Experts disagree about the number of species in the genus Attalea ( broadly defined ) . In 1965 , Dutch taxonomist Jan Gerard Wessels Boer estimated that there may be as many as 100 species in the genus . In their 1996 Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas Andrew Henderson and coauthors recognised 29 species in the genus , while Sidney Glassman recognised 65 species in his 1999 treatment of the group . Largely following Glassman 's lead , Rafaël Govaerts and John Dransfield recognised 67 species in their 2005 World Checklist of Palms . An important element of this disagreement is the decision by Glassman to define species more narrowly than Henderson . As a result , what Henderson interpreted as variation within species , Glassman took as differences between morphologically similar species . This problem is complicated by the fact that many of these species are poorly represented in herbarium collections . The large size of the leaves , inflorescences and fruit of many Attalea species makes them difficult to collect . In addition , many important collections , including type specimen , have been lost or destroyed . Sparse or incomplete collections make it difficult to differentiate variation within a single species from variation between different species .