| Field notes | Solitary palm tree 22 m tall, 18 cm in diam., heavily sclereified in peripheral 3 cm of the stem. Leaf scars inconspicuous, upper stem with irregular longitudinal furrows. Leaves in crown 35-40. Petiole to 154 cm long, spineless (also spineless seedlings). Leaf base fibres coarse, brown, remaining attached to the base of the petiole, ligule short; fibres appearing to disintegrate readily. Lamina rigid, segments erect. Segments ca 45; mid segment 118 cm long, lateral 100 cm long, basal 75 cm long; depth of split: mid segment 52 cm, apical split 2 cm; lateral 84 cm, apical 4 cm; basal 66 cm, apical 1 cm. Segment width at disjuntion: mid segment 5 cm, lateral 3.5 cm, basal 1 cm. Abaxial surface of leaf much lighter green than adaxial surface, both surfaces waxy. Venation of mid segment (taken in middle of the segment) - parallel ribs 7-8 each side of mid rib; transverse veinlets more prominent than parallel veins on both surfaces; transverse veinlets cross up to 4 parallel ribs, with density of c. 26 veinlets per 150 mm square area. Immature infructescence: Prophyll 25 cm long, yellow basally, brown, chartaceous distally, splitting on adaxial and abaxial sides rather irregularly and disintegrating in fibrous mesh. Inflorescence branching in prophyll in three partials described hereafter as separate inflorescences: peduncle of the middle inflorescence 70 cm long, with 4 PD bracts, oval to lens shaped in cross section, widest diam. 2.8 cm, peduncles of the lateral inflorescences, 54 cm long, with 2 PD bracts, almost terete and 1.6 cm in diam. Rachis of the middle inflorescence 155 cm long with 9 partial inflorescences (2. order), rachis of the lateral inflorescences 100 cm long, 6-8 partial inflorescences. Rachis bracts tightly tubular, finely fibrous and lacerate at the apex, light reddish brown. Partial inflorescences branched to 3. order, rachis to 30 cm long, basally densely chocolate brown furfuraceous. Lowest part with subtending bracts subtending the lateral branches. Rachillae to 12 cm long, 2-3 mm thick. Immature fruits moderately spaced , obovate to obpyriform in immature stage, stigmatic remains sub-apical, epicarp with stout, longitudinally arranged, yellow lines (or dots), fruit with 4-5 mm long, thick, disjointed pedicel . Additional material: Habit photographs (JCT, AAU), pickled young fruits (AAU) Duplicates at: AAU, LAE, BRI, K, CANB. |
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