| Field notes | Solitary in disturbed forest. Stem about 6 m tall. Stem diam. at breast height 22 cm. Basally wih cone of proproots, these about 1 cm in diam. Distance between nodes 5-10 cm. Leaf scars 3-5 cm wide. Nodes with fine longitudinal fissures, covered by crustaceous lichens. Crown of 12 leaves plus one spear leaf. Leaf base split to the base, the scar surrounding 3/4 of the circumference of the stem, approx. 40-50 cm long, transition to petiole being indistinct, brown to greenish grey towards petiolar part. Petiole plus leaf base 260-280 cm long. Petiole shallowly furrowed basally to grooved distally, eventually terete immediately below basal pinnae, 4-5 cm in cross section at the middle part, greyish with green stripes, margin of base and petiole desintegrating in coarse fibres. Rachis 363 cm long. Pinnae 2 X 55, shiny green above, glossy light green below. Inflorescence with 32 cm long prophyll, yellow basally to beige and desintegrating distally. Peduncular bract 70 cm long, brown chartaceous, partly desintegrating, hooded, with 4-5 cm long tip. Peduncle 33 cm long. Rachis 20 cm long, branched to second order. Number of 1st order achillae 15, the lowermost ones with 6-7 2nd order rachillae. Infructescence one. Prophyll and peduncular bracts absent, only fibrous remnants left. Peduncle 58 cm long. Rachis 35 cm long, green. Fruits bright orange, glossy. Some formed by two carpels, most by just one. Wider than long 5 x 7 cm. Stigma rudiment basal. Use: sap extracted and drunk for sore throats. |
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