Pseudophoenix

Pseudo Phoenix sargentii

Pseudo Phoenix is a genus of palm trees and is only found in the Caribbean. It is the only genus of the tribe Cyclospatheae.

Features

As the only genus in the subfamily representatives of pseudo Phoenix have hermaphrodite flowers. The palm trees form medium-sized, upright stems, the stem is often bottle-shaped. At the root of the leaf scars are in rather large intervals. The leaf sheaths are Roehrig and form a crown shaft. The leaf blades are feathered. A palm tree has relatively few leaves, mostly about 10

The inflorescences appear between the leaves and are hanging to arching. The hermaphrodite flowers are spirally in the axil of small bracts. The ovary is dreifächrig with one ovule. The fruits are lobed, if developed more than one seed.

The chromosome number is 2n = 34

Dissemination and locations

The genus is restricted to the northern islands of the Caribbean and the adjacent North American mainland. It occurs in Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola and Dominica as well as in Mexico and Belize. The representatives grow on well-drained sandy or sandstone soils near the coast or inland on dry hills. The seeds are very durable for palm trees and can still germinate even after two years. Dry fruits are buoyant.

System

Pseudo Phoenix alone forms the tribe Cyclospatheae within the subfamily Ceroxyloideae. The genus is monophyletic. Their sister group is the group of Ceroxyleae and Phytelepheae.

In the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the following types are recognized:

• Pseudo Phoenix ekmanii
• Pseudo Phoenix lediniana
• Pseudo Phoenix sargentii
• Pseudomonas vinifera Phoenix

Documents

• John Dransfield, Natalie W. Uhl, Conny B. Asmussen, William J. Baker, Madeline M. Harley, Carl E. Lewis: Genera palmarum. The Evolution and Classification of Palms. Second edition, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2008, ISBN 978-1-84246-182-2, pp. 333-336.