|
30
|
<div type="description"><p>Solitary, slender to moderate, pleonanthic monoecious undergrowth palm, to 3 m tall. Stem to 6 cm diam.; internodes 3-7 cm long, the younger portions of the stem often covered with greyish-brown indumentum as the leaf sheath. Crownshaft elongate, cylindrical, slightly swollen, to 45 cm long. Leaves to 8 in crown; sheath to 30 cm long, densely covered with greyish-brown indumentum; leaf without sheath to 1 m long; petiole c. 9-23 x 0.6-1 cm, shallowly channelled adaxially, convex abaxially, densely covered with brown scaly indumentum; rachis angular, bifacial adaxially and nearly glabrous, obtusely rounded abaxially and densely covered with brown scaly indumentum as petiole. Leaflets to 24 on each side of the rachis, ± sigmoidal, generally unicostate except occasionally for basal and subapical and apical leaflets, regularly arranged, 2.5-4 cm apart, the apex long-acuminate to subfalcate, glossy green adaxially and drying greyish, prominently glaucous on undersurface when fresh, the mid- costa sharply edged, the leaflets often drying brittle; basal leaflets 1-costate, rarely 2- or 3-costate, c. 17-41 x 0.5-2.7 cm; middle leaflets 1-costate, c. 44-47 x 1.1-1.3 cm; apical leaflets 5-6-costate, c. 14-27 x 2.0-2.5 cm, joined to 4 cm at the base along the rachis, the apex incised to as many lobes as there are costae, the lobes acute to acuminate, to 2 cm long. Inflorescence infrafoliar, pendulous; prophyll ensiform, 2-keeled, c. 19 x 5.5 cm; peduncle c. 2-3 x 1-1.5 cm, flattened, to 4 mm thick, glabrous, somewhat orange when fresh; main axis 3-6 cm long, tapering distally; rachillae 6-10, each 10-18 cm long, flattened, ± triangular at very base only, to 5 mm wide, 3 mm thick when dry, somewhat orange when fresh as peduncle, the subtending bract a narrow, low collar; triads borne distichously along the rachilla. Staminate flower triangular, trigonous, asymmetrical, 11 x 7 mm; calyx poorly developed, present only as a shortly 3-lobed very low collar to 6 mm across, rarely to 1 mm high; petals 3, unequal, valvate, + ovate-lanceolate, 8-10 x 5-7 mm; stamens about 26-30; anthers basifixed, 3 x 0.5 mm; filaments to 0.3 mm long. Pistillate flower depressed-globose, 4 x 4-5 mm, sepals as long as the petals; sepals 3, free, unequal, imbricate, ± obtusely rounded at tips, 3 x 4 mm; petals ? narrower than the sepals and more cucullate, the apex shortly apiculate; ovary broadly ovoid, 3.5 x 3 mm, tipped with an irregularly-lobed stigma. Fruiting perianth depressed-cupular, 2.5 mm high, 4 mm across, with a flat base and slightly contracted mouth, the petals and sepals free, imbricate, subequal, glabrous, the subtending bract a low, explanate, semi-annular collar to 0.5 mm high. Fruit distichous, 7-10 mm apart, ripening yellow then red, but ultimately satiny purplish-black; juvenile fruits fusiform, ultimately ovoid-globose or sphaeroidal when ripe, c. 2 x 1.8 cm, obtusely apiculate; epicarp in unripe fruits drying light brown and finely striate, that in ripe fruits generally smooth and often retaining blackish colour; mesocarp fibrous; seed broadly ovoid-globose, c. 1 x 1 cm, ± rounded at both ends; endosperm ruminate; embryo basal. Eophyll bifid, to 6.5 cm long including petiole and sheath; leaf segments to 4-costate, c. 5 x 1.2 cm, cucullate, acuminate at tips.</p></div>
|