Thrinax or Cocothrinax radiata

[GTClover]

Hi All, Are these the same plant or different? I've done some research and some authors and sellers lump them together indicating that Cocothrinax radiata is a synonym for Thrinax radiata, but I thought they were different. There is a reference here saying the Cocothrinax has black or purple fruit while Thrinax has white fruit. What are the facts? Does anyone have photos of either or better yet both? My usual aurhority besides here is PACSOA and they have nothing on Cocothrinax radiata.

Thanks,

Susan

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

You are correct about the difference in fruit...the leaf bases are also different between the two genera....Thrinax will have split leaf bases where in Coccothrinax they are unsplit.

You may want to invest in some resent palm reference books, since the older ones frequently have outdated classifications.

The same goes for buying palms.....those sellers who frequent Palmtalk, for instance, are the most knowledgeable in the business, but there are others out in the world who know squat about palms, and more often than not will confuse and mangle the nomenclature.

Rusty

[GTClover]

Thanks Rusty! It does seem that the classifications are continually evolving. I have Riffle & Craft's "An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms" which has a discussion of Cocothrinax, but no mention of radiata. I can't even find it on wikipedia under "Palms of the Caribbean"! How does C. radiata compare to C. miraguama? PalmatierMeg recently posted pictures of these. I love their trunks:drool:! Anyone have recommendations for references that are particularly good for Caribbean Palms (besides here of course).

Susan

Edited October 17, 2010 by GTClover

[Carlo Morici]

Thanks Rusty! It does seem that the classifications are continually evolving. I have Riffle & Craft's "An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms" which has a discussion of Cocothrinax, but no mention of radiata. I can't even find it on wikipedia under "Palms of the Caribbean"! How does C. radiata compare to C. miraguama? PalmatierMeg recently posted pictures of these. I love their trunks:drool:! Anyone have recommendations for references that are particularly good for Caribbean Palms (besides here of course).

Susan

Hello Susan,

There is no Coccothrinax radiata - check Kew's checklist (http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/) and see the following:

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Coccothrinax radiata (Lodd. ex Schult. & Schult.f.) Sarg., Just's Bot. Jahresber. 27(1): 469 (1901). This name is a synonym.

Accepted Name: Thrinax radiata Lodd. ex Schult. & Schult.f., Syst. Veg. 7(2): 1301 (1830).

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Carlo

[GTClover]

Thanks Carlo, I suspected this might be the truth in this case. But this also queued me to the fact that I was spelling Coccothrinax as Cocothrinax which may have limited the number of returns on my search!

Susan

[hanapalms]

This is a Thrinax radiata. The fruit are white and pulpy; they turn brown to black when dry.

Although I grew this tree from a seed off my neighbor's tree, I haven't actually germinated any seeds off this tree, but there are volunteers sprouting under the tree.

Don't know anything about a Coccothrinax radiata.