Phoenix atlantica
Phoenix (FEH-niks) atlantica (aht-lahn-TEE,kah) | |||||||
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São Francisco, Santiago, Cape Verde. Photo by Dr. William J. Baker, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb. | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
Cape Verde Islands.
Description
IMPERFECTLY KNOWN TAXON. Phoenix atlantica was described by Chevalier (1952) from the Cape Verde Islands as a clustering species occurring in large clumps of 2 - 6 stems, to 15 m tall and 45 cm in diameter. Chevalier (1952) considered the taxon to have characteristics of P. dactylifera, P. canariensis and R reclinata. All available evidence suggests to me that P. atlantica is a close relative of P. dactylifera, but, it is not yet clear whether the taxon merely represents feral date palms, or products of a series of hybridisation events between P. dactylifera and other species in the genus, or whether it is a distinct species. Further information is required before the species status of P. atlantica can be clarified. Chevalier (1952) described P. atlantica var. maroccana A. Chev. from the Atlas Mountains of southwestern Morocco and reported large groves of 100,000 - 150,000 palms near Marrakech. The edible fruits were said to be sold locally in the markets but not exported. I consider this varietal name to refer to P. dactylifera and have included it here as a synonym of that name. (S.C. Barrow, A Monograph of Phoenix L. (Palmae: Coryphoideae). 1998)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.
Culture
Comments and Curiosities
Fig. 3. Ribeira São Martinho Grande looking south, one of Chevalier’s syntype localities for Phoenix atlantica, Santiago. A very similar photograph, taken by Chevalier in 1935 (looking north), indicates that little has changed since then in terms of landscape and vegetation. (See Fig. 5) Photo by Dr. Sally Henderson/Kew.
A number of clustering Phoenix specimens growing in a dry ribeira next to an abandoned settlement north of Murdeira, Sal. Most Phoenix populations in the Cape Verdes are found in close proximity to settlements; did the settlements grow up around the naturally occurring palms, or were the palms planted by the villagers? Photo by Dr. Sally Henderson/Kew.
External Links
References
Phonetic spelling of Latin names by edric.
Special thanks to Geoff Stein, (Palmbob) for his hundreds of photos.
Special thanks to Palmweb.org, Dr. John Dransfield, Dr. Bill Baker & team, for their volumes of information and photos.
Glossary of Palm Terms; Based on the glossary in Dransfield, J., N.W. Uhl, C.B. Asmussen-Lange, W.J. Baker, M.M. Harley & C.E. Lewis. 2008. Genera Palmarum - Evolution and Classification of the Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. All images copyright of the artists and photographers (see images for credits).
S.C. Barrow, A Monograph of Phoenix L. (Palmae: Coryphoideae). 1998
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.