Arecaceae

Belongs within: Commelinidae.
Contains: Sabal, Arecoideae, Coryphoideae, Calamoideae.

The Arecaceae, palms, are a group of mostly tropical and subtropical woody plants with large divided leaves. These leaves are typically borne in a terminal crown, with the often large inflorescences borne below or among the leaves. Individual flowers are small and often unisexual, with both male and female flowers in a single inflorescence (Healy & Edgar 1980). Most palms grow as an erect (usually unbranched) tree, but exceptions exist. In the nipa palm Nypa fruticans, found in mangrove habitats of the tropical Indo-Pacific region, the stem (which may be branching) grows lying on the substrate and only the leaves and flower stalks extend upwards. As well as species grown as horticultural crops (often for their edible fruits or seeds), many palms are cultivated as ornamental plants.

Fruits similar to those of Nypa are known from the fossil record going back to the Lower Paleocene. Foliage of palms is also known from the Cretaceous with Eolirion primigenium from the Lower Cretaceous of Austria representing the earliest record of the family. Pollen assignable to the subfamilies Nypoideae and Arecoideae is known from the Maastrichtian (Collinson et al. 2003).

Other basal genera of Arecaceae include Trithrinax, the caranday palms of subtropical South America, which retain old leaf sheaths as a persistent spiny coat around the stem. The ivory palms Phytelephas of northwestern South America produce seeds with a very hard white endosperm resembling ivory. The Ceroxyloideae are a primarily South American group with inflorescences accompanied by a protective prophyll and peduncular bracts.

The nikau palm Rhopalostylis sapida is the world’s southernmost-growing palm species, reaching New Zealand’s South Island (Moore & Edgar 1970).

Characters (Healy & Edgar 1980): Usually arborescent, stout (and mostly unbranched) to slender, sometimes scandent and shrubby; usually monoecious, occasionally dioecious or bisexual. Leaves usually in terminal crowns, often very large, pinnate or palmate; leaflets narrow. Inflorescence usually paniculate, below or amongst leaves; spathes one or more, usually large. Flowers small, actinomorphic, more or less sessile, commonly unisexual, males and females sometimes in one inflorescence; sepals 3, free or connate; petals 3, free or connate. Stamens usually 6 in two whorls; anthers two-celled, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 1–3-celled or 3 carpels separate; ovule usually solitary. Fruit a berry or drupe.

<==Arecaceae [Areciflorae, Palmaceae, Palmae, Palmales, Principes]
    |--Trithrinax acanthocomaDS04
    |--+--Phytelephas aequatorialisDS04
    |  `--ArecoideaeDS04
    `--+--CoryphoideaeDS04
       |--+--Plectocomia elongataDS04
       |  `--CalamoideaeDS04
       `--Nypoideae [Nypaceae]CBH93
            |--Spinizonocolpites baculatusCBH93
            `--Nypa fruticansDS04
                 |--N. f. var. fruticansH09
                 `--N. f. var. neameanaH09

