Sabal Lisa type Coconut palm

[mike-coral gables]

While vacationing in Barbados I came across this beautiful and unusual Coconut palm with Sabal Lisa type variation , anyone else ever see something like this ? 

[knell]

yes, this is the niuyabia variation, from Fiji or somewhere close to there

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/28455-niuyabia/

 

Edited June 15, 2018 by knell

[Zeeth]

35 minutes ago, knell said:

yes, this is the niuyabia variation, from Fiji or somewhere close to there

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/28455-niuyabia/

 

Niuyabia is the stable form from Fiji, but this one is probably a de-novo mutation. 

[knell]

@Zeeth what makes you say that? 

[Zeeth]

4 hours ago, knell said:

@Zeeth what makes you say that? 

The leaf form is different from the Niuyabia. Niuyabia is even less split than this palm.

Additionally, the likelihood of this random gift shop getting a true niuyabia from Fiji is pretty low. The mutation is not incredibly uncommon when you consider how many coconuts are grown in the tropics. There is one in Ft. Myers that I've seen pics of, and there are two on the Big Island that I know of, one on a golf course in Kona and another in a Bayfront park in Hilo that Garrin Fullington mentioned a while back. I know that the Fiji population produces true to type, but I don't know of anyone trying to sprout seeds of the ones that I mentioned. 

[mike-coral gables]

I suspect that  Zeeth is correct , highly unlikely that the palm that I came across in Barbados is the Fiji type vs a hybrid , it was fruiting , wish I could bring a nut back !

[mike-coral gables]

Last pic 

[knell]

19 hours ago, Zeeth said:

The leaf form is different from the Niuyabia. Niuyabia is even less split than this palm.

Additionally, the likelihood of this random gift shop getting a true niuyabia from Fiji is pretty low. The mutation is not incredibly uncommon when you consider how many coconuts are grown in the tropics. There is one in Ft. Myers that I've seen pics of, and there are two on the Big Island that I know of, one on a golf course in Kona and another in a Bayfront park in Hilo that Garrin Fullington mentioned a while back. I know that the Fiji population produces true to type, but I don't know of anyone trying to sprout seeds of the ones that I mentioned. 

interesting, so a similar mutation, like an example of convergent evolution? or perhaps a prticular cross of two varieties lends itself to this form

[GottmitAlex]

Could this mutant be hardier than the Fiji niuyabia?

[Zeeth]

4 hours ago, knell said:

interesting, so a similar mutation, like an example of convergent evolution? or perhaps a prticular cross of two varieties lends itself to this form

More than likely it's a similar mutation affecting one gene that appears randomly sometimes but appears to be heritable in at least some cases.

An example is the zinc-finger protein gene GLI3 in humans, which is the gene affected in syndactyly and polydactyly. 

Convergent evolution would be more like some Coryphoid palms evolving pinnate leaves independently of other pinnate palms to suit similar needs.