanceolateto fragrant;pedicels 1.5-2.3 mmlong,articulatedbe-

4-6 mmlong with3 to 5 veins; bracts
triangular,
subtendingflowercymes lanceolate,2.5-3.0 mm
longwithone centralvein;bracteoles1-2 mmlong.
Staminateflowers
3 to 4(5) pernode,creamyellow,
low theflower,givingtheaspectofa sessile flower,
lowerportionof pedicels persistent;perianthseg-
mentsovate,1.4-1.8 mmlong,open butnotreflex-
ing at anthesis;antherattachment
dorsifixed;ovary

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52 Novon

0 50 km

95'

7-?

* B.
sanctoman'ana
O B. recurvata
..

0 B
"

Figure2. Distribution
ofBeaucarnea
sanctomariana.-A.
MexicowiththeIsthmus in thesquare.-
ofTehuantepec
B. Theregion
wherethenewspeciesoccurscompared
withthenearest ofB. recurvata.
populations

reduced.Pistillateflowers2 to 3(4) pernode,cream Distributionand habitat. Beaucarnea sancto-

yellow;pedicels 1.5-2.0 mmlong,articulatedat or
above themiddle,notgivingtheaspectofa sessile
flower,lowerportionofpedicelspersistent; perianth
segmentsovate,1.0-1.5 mmlong; ovaryellipsoid,
basallywinged,slightlyauriculate,withbasal sep-
tal nectaries;style ca. 0.5 mm, stigmaticlobes
roundto ovate,papillate. Fruitpedicels enlarged
whenmaturing, 2.0-2.5 mmlong,articulatednear
the middle(ca. 1 mm).Fruitsellipsoid to almost
spherical,6-8 mmlong,5-7 mmwide,pale green
tingedwithred at thewingswhenimmature, turn-
ing pale yellow when maturing,with an apical
notch 0.5-1.0 mm long and wide; perianthseg-
mentspersistent, the internaladpressed,and the
externalreflexed,hidingthe pedicel; stylepersis-
tent,enlargedto 1.5 mmlong; stigmaticbranches
darkbrown.Seeds (onlyimmature
persistent, seen)
withapices of lobes veryirregular;testa rugose,
red-brown.
mariana is restrictedto karsticrockyoutcropswith
xerophyticvegetation.The outcropsemergefrom
the surroundingtropical deciduous forest.The
plantsare rare,and occurbetween200 and 250 m
altitudeon steep slopes of the Corteriverat the
type localityat Santa MarfaChimalapa,Oaxaca,
Mexico (Fig. 2). This area is considereda biodi-
versityhotspot,since it is a small area withhigh
plant diversityand a high degree of endemism
(Wendt,1993). The populationsofB. recurvata that
are geographically closestto B. sanctomarianaare
restrictedto the Pacific slopes of the Isthmusof
Tehuantepec,whereas the new species is found
onlyon the side facingthe Gulfof Mexico. How-
ever,due to similarecologicalconditions,itis prob-
able thatmorepopulationsofthenewspeciesoccur
along othertributaries of the Coatzacoalcosriver.
Due to theecologicalstatusofthespecies ofBeau-
carnea (Hernmndez, 1993a; Nom-059-Ecol.,1994),

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Volume11, Number1 Hernandez-Sandoval 53
2001 Beaucarnea from
sanctomariana Oaxaca

Table 1. Data comparingthe newspecies BeaucarneasanctomarianawithB. recurvataand B. hiriartiae.

B. sanctomariana B. recurvata B. hiriartiae

in Mexico
Distribution Oaxaca (facingthe Veracruz,Oaxaca Guerrero
Gulfof Mexico)
Maturetrunkbase diameter(m) 1.0-1.5 2.0-3.0 0.8-1.0
Matureleaf length(cm) 75-85 100-115 70-90
Matureleafwidth(mm) 12-16 13-20 10-15
Leaf surface smooth smooth papillate
Inflorescencestalk(cm) ca. 20 20-30 10-15
Inflorescencelowerprimary branches(cm) 10-15 (15)20-30 25-30
Inflorescencebracts sometimesundulate straight undulateto coiled
Perianthsegments(staminateflowers;mm) 1.4-1.8 2.0-2.5 3.0-3.6
Perianthsegments(pistillateflowers;
mm) 1.0-1.5 2.5-4.0 2.0-2.5
Fruitshape (at immaturestages) widelyellipsoidto ellipsoid ellipsoid
spherical
Fruitsize: lengthx width(mm)at imma- 6-8 x 5-7 10-12 x 7-8 8-10 x 5-8
turestages
ofthe staminateflower Veryclose to theflower Abovethemiddle
Pedicel articulation Abovethe middle

