Abstract
This publication is an account of the palms (Arecaceae) in the state of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. Six native palm species in three genera are recorded for Sonora: Brahea with four species, and Sabal and Washingtonia each with one species. Relationships and taxonomy within Brahea, especially B. elegans, remain unresolved. Brief botanical descriptions, taxonomic synopses, local names, identification keys, conservation status and recommendations, and distributional and ethno- botanical information are provided for each species. Basionyms and types are cited. Distributions are documented with citations of nearly all herbarium specimens known to us from Sonora. Many palm populations in this arid and semiarid region are threatened by development and in some cases over- exploitation. There is an urgent need for formal management and conservation action for local pop- ulations, although as a whole none of these species in Sonora are rare or immediately threatened.
Highlights
Writing from Europe in the late 18th century, more than a decade after suffering through the Jesuit expulsion, lgnaz Pfefferkorn (1949: 74) stated: "Many palm trees grow in the region near the sea, especially in the vicinity of Guaymas
Many Sonoran palm groves remain sheltered in secret canyons and hidden on remote mountains
Saba/ uresana scarcely extends beyond the confines of Sonora, whereas Brahea elegans is endemic to Sonora
Summary
Washingtonia robusta, restricted to a few riparian canyons at the southern edge of the Sonoran Desert, appears to be relictual in Sonora. It occurs naturally otherwise only in Baja California Sur. Saba/ uresana scarcely extends beyond the confines of Sonora, whereas Brahea elegans is endemic to Sonora. Washingtonia robusta occurs only in riparian habitats within the Sonoran Desert, and is geographically and ecologically the most narrowly restricted palm species in the state. Brahea elegans, Saba/ uresana, and Washingtonia robusta, occur together in a number of the palm oases near the coast north of Guaymas in the Sierra El Aguaje and vicinity, e.g., Caii6n del Nacapule (Felger 1999), Los Anegados, La Huerta (Ojo de Agua), and Caii6n Las Barajitas.
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