| Field notes | Solitary tree, 20.5 m tall, diam. at breast height 18 cm, distance between leaf scars basally 6-7 cm, distally below crown 1 - 1.5 cm. Number of leaves in crown 17. Leaf sheath 120 cm long, tubular forming a crownshaft, deep burgundy basally to greenish beige towards the apex, glabrous, split very short to 10 cm long, margin brown chartaceous. Petiole ill-defined but approx. 30 - 40 cm long, green, covered by scattered patches of brown indumentum. Rachis 245 cm long, curved, green, covered by brown indumentum, width at basis 4 cm, basally flattened with shallowly rounded carinae above and rounded below, pinnae inserted along two lateral grooves, flattened on adaxial face gradually narrowing to a sharp carinae above the mid part of the blade. Number of pinnae 2 x 62, some held in one plane, others pointing up to 60 degrees above the plane, rigid towards the base, lax and drooping distally. Flowering subfoliar, with one inflorescence past anthesis and 9 infructescences in different stages of maturation. Prophyll of post-anthesis inflorescence 106 cm long, brown, chartaceous, splitting adaxially. Peduncular bract 80 cm long, like prophyll in texture and colour. Distance between scars of prophyll and peduncular bract 3 cm. , peduncle 11 cm long. Additional peduncular bract deltoid, 6 cm long, 2 cm wide and curled basally. Rachis branched to 2'nd order. Number of secondary rachillae 15, the basalmost one 6 cm long and bearing 3 rachillae. Rachillae 40 - 50 cm long throughout and curved at anthesis. Colour of fruits changing through maturation from greenish white to beige to eventually bright red. |
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