Talk:Metroxylon

According to the dictionary I checked that morpheme metro- can represent the Greek meter (mother), metra (womb) or metron (measure). The usual Greek derived form carrying the meaning of heart is cardio- (from kardia). Checking a Greek-English dictionary doesn't find any alternate sense of heart with a Greek representation similar to metro-.

Checking the web I find the definition "From the Greek metra (pith or heart of a tree), and xylon (wood), referring to the pith in the trunk", which would appear to be a secondary sense of metra (womb). Lavateraguy 09:09, 26 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

species[edit]

This palm encyclopedia I have from 2003 lists the recognized species at five. Our list is at seven. The first ref for the species shows that M. paulcoxii was named in '98 and M. upoluense was named in 1918, which are the two this book doesn't recognize. And the second ref doesn't list M. upoluense. Anybody have a more current treatment of the genus?Mmcknight4 05:09, 28 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The Kew list is recent (2003/4). The detailed record therefrom provisionally accepts M. upoluense.

[1] has seven species, as does ePalmetum but they may be copies of the Kew list.

A World Palm Checklist has seven, with M. upoluense provisionally accepted, and identification of all other names with one of those seven species.

McClatchey, A New Species of Metroxylon (Arecaceae) from Western Samoa, Novon 8(3): 252-258 (1998) describes M. paulcoxii, and categorises M. upoluense as a nomen ambiguum. (If you want to read the rest of that paper, and don't have a JSTOR subscription - like me - you can find the text of Novon at the Missouri Botanic Garden Botanicus project.

The trouble with lists of species in genera is that you usually require original research - unless there is a recent treatment, and you accept it uncritically. Lavateraguy 07:40, 28 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]