Arecaceae

Zombia L.H.Bailey

First published in Gentes Herbarum 4: 240 (1939)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Hispaniola.

Descriptions

General Description
Moderate, clustering, spiny, pleonanthic, hermaphroditic palm. Stem erect, slender, covered with persistent, overlapping spiny sheaths, few erect spine-like pneumatophores emerging from the ground near the stem base. Leaves induplicate, palmate, marcescent; sheath expanding into a regular network of fibres, distal fibres reflexed, forming a partial whorl of spines; petiole very slender, elongate, unarmed, semicircular in cross-section; adaxial hastula 3-lobed, center lobe pointed, lateral lobes rounded becoming irregularly tattered, abaxial hastula also pointed with very shallow lateral ridges; blade irregularly divided along the adaxial folds 1/2 – 2/3 to the base into single-fold, lanceolate, rather thin, shortly bifid segments, shiny dark green above, whitish beneath, caducous indumentum along ribs on both surfaces, midrib prominent abaxially, interfold ribs prominent adaxially, transverse veinlets scarcely discernible. Inflorescences interfoliar, shorter than the leaves, branched to 2 orders; peduncle short; prophyll partly included in the subtending the leaf sheath, tubular, 2-keeled, opening and ± 2-lobed distally, longitudinally striate; peduncular bracts lacking; rachis longer than the peduncle, densely tomentose; rachis bracts tubular, longitudinally striate, sparsely tomentose, each with a short pointed lobe, sometimes with short apical splits; first-order branches distant, each bearing a basal, tubular, 2-keeled, 2-lobed, longitudinally striate, sparsely tomentose prophyll; rachillae (second-order branches) sparse, short, spreading, proximal 2 ± subopposite, subtended by narrow bracts, distal rachillae subopposite or alternate, subtending bracts minute, inconspicuous, rachillae slender, glabrous, minutely papillose, bearing rather distant, solitary, subdistichous flowers each subtended by a minute triangular bract. Flowers cream-coloured; perianth shallow, cup-shaped with 6 short, membranous points; stamens 9–12, the filaments short, variable, slender, anthers basifixed, erect, elongate, latrorse; gynoecium obpyriform, unicarpellate, tapered to a large, laterally compressed, cup-like stigma, ovule basal, orthotropous. Pollen ellipsoidal, slight to obvious asymmetry; aperture a distal sulcus; ectexine tectate, perforate, aperture margin ± psilate; infratectum columellate; longest axis 30–38 µm [1/1]. Fruit falling with the perianth attached and stamen bases often obvious, oblong-globose, white, fleshy, large, with apical stigmatic remains; epicarp smooth except for the stigmatic remains, mesocarp fleshy without obvious fibres, endocarp crustaceous. Seed basally attached, very deeply bilobed, the lobes again divided irregularly in a bilobed fashion, the 2 halves connected by a portion in which the embryo lies centrally, endosperm homogeneous within the lobes. Germination and eophyll not recorded. Cytology: 2n = 36.
Vernacular
Zombi palm.
Diagnostic
Distinctive clustering hermaphroditic fan palm of Hispaniola, with close erect stems almost completely obscured by spines formed from the fibres of the expanded leaf sheaths; petiole base not split; fruit white, the seed deeply bilobed, each lobe further lobed.
Morphology
Leaf (Tomlinson 1961), roots (Seubert 1997),floral (Morrow 1965, Moore and Uhl 1973).
Biology
Open and bushy slopes of very dry hills.
Distribution
One species in Hispaniola.
[PW]

Uses

Use
A striking ornamental. Fruit are said to be fed to hogs.
[PW]

Sources

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Palmweb - Palms of the World Online

    • Palmweb 2011. Palmweb: Palms of the World Online. Published on the internet http://www.palmweb.org. Accessed on 21/04/2013
    • Content licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0