Serenoa

Hooker f. in G. Bentham and J. D. Hooker

in G. Bentham and J. D. Hooker,Gen. Pl. 3: 879, 926, 1228. 1883.

Common names: Saw palmetto
Etymology: for Sereno Watson, 1826–1892, botanist
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 22. Treatment on page 104.
 TaxonIllustrator 
FNA22 P19 Acoelorraphe Seronoa Livistona pg 104.jpegSerenoa repens
Livistona chinensis
Acoelorraphe wrightii

Plants moderate, clustered, shrubby. Stems branched or unbranched, procumbent or ascending, covered with leafbases or becoming striate or smooth with age. Leaves: sheath fibers soft; petiole base not split; petiole armed with fine teeth, sometimes only at base of petiole; abaxial hastula not well developed, obtuse; adaxial hastula usually well developed, obtuse; costa absent; blade palmate; plication induplicate; segments lanceolate, basally connate, apices acute or 2-cleft; cross-veins conspicuous. Inflorescences axillary within crown of leaves, paniculate, ascending, about as long as leaves, with 2–3 orders of branching; main axis bearing 2 peduncular bracts above prophyll; rachillae pubescent. Flowers bisexual, borne singly or in pairs along rachillae, sessile; perianth 2-seriate; calyx cupulate,,3-lobed; petals 3, imbricate, elliptic, reflexed, alternate with outer whorl of stamens, basally adnate to filaments; stamens 6 in 2 whorls; filaments narrowly triangular, basally connate; anthers dorsifixed, versatile; pistils 3, distinct basally, glabrous; ovules 3, only 1 developing into fruit; styles connate, elongate, glabrous; nectaries 3, septal; stigma minutely 3-lobed, dry. Fruits drupes, ellipsoid; exocarp black, smooth; mesocarp blackish; endocarp brown, bony. Seeds brown, ellipsoid, with conspicuous longitudinal raphe; endosperm bony, homogeneous; embryo nearly basal; eophyll undivided, lanceolate. nx = 18.

Distribution

North America

Discussion

Serenoa, with a single polymorphic species, is endemic to the southeastern United States. It grows in a variety of habitats and communities including pine flatwoods, sand-pine scrub, and coastal sand dunes. It sometimes occurs in vast stands nearly excluding all other understory shrubs.

The relationships of Serenoa are with Acoelorraphe, of the Caribbean Basin (N. W. Uhl et al. 1995), and perhaps Brahea, of Mexico and Central America (N. W. Uhl and J. Dransfield 1987).

Species 1.

Lower Taxa

"fine" is not a number.

... more about "Serenoa"
versatile +  and dorsifixed +
2-cleft +  and acute +
Scott Zona +
Hooker f. in G. Bentham and J. D. Hooker +
3-lobed +  and cupulate +
Saw palmetto +
North America +
lanceolate +
for Sereno Watson, 1826–1892, botanist +
triangular +
adnate +, connate +  and distinct +
berrylike +  and drupaceous +
apical +  and basal +
branched +  and spicate +
2-pinnate +  and pinnate +
fibrous +, dry +  and fleshy +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
1 +  and 3 +
alternate +  and imbricate +
ridged +, channeled +  and terete +
v--shaped +  and tent--shaped +
germination +
in G. Bentham and J. D. Hooker,Gen. Pl. +
conspicuous +
bennett1998a +, hawkes1950a +, hilmon1968a +  and smith1972a +
adventitious +
adhering to endocarp +  and free +
ellipsoid +
bearing prickles +  and unarmed +
lanceolate +
connate +  and distinct +
unbranched +  and branched +
covered with fibrous or prickly remains +  and smooth +
subterranean +
smooth +  and striate +
enlarged;massive;slender +
elongate +
Palmae +
Serenoa +
Arecaceae (tribe Corypheae) subtribe Livistoninae +
unbranched +  and branched +
plant +  and shrubby +
unisexual +  and bisexual +