Format: ORAL

Christine D. Bacon1, Francine Almeida2, Teodoro Clase3, Eladio Fernandez3, Xavier Gratacos4, Ayress Grinage5, Andrew Henderson6, Adrian Hill1, Oscar Montero3

1 Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden 2 Department of Agronomy, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Alegre, Brazil 3 Jardín Botánico Nacional “Dr. Rafael Ma. Moscoso”, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 4 Montgomery Botanical Center, Miami, USA 5 School of Integrated Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA 6 New York Botanical Garden, New York, USA

The Caribbean is a biodiversity hotspot and harbours 2% of the Earths plant diversity. The region is comprised of more than 700 islands, one of the largest of which is Hispaniola. Hispaniola is home to two nations, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and harboursapproximately 38 palm species distributed among 16 genera.The impressive Caribbean palm diversity is poorly known, particularly onHispaniola. Previous work on Caribbean palms will be reviewed to identify knowledge gaps and contextualize our work on the colonization history of Hispaniola. Using a dated phylogeny and historical biogeographic analysis, we discuss island diversification. From this,palmspecies delimitation and conservation action will be discussed, with a focus onCoccothrinax. Recent monographic work onCoccothrinaxwill be summarized in a preliminary phylogenetic framework. A multispecies coalescent inference with multiple samples for nearly all populations present on Hispaniola supports novelties in the genus, species limits, and conservation needs on the island.