| Field notes | Stem solitary, 5-6 m tall, 4.5 cm diam, brown, with 20 cm internodes at base. Leaves 12, leaf-sheaths forming crown shaft, sheaths closed for lower two thirds on outer leaf, inner ones closed completely, sheath 34 cm long, slightly fibrous at apex, purple and covered with brown elongate markings, purple inside; petiole 3 cm long, rounded below, grooved above, purple below, green above; rachis 110 cm, purple, with 38 horizontally spreading pinnae per side, lower 3 pinnae narrow and lying next to rachis, middle pinnae 35 cm long and 2.3 cm wide, upper ones 11 cm long and 1 cm wide. Inflorescence buds infrafoliar, erect, prophyll inserted just above narrowed base, bicarinate, split at apex in radial plane, bifid at tip, 26 cm long, 4.2 cm wide at base, 6.5 cm at middle, dark purple to almost black; peduncular bract inserted 2-3 cm from base, 39 cm long, 2 cm wide at base, 4 cm at middle, round in cross-section, except for dorso-ventrally flattened apical 10 cm, acuminate at apex, cream-coloured at base, becoming increasingly purple above, to black at apex; twisted overall; peduncle 7 cm long, basal 1.5 cm dorsoventrally compressed, abruptly narrowing to 1.8 cm at insertion of prophyll, and 1.5 cm at insertion of peduncular bract, with 4 additional thin purple acuminate bracts, 3.5 x 2 cm - 2.0 x 1.5 cm, purple; rachis 14 cm, white-ivory-coloured; rachillae 54, ivory-coloured, 16-10 cm long, flower buds white-purple, rachillae glabrous. All inflorescence details from unopened bud. Duplicates: AAU, NY, QCA. |
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