Sabinaria magnifica is a species of palm tree and the only member of the genus Sabinaria. Native to the Darién Gap on the border between Colombia and Panama, it grows from 1 to 6 metres (3 ft 3 in to 19 ft 8 in) tall with large, deeply-divided leaf blades. It has been described as "striking", "spectacular" and "beautiful" by taxonomists.
Although known by local mule drivers, it was first collected in April 2013 by Saúl Hoyos, and described scientifically by Colombian palm experts Gloria Galeano and Rodrigo Bernal who named the genus Sabinaria after their daughter. Despite being locally abundant, the limited range occupied by the species makes it vulnerable to habitat destruction.
Sabinaria magnifica is a single-stemmed palm tree with palmately-compound leaves. The trunk is 1–6 metres (3–20 ft) tall and 9–12 centimetres (4–5 in) in diameter. Leaves are borne at the end of a long petiole; the combined length of the leaf sheath and petiole averages 319 centimetres (126 in). Trees bear 20 to 35 leaves which are between 1.4 and 1.6 metres (5 and 5 ft) in diameter.[1]
The leaves of S. magnifica are deeply divided in two almost to the base of the leaf blade, giving a butterfly-like appearance.[2] They were described by British palm systematists William J. Baker and John Dransfield as "spectacular" and the most distinctive character of the genus.[3]
Unlike other members of the tribe Cryosophileae (which tend to have bisexual flowers), S. magnifica is monoecious—it produces both male and female flowers. The male flowers are borne on the ends of the inflorescence while the female flowers are closer to the base and are surrounded by large bracts.[2] The inflorescences are borne between the leaves on a peduncle that is at least 30 centimetres (12 in) long. The flowers are whitish; male flowers are 4–5 millimetres (0.16–0.20 in) long and 3–3.5 millimetres (0.12–0.14 in) wide, while the female flowers are 7–11 millimetres (0.28–0.43 in) long and about 2.5 millimetres (0.1 in) wide. The immature fruit are green and become yellowish-green as they mature. The ripe fruit are black. They are about 3.6–4.4 centimetres (1.4–1.7 in) long and 3–3.6 centimetres (1.2–1.4 in) wide. The seeds are 2.4–2.7 centimetres (0.94–1.06 in) long and 2.2–2.3 centimetres (0.87–0.91 in) wide.[1]
Sabinaria
Simplified phylogeny of the Cryosophileae based on four nuclear genes and the matK plastid gene.[4]Although known by local mule drivers, the species was first collected by Saúl Hoyos, a Colombian botanist, in April 2013. Hoyos sent pictures of it to palm systematist Rodrigo Bernal. Based on the pictures, Bernal concluded that the palm was probably a new species in the Cryosophileae, and possibly an entirely new genus. This opinion that was shared by Bernal's partner and collaborator Gloria Galeano who described it as "the most beautiful of all Colombian palms".[2]
A few months later Bernal, Galeano, Hoyos and Norman Echavarría returned to the site where Hoyos had encountered the species and where they were able to collect additional samples, including flowers and fruit. These allowed them to conclude that this was a new genus. Ten days after returning from the expedition, the manuscript formally describing the new genus, Sabinaria, and the species S. magnifica was submitted to the journal Phytotaxa, and was formally published in November 2013.[2]
Bernal and Galeano named the genus after their daughter, Sabina. The specific epithet is a reference to the "strikingly beautiful aspect of the palm";[1] they originally intended to name the species after Saúl Hoyos, but after concluding that "the name this unique palm would be given might be vital for its future conservation", they decided on magnifica.[2]
Using morphological characteristics, they placed the genus in the tribe Cryosophileae and commented on its similarity to the genus Itaya.[1] A phylogenetic study by Ángela Cano and collaborators confirmed the placement of Sabinaria in the Cryosophileae based on four nuclear genes and the matK plastid gene. This analysis also identified Itaya as a sister genus to Sabinaria.[4]
Ángela Cano and collaborators concluded that the ancestors of the Cryosophileae and its sister taxon, the tribe Sabaleae probably evolved in North America during the late Cretaceous and dispersed to South America by the Eocene, where Sabinaria evolved.[4]
Sabinaria magnifica is one of two palm species known to be endemic to the Darién Gap on the border between Colombia and Panama.[5] It was first discovered near the base of the Serranía del Darién in Colombia in premontane moist forest-warm transition (according to the Holdridge life zone system),[1] and was subsequently recorded on the Panamanian side of the border.[5] Although locally common, the limited range makes the species vulnerable to habitat destruction; between 2014 and 2015 a portion of the forest where the species was first discovered was cleared for agriculture.[2][5]
Sabinaria magnifica is a species of palm tree and the only member of the genus Sabinaria. Native to the Darién Gap on the border between Colombia and Panama, it grows from 1 to 6 metres (3 ft 3 in to 19 ft 8 in) tall with large, deeply-divided leaf blades. It has been described as "striking", "spectacular" and "beautiful" by taxonomists.