Arecaceae incertae sedis:
  ElaeisPJ02
    |--E. guineensisPJ02
    `--E. oleiferaMS10
  CalyptrogyneL2001
  MetroxylonZ93
    |--M. rumphiiM72
    |--M. saguK03 [incl. Sagus genuinaL1801]
    `--M. salmonenseZ93
  Plectocomiopsis geminifloraK03
  VeitchiaH03
    |--V. joannisB00b
    `--V. merrilliiB00b
  PritchardiaO94
    |--P. affinisB00b
    |--P. beccarianaB00b
    |--P. hillebrandiiB00b
    |--P. macrocarpaB00b
    |--P. maidenianaB00b
    |--P. minorB00b
    `--P. remotaO94
  PelagodoxeaeTB08
    |--SommieriaTB08
    `--PelagodoxaH03
  Manicaria sacciferaH03, O49
  OrbignyaW92
    |--O. cohuneB00b
    |--O. mertensianaRC02
    `--O. phalerataW92
  GeonomaBBB03
    |--G. cuneataBBB03
    `--G. irenaBBB03
  HyospatheDS86
  LepidocaryoideaeCBH93
    |--LepidocaryumDS86
    |--Monocolpites franciscoi Muller 1970CBH93
    `--DicolpopollisCBH93
         |--D. elegans Muller 1979CBH93
         `--D. malesianus Muller 1979CBH93
  AstrocaryumB00b
    |--A. alatumB00b
    |--A. jauariDS86
    `--A. sciophilumT02
  MaximilianaDS86
  DesmoncusDS86
  MauritiaF11
    |--M. flexuosaF11
    `--M. peruvianaB00b
  AcanthococosYY22
  AcanthophoenixYY22
  AcrocomiaF11
    |--A. aculeataF11
    |--A. mexicanaG69
    `--A. totaiF11
  ActinokentiaYY22
  AdelodypsisYY22
  AerisYY22
  AsterogyneYY22
  BarbosaYY22
  BarcellaYY22
  Calyptronoma dulcisB00b
  CatoblastusYY22
  CocopsYY22
  CyphophoenixYY22
  DidymospermaYY22
  DiplothemiumYY22
  GiglioliaYY22
  HaplodypsisYY22
  HaplophlogaYY22
  HoweaB00a
    |--H. belmoreanaB00a [=Grisebachia belmoreanaB78, Kentia belmoreanaB78]
    `--H. forsteranaB00a [=Grisebachia forsterianaB78, Kentia forsterianaB78]
  HyophorbeSDK-L03
    |--H. lagenicaulisZ93
    `--H. verschaffeltiiB00b
  JuaniaYY22
  JubaeaYY22
  KunthiaYY22
  LeopoldiniaYY22
  MischophloeusYY22
  Neodypsis decaryiZ93
  NephrocarpusYY22
  OncocalamusYY22
  Oreodoxa regiaYY22, RD77
  Phloga [incl. Neophloga]Z03
    `--P. nodiferaZ93
  PhlogellaYY22
  PodococcusYY22
  PseudophoenixOB11
    |--P. ekmaniiD81
    `--P. sargentiiOB11
  PtychoraphisYY22
  SclerospermaYY22
  TrichodypsisYY22
  VershaffeltiaYY22
  Vonitra fibrosaB00b
  WallichiaYY22
  WelfiaYY22
  AncistrophyllumYY22
  CeratolobusYY22
  ColeococcusYY22
  Nannorrhops ritchieanaB00b
  CyclospatheYY22
  EugeissonaP88
    |--E. insignisP88
    |--E. tristisP88
    `--E. utilisK03
  KinetostigmaYY22
  Lodoicea seychellarumYY22, C55
  PholidocarpusYY22
  SolfiaYY22
  WendlandiellaYY22
  AcanthorhizaYY22
  Rhapidophyllum hystrixB00b
  RhapisYY22
    |--R. excelsaB00b
    `--R. humilisB00b
  TrachycarpusHE80
    |--T. fortunei (Hooker) Wendland 1862HE80 [incl. Chamoerops excelsa (l. c.)LO98]
    |--T. martianusB00b
    `--T. wagneranusB00b
  Zalacca edulisT-W89
  SabalBBB03
  RoystoneaF11
    |--R. borinquenaF11
    |--R. elataA02
    |--R. hispaniolanaHSS13
    |--R. princeps (Becc.) Burret 1929CD07
    |--R. regiaF11
    `--R. venezuelanaB00b
  Oraniopsis appendiculataE99
  Rhopalostylis Wendl. & Drude 1875 [=Eora Cook 1927]ME70
    |--R. baueri Wendl. & Drude 1875ME70 [=Areca baueri Hook.f. 1868C06, Kentia baueriC06]
    |--R. cheesemanii Becc. 1917ME70
    `--R. sapida Wendl. & Drude in Kerch. 1878ME70 [=Areca sapidaC06, Kentia sapidaC06]
  CeroxyloideaeHB09
    |--Synechanthus fibrosusZ03
    `--Ceroxylon [Ceroxyleae]HB09
         `--C. quindiuenseHSS13
  CoccothrinaxB00b
    |--C. altaB00b
    |--C. martiiB00b
    `--C. montanaJ87
  WashingtoniaF11
    |--W. filiferaM93
    `--W. robustaK10
  Pigafetta filarisZ93
  Inodes mexicanaG69
  Sabalites Saporta 1865HL08
    `--‘Flabellaria’ major Unger 1847 [=Sabal major (Unger) Heer 1855; incl. S. (Flabellaria) haeringiana]HL08
  Phoenicites Brongniart 1828HL08
  Musophyllum axonense Watelet 1866HL08
  ChrysalidocarpusZ93
    |--C. lutescensZ93
    `--C. madagascariensisZ93
  Aphanes caryotifoliaZ93
  Carpentaria acuminataB00a
  Wodyetia bifurcataB00a
  Hedyscepe canterburyanaB00a [=Kentia canterburyanaB78]
  ButiaF11
    |--B. capitataB00b
    |--B. eriospathaB00b
    `--B. yatayF11
  ScheeleaF11
    |--S. butyraceaB00b
    |--S. cephalotesF11
    |--S. princepsF11
    `--S. zonensisB00b
  Eolirion primigenium Schenk 1869CBH93
  Pilophora Jacq. 1802KC01
  BembergiaP92
  Kentia [incl. Grisebachia, Kentiopsis, Linospadix]B78
    |--K. acuminataB78
    |--K. minorB78
    `--K. monostachya [=Areca monostachya, Linospadix monostachyos]B78
  Rhizopalmoxylon glaeseli Gothan 1954F91
  PalmoxylonF91
    |--P. bacillareF91
    `--P. libycumF91
  Serenoa repensS72, CS90
  SagusT-W89
    |--S. koenigiiT-W89
    `--S. laevisT-W89
  Orania macrocladusT-W89
  BraheaAD84
    |--B. brandegeeiB00b
    `--B. edulisAD84
  Hyphaene thebaicaD17
  Acoelorrhaphe wrightiiB00b
  Bentinickia nicobaricaB00b
  Bismarckia nobilisB00b
  Carpoxylon macrospermumB00b
  CryosophilaB00b
    |--C. guagaraB00b
    `--C. warscewicziiB00b
  Deckenia nobilisB00b
  Gaussia attenuataB00b
  Gronophyllum microcarpumB00b
  Neoveitchia storckiiB00b
  Ravenea rivularisB00b
  Satakentia liukiuensisB00b
  Zombia antillarumB00b

*Type species of generic name indicated

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