| Field notes | Solitary. Syem procumbent or erect, to 4 m long, 3-5 cm in diam, erect for 1-2 m; base with adventitous roots forming a cone to 15 cm high; internodes 1-2 cm, armed with black spines to 6 cm in bands just below the leafscars. Leaves 5-9, pendulous; sheath 20-40 cm, open to base, densely armed with black spines to 8 cm, adaxial side violet; petiole 13-45 cm, green, rounded below, flat to rounded above, unarmed or with black spines basally; rachis 48-100 cm, rounded below, bifacial above, green, sparsely to densely covered above with short black spinules on upper side; pinnae 12-15 per side, irregular dispersed along rachis in groups of 1-3, in different planes, cuneate, apex obliquely premorse-dentate, basal pinnae 8-14 x 0.5-3 cm, middle pinnae 10-24 x 4-6 cm, apical pinnae 6-27 x 6-16 cm. Inflorescences interfoliar, to 4 per plant, pendulous once branched or occasionally spicate; prophyll 20-30 x 1-1.5 cm, abaxially covered with ca. 0.5 cm long brown spines, cream at margins, adaxially smooth, cream, wilting brown - chartaceous from apex; peduncular bract 80-100 cm, 2.5 cm wide, 1 cm in diam. before splitting, very thin, membranaceous, violet, becoming brown - chartaceous and hanging down, apex with a 2 cm long point, outside smooth or with many short spines towards apex; peduncle 40-70 cm, 3-6 mm wide, somewhat flattened, light green, covered with 0.5 cm long spinules and few to many slender spines of uneven length, to 4 cm long; rachis 20-60 cm, armed like peduncle; rachillae 1-8, all reaching the same point, lower rachillae 75 cm long, pedunculate for 50 cm, in this part 2 x 1 mm, green, smooth or with sparse spinules, fertile part 20-23 cm long, 3-5 mm in diam., strongly flexed on apical, staminate part. Note: All older inflorescences seen aborted, none had fruits. |
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