| Group I | Group II | Group IV |
A Field Key to the Palms of Belize
GROUP III: Plants
unarmed, stems stout, often dark to light gray, potentially taller than 5 m
(* potential species)
| 1a. |
Climbing palms; leaves with a whip-like extension of the rachis (cirrus) containing barb-like hooks. |
*Chamaedorea elatior | |||||
| 1b. | Not climbing; leaves without a cirrus. | ||||||
| 2a. | Cultivated, or naturally-occurring and most often found along beaches; stems often markedly curved; woody “coconuts” >20 cm diameter. | Cocos nucifera | |||||
| 2b. | Naturally-occurring in a variety of habitats, rarely along beaches; stems usually straight; fleshy or woody fruits <6 cm diameter. | ||||||
| 3a. | Crownshaft, of closed (or partially closed) leaf sheaths, present; leaflets spreading in different planes (appearing plumose) or not. | ||||||
| 4a. | Leaves plumose, with leaflets spreading in different planes. | ||||||
| 5a. | Stems generally >30 cm (to 60 cm) diameter; crownshaft conspicuous, of closed leaf sheaths; inflorescences borne below the leaves. | ||||||
| 6a. | Peduncular bract shorter than the crown-shaft; on wet soil in forest or open savanna, disturbed areas, also cultivated. | Roystonea regia | |||||
| 6b. | Peduncular bract > the crown-shaft; found on flooded soils in coastal swamps and estuaries. | *Roystonea dunlapiana | |||||
| 5b. | Stems usually smaller; crownshaft open, short; inflorescences borne among the leaves. | ||||||
| 7a. | Palms of the coastal plain of N. Belize, usually near the sea; leaflets somewhat glaucous, with brown scales beneath; inflorescence branched to 5 orders. | Pseudophoenix sargentii | |||||
| 7b. | Widespread palms; leaflets not glaucous, without brown scales; inflorescence branched to 1-2 orders. | Gaussia maya | |||||
| 4b. | Leaves not plumose, leaflets in 1 row per side, not spreading in different planes (the tips may be pendulous, but not plumose). | ||||||
| 8a. | Montane palms with a partially closed (for 1/3 to 1/2 the length of the leaf sheaths), purplish or purple-green crownshaft; stem brownish; flowering branches not densely pubescent. | *Prestoea acuminata | |||||
| 8b. | Montane or lowland palms with conspicuously closed, green or yellowish crownshaft; stem gray; flowering branches densely pubescent. | Euterpe precatoria | |||||
| 3b. | Crownshaft never present; leaflets not spreading in different planes. | ||||||
| 9a. | Leaves irregularly divided into wide leaflets with serrated apical margins; stems to 20 cm diameter; fruits covered with pyramidal low, poorly drained soils near the coast. | Manicaria saccifera | |||||
| 9b. | Leaves regularly divided into many narrow, entire leaflets; stems usually >30 cm diameter; fruits smooth; on slopes or lowlands on moderate to well-drained soil. | ||||||
| 10a. | Margins of leaf sheath and petiole naked; male flowering branches short, <15 cm; endocarp fibers in clusters. | Attalea cohune | |||||
| 10b. | Margins of leaf sheath and petiole with stout fibers; male flowering branches long, 30–50 cm; endocarp fibers scattered. | *Attalea butyracea | |||||
| PACSOF Home Page | |||
| Virtual
Palm Encyclopedia Site Map Powered by FreeFind. |
|||
This site is copyrighted © 1998-2006, Palm & Cycad Societies of
Florida, Inc.
For questions or comments, e-mail the webmaster.
Internet hosting provided by Zone 10,
Inc.