POMONA COLLEGE JOURNAL 



of ECONOMIC BOTANY 



Volume III FEBRUARY 1913 Number 1 



The Palms Indigenous to Cuba III.* 



ODOARDO BECCAKI 

 FLORENCE, ITAIjY 



ACOELORHAPHE H. Wendl. 



H. Wendl. in Bot. Zeit. (1879), 148; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. pi. Ill, 

 882; Becc. in Webbia di U. Mart. II (1907), 107. Paurotis O. F. Cook in 

 Mem. Torrey bot. Club. XII, 21 ; Britton in Torreya, VIII (1908), 239. 



The generic name of Acoelorhaphe was proposed by H. Wendland in a 

 paper published in the volume for 1879 (p. 147) of the Botanische Zeitung 

 and entitled: "Die habituellen Merkraale der Palmen mit faecherformigen 

 Blatt. " Here the genus is sufficiently well defined by the peculiarities of the 

 leaves; furthermore the etymology of the name itself clearly points out the 

 most prominent characteristic by which it is distinguishable from the allied 

 genera, viz., the seed devoid of any intrusion of the raphe into the mass of 

 the albumen. For these reasons I can in no wise agree with Prof. Britton 

 that the generic name of Acoelorhaphe must give way to that of Paurotis 

 0. F. Cook in Mem. Tor. Bot. Club, XII (1902), 21. 



I did not mention the genus Paurotis in my monograph of the American 

 Coryphece because at the time of its publication I had not had an oppor- 

 tunity of seeing Mr. Cook's paper, in which that genus is described. How- 

 ever, I feel inclined to follow Mr. Britton 's opinion in this respect, namely, 

 that Paurotis androsana Cook and Acoelorhaphe ivrightii really represent but 

 one species. I still remain uncertain, however, whether A. arborescens should 

 be considered a distinct species or only a variety of A. wrightii. It is certain 

 that A. wrightii is a common palm, distributed over a large area, presumably 

 because its small fruits, although covered by a slightly pulpy pericarp, are 

 probably coveted by birds, by whose aid its seeds are speedily dispersed. 

 Acoelorhaphe wrightii Wendl. in Herb. Berol. ex Becc. in Webbia II (1907), 



109. Copernicia wrightii Oris, et Wendl. in Gris. PI. Cub. 220; Sauv. 



Fl. Cub. n. 2367. Paurotis wrightii Britton in Torreya, VIII (1908), 



239 (ex parte?). 



This beautiful palm, in its general appearance, is quite unlike any other 

 palm, chiefly by reason of its long spadices, which spring straight above the 



•This is the third and concluding instalment of Professor Beccari's monograph. The, 

 others appeared in Vol. II, Nos. 2 and 4. 



