| Trithrinax | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Trithrinax campestris in a garden, grown as ornamental palm | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Subfamily: | Coryphoideae |
| Tribe: | Cryosophileae |
| Genus: | Trithrinax Mart.[1] |
| Species | |
Trithrinax brasiliensisMart. | |
Trithrinax is a genus offlowering plants in the subfamilyCoryphoideae of the familyArecaceae. The name is derived from ancient Greek, wheretri means three, andthrinax trident. It was named in 1837 byCarl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, a Germanbotanist and explorer.[2]
Trithrinax species are spiny fan palms native toSouth America. They are resistant to cold, heat, wind, drought, poor soils and other adverse environmental conditions. Seeds germinate fast, but their overall growth rate is distinctly slow.[3]
Common features ofTrithrinax species include:
| Simplified phylogeny of the New World thatch palms based on fournuclear genes and thematK plastid gene.[4] |
In the first edition ofGenera Palmarum (1987),Natalie Uhl andJohn Dransfield placed the genusTrithrinax insubfamilyCoryphoideae,tribeCorypheae andsubtribeThrinacinae.[5] Subsequentphylogenetic analyses showed that theOld World andNew World members of Thrinacinae are not closely related. As a consequence,Trithrinax and related genera have been placed in their own tribe,Cryosophileae.[6]
Trithrinax species are spread along vast subtropical zones of South America:Bolivia,Brazil,Paraguay,Uruguay,Argentina. They prefer dry, open or forest clearing, environments, with moderate to cold winters.[7]
Leaf fibers are used as raw material for textiles, rustic clothing, andhandicrafts. Oil can also be extracted from seeds. Fruits are sometimes used locally, fermented, to produce alcoholic beverages.[7]
