| Field notes | Stems cespitose to 1.1 m tall, 1. 5 cm diam., covered with leaves to the base. Leaves 12 spaced all along the stem. Sheath closed, 30 cm long, brown, smooth becoming fibrous. Petiole 50 cm long, 5 cm thick, sparsely covered with 4 cm long round spines below and on the sides, rounded below, shallowly grooved above, green. Rachis 53 cm long, rounded below/ ridged above, with 4 - 5 pinnae per side, inserted singly or two together, with one or two spines similar to those of petiole. Basal pinna 37 x 4 cm, lanceolate, long acuminate . Middle pinna 4 0 x 4 cm, lanceolate, long acuminate. Apical pinna 35 x 8 cm, lanceolate, short acuminate. All pinnae with short spines at margin. Pinnae at slightly different angles to the rachis. Inflorescence interfoliar erect, peduncle 11 cm long, flattened, creamy white with brown tomentum. Prophyll 14 cm long, 1. 5 cm wide, bicarinate, half encircling the stem, two-horned at the apex. Peduncular bract 24 cm long, closed for basal 10 cm, 4 cm wide, acuminate, creamy white on inside, greenish brown and densely covered with 1 cm long reddish brown spines on outside. Rachis less than 1 cm. Rachillae 4, 7 cm long, with scattered pistillate flowers. Rachis, rachillae and flowers all creamy white. Inflorescence oriented laterally relative to stem. Protogynous. Between pistillate and staminate anthesis at 11 am visited by several types of weevils. Fruits collected from another specimen, pruple when ripe, rostrate, 2 cm x 1 cm . |
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