Nipah palm Nypa fruticans, copyright Tony Rodd.
Belongs within: Commelinidae.
Contains: Arecoideae,
Coryphoideae, Calamoideae.
The Arecaceae, palms, are a group of mostly tropical and subtropical woody plants with large divided leaves. 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. 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 (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.
Characters (from 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 acanthocoma DS04
|--+--Phytelephas aequatorialis DS04
| `--Arecoideae DS04
`--+--Coryphoideae DS04
|--Nypoideae [Nypaceae] CBH93
| |--Spinizonocolpites baculatus CBH93
| `--Nypa fruticans DS04
| |--N. f. var. fruticans H09
| `--N. f. var. neameana H09
`--+--Plectocomia elongata DS04
`--Calamoideae DS04
Arecaceae incertae sedis:
Elaeis PJ02
|--E. guineensis PJ02
`--E. oleifera MS10
Calyptrogyne L2001
Metroxylon K03
|--M. rumphii M72
|--M. sagu K03 [incl. Sagus genuina L1801]
`--M. salmonense Z93
Plectocomiopsis geminiflora K03
Veitchia H03
Pritchardia remota O94
Pelagodoxeae TB08
|--Sommieria TB08
`--Pelagodoxa H03
Manicaria saccifera H03, O49
Orbygnya DS86
Scheclea DS86
Geonoma BBB03
|--G. cuneata BBB03
`--G. irena BBB03
Hyospathe DS86
Lepidocaryoideae CBH93
|--Lepidocaryum DS86
|--Monocolpites franciscoi Muller 1970 CBH93
`--Dicolpopollis CBH93
|--D. elegans Muller 1979 CBH93
`--D. malesianus Muller 1979 CBH93
Astrocaryum jauari DS86
Maximiliana DS86
Desmoncus DS86
Mauritia flexuosa DS86
Acanthococos YY22
Acanthophoenix YY22
Acrocomia F11
|--A. aculeata F11
|--A. mexicana G69
`--A. totai F11
Actinokentia YY22
Adelodypsis YY22
Aeris YY22
Asterogyne YY22
Barbosa YY22
Barcella YY22
Calyptronoma YY22
Catoblastus YY22
Cocops YY22
Cyphokentia YY22
Cyphophoenix YY22
Didymosperma YY22
Diplothemium YY22
Gigliolia YY22
Haplodypsis YY22
Haplophloga YY22
Howea B00
|--H. belmoreana B00
`--H. forsterana P82
Hyophorbe lagenicaulis Z93
Juania YY22
Jubaea YY22
Kentiopsis YY22
Kunthia YY22
Linospadix YY22
Leopoldinia YY22
Martinezia YY22
Mischophloeus YY22
Neodypsis decaryi Z93
Nephrocarpus YY22
Oncocalamus YY22
Oreodoxa YY22
Phloga [incl. Neophloga] Z03
`--P. nodifera Z93
Phlogella YY22
Podococcus YY22
Pseudophoenix sargentii OB11
Ptychoraphis YY22
Ptychandra YY22
Sclerosperma YY22
Trichodypsis YY22
Vershaffeltia YY22
Vonitra YY22
Wallichia YY22
Welfia YY22
Ancistrophyllum YY22
Ceratolobus YY22
Coleococcus YY22
Nannorhops YY22
Cyclospathe YY22
Eugeissona P88
|--E. insignis P88
|--E. tristis P88
`--E. utilis K03
Kinetostigma YY22
Lodoicea seychellarum YY22, C55
Pholidocarpus YY22
Ravenia YY22
Solfia YY22
Wendlandiella YY22
Acanthorhiza YY22
Rhapidophyllum YY22
Rhapis YY22
Trachycarpus fortunei (Hooker) Wendland 1862 HE80 [incl. Chamoerops excelsa (l. c.) LO98]
Zalacca YY22
Sabal BBB03
|--S. bermudana WM14
|--S. megacarpa BTA75
|--S. minor I-BH-O10
|--S. palmetto BBB03
`--S. texana MG56
Roystonea SK02
|--R. borinquena SWK87
|--R. hispaniolana HSS13
|--R. princeps (Becc.) Burret 1929 CD07
`--R. regia SK02
Oraniopsis appendiculata E99
Rhopalostylis Wendl. & Drude 1875 [=Eora Cook 1927] ME70
|--R. baueri Wendl. & Drude 1875 ME70 [=Areca baueri Hook.f. 1868 C06, Kentia baueri C06]
|--R. cheesemanii Becc. 1917 ME70
`--R. sapida Wendl. & Drude in Kerch. 1878 ME70 [=Areca sapida C06, Kentia sapida C06]
Ceroxyloideae HB09
|--Synechanthus fibrosus Z03
`--Ceroxylon [Ceroxyleae] HB09
`--C. quindiuense HSS13
Coccothrinax montana J87
Washingtonia M93
|--W. filifera M93
`--W. robusta K10
Pigafetta filaris M82
Inodes mexicana G69
Sabalites Saporta 1865 HL08
`--‘Flabellaria’ major Unger 1847 (see below for synonymy) HL08
Phoenicites Brongniart 1828 HL08
Musophyllum axonense Watelet 1866 HL08
Chrysalidocarpus Z93
|--C. lutescens Z93
`--C. madagascariensis Z93
Aphanes caryotifolia Z93
Carpentaria acuminata Z93
Wodyetia bifurcata Z93
Hedyscepe canterburyana B00
Butia yatay F11
Scheelea F11
|--S. cephalotes F11
`--S. princeps F11
Eolirion primigenium Schenk 1869 CBH93
Pilophora Jacq. 1802 KC01
‘Flabellaria’ major Unger 1847 [=Sabal major (Unger) Heer 1855; incl. S. (Flabellaria) haeringiana] HL08
*Type species of generic name indicated
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Last updated: 21 December 2019.