Although known by local mule drivers, it was first collected in April 2013 by Saúl Hoyos, and described scientifically by Colombian palm experts Gloria Galeano and Rodrigo Bernal who named the genus Sabinaria after their daughter. Despite being locally abundant, the limited range occupied by the species makes it vulnerable to habitat destruction.
Sabinaria est un genre de plantes de la famille des Arecaceae (palmiers). Ce genre ne présente qu'une seule espèce, Sabinaria magnifica, originaire des forêts tropicales très humides du nord-ouest de l'Amérique du sud, sur la frontière entre la Colombie et le Panama.
Sabinaria magnifica.
Dessous des feuilles.
Inflorescence.
Détail de l'inflorescence (fleurs mâles au-dessus, femelle en dessous).
Sabinaria magnifica, l'unique espèce du genre connue jusqu'à présent, est un palmier solitaire, de 1 à 6 m, avec un stipe d'un diamètre de 9–12 cm, sans épines. La couronne est formée de 20 à 35 feuilles palmées, soutenues par un long pétiole d'un peu plus de 3 m de long ; le limbe foliaire est palmé, de 1,4 à 1,6 m de diamètre, et est profondément divisée jusqu'à la base sur deux moitiés légèrement asymétriques, chacune formée par 36 à 46 segments indupliqués.
Les fleurs sont petites, blanches, unisexuées, et sont disposées en une inflorescence ramifiée, avec des fleurs pastillées (féminines) disposées dans la part basal des branches inférieures et les fleurs staminées (masculines) disposées dans la partie apicale des branches et tout au long de la partie supérieure. Les fleurs staminées ont 20 à 23 étamines et les pistillées ont un ovaire formé par un seul carpelle. Les fruits sont sphériques, ovoïdes ou en forme de toupie, et sont empilés en une infrutescence compacte, presque cachée entre les bases des feuilles. Ils mesurent de 2,4 à 2,7 cm de long et de 2,2 à 2,3 cm de diamètre. Ils sont de couleur noire à maturité et ne contiennent qu'une seule graine. La première feuille des plantules est lancéolée, blanc-grisâtre du dessous.
Sabinaria magnifica est établi dans le nord-ouest du département colombien de Chocó et en des zones limitrophes de la province de San Blas, dans l'Est du Panama. Il se rencontre seulement dans une petite zone, entre 100 et 250 mètres d'altitude.
Sabinaria magnifica pousse dans la forêt tropicale humide, avec des précipitations annuelles proche de 3 000 mm.
Le genre Sabinaria appartient à la sous-famille des Coryphoideae, dans la tribu Cryosophileae. Il est suggéré que ses parents les plus proches pourraient être des genres Itaya, du Nord-Ouest de l'Amazonie, et Schippia, du Belize et du Guatemala. Les dernières études phylogénétiques ont établi les parentés proches avec une dizaine de genres dans la tribu Cryosophileae [1].
Le genre a été établi en 2013 par les botanistes colombiens Gloria Galeano et Rodrigo Bernal et publié dans la revue néo-zélandaise Phytotaxa 144 (2): 27–44.
Le genre partage cette tribu avec 10 autres genres qui sont :
Schippia, Trithrinax, Itaya, Chelyocarpus, Cryosophila, Thrinax, Leucothrinax, Hemithrinax, Zombia et Coccothrinax.
Le nom Sabinaria a été donné en honneur de Sabina Bernal Galeano (1995-) fille des botanistes qui ont décrit ce genre.
Sabinaria est un genre de plantes de la famille des Arecaceae (palmiers). Ce genre ne présente qu'une seule espèce, Sabinaria magnifica, originaire des forêts tropicales très humides du nord-ouest de l'Amérique du sud, sur la frontière entre la Colombie et le Panama.
