Syagrus cearensis

Syagrus cearensis
Appearance of the fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Syagrus
Species: S. cearensis
Binomial name
Syagrus cearensis
Noblick

Syagrus cearensis (Portuguese: coco-babão) is a natural palm of Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco and Ceará[1][2] (where it has the highest rate of occurrence which gave rise to the name of the species in the Latin binomial). In the state of Ceará, it occurs in environments of Atlantic Forest and sandbanks, as occurs in states where demics, and also occurs in the transition to scrub ("caatinga"), and on the slopes of the plateaus.[3] It is very similar to the species Syagrus oleracea, but is distinguished by the fruit, which has yellow flesh while S. oleracea has predominantly green fruits even when mature, and also S. cearensis has habit of growth in clumps, rather than the upright growth of the other species. Its fruit is a yellow fibro-mucilaginous drupe with a sweet taste, which is often sold in street markets in their places of origin.[4]

Media related to Syagrus cearensis at Wikimedia Commons

References

  1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Noblick, Larry Ronald. 2004. Palms 48(2): 73–76.
  3. Forzza, R. C. 2010. Lista de espécies Flora do Brasil http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/2010. Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
  4. Lorenzi, H., Noblick, L.R., Kahn, F. & Ferreira, E. (2010). Brazilian Flora Arecaceae (Palms): 1-268. Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora LTDA, São Paulo, Brazil.