Palms in this tribe have palmate leaves with induplicate folds (reduplicate in Guihaia).[3] Plants may be tall, single-stemmed trees (e.g. Copernicia, Brahea, Pritchardia), acaulescent with short, squat trunks (e.g. Maxburretia, Johannesteijsmannia), multi-stemmed (e.g. Rhapis, Acoelorraphe) or branched and prostrate (e.g. Serenoa). These palms flower regularly throughout their lives (pleonanthic) and may be dioecious, monoecious or hermaphroditic.[3]
Trachycarpeae is one of eight tribes in the subfamily Coryphoideae.[6] The tribe is monophyletic, but phylogenetic studies have yet to reveal its closest relatives, though they could be the Phoeniceae, or the Sabaleae and Cryosophileae.[3] Initially described as tribe 'Livistoneae', the name Trachycarpeae has priority.[3] In previous classifications, all the members of this tribe were included in tribe Corypheae.[7]
Trachycarpeae is divided into two subtribes: Rhapidinae have flowers with three separate carpels, whereas in subtribe Livistoniinae the flower carpels are free at the base, but the styles are fused together.[3] All genera in Rhapidinae are native to the Old World, except North AmericanRhapidophyllum. Livistoninae are widely distributed in both the New World and Southeast Asia and Australia. A single species (Livistona carinensis) occurs in Africa. Several genera in this tribe have yet to be allocated to a subtribe, due to a lack of convincing data from phylogenetic studies.[6]
The above classification was published prior to the recognition of the genera Saribus and Lanonia; however, both are clearly members of subtribe Livistoniinae. Saribus includes species formerly in Livistona and monotypicPritchardiopsis,[8] while Lanonia species were previously included in Licuala.[9][10]
^Dransfield, John; Uhl, Natalie W.; Asmussen, Conny B.; Baker, William J.; Harley, Madeline M.; Lewis, Carl E. (2008). Genera Palmarum: The Evolution and Classification of Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN978-1-84246-182-2.
^ abcdefghiDransfield, John; Uhl, Natalie W.; Asmussen, Conny B.; Baker, William J.; Harley, Madeline M.; Lewis, Carl E. (2008). Genera Palmarum - The Evolution and Classification of Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN9781842461822.
^Uhl, Natalie W.; Dransfield, John (1987). Genera Palmarum: A Classification of Palms Based on the Work of Harold E. Moore, Jr. L.H. Bailey Hortorium. ISBN9780935868302.
^Bacon, Christine D.; Baker, William J. (2011). "Saribus Resurrected". Palms. 55 (3): 109–116 – via ResearchGate.
^Henderson, Andrew J.; Bacon, Christine D. (2011). "Lanonia (Arecaceae: Palmae), a New Genus from Asia, with a Revision of the Species". Systematic Botany. 36 (4): 883–895. doi:10.1600/036364411x604903. JSTOR41416905. S2CID84318474.