and the distribution of the new taxon,it can be charactersthatare underestimated by mostcollec-
consideredas a micro-endemic endangeredspe- tors.For example,B. sanctomarianaand B. recur-
cies. However, population studies are needed. vata have the typicalLeeuwenbergmodel of tree
Specimenswithflowersand immaturefruitshave architecture (Halle et al., 1978) (Fig. 1). However,
been collectedin April. B. hiriartiaepresentsa variationin that when
Etymology. The name of the species refersto branching, the meristems ofonlyone branchseem
the regionwhereit lives,Santa Maria Chimalapa. totaketheapical dominance,leavingtheremaining
Beaucarnea sanctomarianais morphologicallybrancheswithreducedratesofgrowth. As a result,
similarto B. hiriartiaeand B. recurvata.WithB. the habitofB. hiriartiaeresemblesa treewithits
hiriartiaeit sharesthe recurvedleaves, the undu- branchesgrowingonlyto one side, enoughto dis-
late bracts,and generalcolorof the inflorescence. tinguishit in the fieldfromB. sanctomarianaand
WithB. recurvatait sharesthe shape ofthe trunk B. recurvata.
base, and the recurved,smoothleaves. Attributes
that characterizeB. sanctomarianaare the short Paratypes.MEXICO.Oaxaca: SantaMariaChima-
lapa, rocaal S del Rio Corte,30 Apr.1986,Herndandez
inflorescencebranches (primarybranches 10-15 2198 aflora-
(CHAPA);Mpio.SantaMariaChimalapa,
cm long,highestorderbranches1-4 cm long),the mientos de rocaen la crestaS del cafi6ndel Rio Corte,
small flowers(1-2 mm long),fruitsize (6-8 mm ca. 4 kmal N de Sta.Maria,cercade la veredaal Paso
long,5-7 mmwide),sphericalimmature fruits(vs. de la Cueva,28 Apr.1988,Wendt 5915 (TEX,UAT).
ellipsoidimmature fruitsin theotherspecies),and
Acknowledgments. I thankThomasL. Wendtfor
the pedicels articulatedat the middle.Beaucarnea
bringing to myattention thespecimensuponwhich
sanctomariananotablydiffers fromB. hiriartiaein
the new species is based. GuyNesomprovidedthe
thewidelyconicaltrunkbases, rugosebark,smooth
Latin description.Clara Tinoco made the illustra-
leaves, largeinflorescence stalk,and shorterinflo- tion.Mahinda
Martinezand MaricelaG6mezkindly
rescence branches(Hernmndez, 1992). This new reviewedthe
manuscript. RobertJonescorrected
species is distinguished fromB. recurvataby the
the Englishversionofthe paper.
smaller trunk bases withoutbuttresses,shorter
leaves, slightlyundulatebractssubtending the in-
florescencebranches,and the roundedfruits(Le- LiteratureCited
maire,1861; Hernmndez, 1993). Table 1 summariz- Halle, F., R. Oldeman & P. Tomlinson.1978. Tropical
es otherimportant diagnosticdifferences between Treesand Forests:An Architectural Analysis.Springer-
thesetaxa.It mustbe stressedthatwhenherbarium Verlag,Berlin.
L. 1992. Una especie nueva de Beaucarnea
specimensofcloselyrelatedspecies are examined, Hernandez, Acta Bot. Mexicana 18: 25-29.
it is not easy to detectcriticalcharacters.Field (Nolinaceae).
. 1993. CladisticAnalysisoftheAmericanGenera
characterslike treearchitecture, bark,and persis- ofAsparagalesand theSystematic StudyofBeaucarnea
tence of old leaves on the trunk,are diagnostic (Nolinaceae)and Hemiphylacus (Hyacinthaceae).Ph.D.

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
54 Novon

The University
Dissertation, ofTexas at Austin,Austin, GobiernoConstitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexi-
Texas. canos. P. 7.
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taiceasy Suculentasde Mexico38: 11-14. Amer.Philos.Soc. 50: 404-443.
floristic and ori-
Lemaire,Ch. 1861. Genrenouveaude la Famillede As- Wendt,T. 1993. Composition, affinities,
paragacees.Beaucarnea.L'llustrationHorticole8: 57- gins of the canopytree floraof the MexicanAtlantic
62. slope rainforests.Pp. 577-680 in T. P. Ramamoorthy,
Nom-059-Ecol.1994. Lista de especies amenazadasy en R. Bye,A. Lot & J. Fa (editors),BiologicalDiversity
of
Mexico: Originsand Distribution. OxfordUniv.Press,
peligro de Diario
extinci6n. Oficialde la Federaci6n. New York-Oxford.

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