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<div type="description"><p>Slender palm. TRUNK 0.2-8 m tall, rarely with sheath remnants in the distal part, 7-12 cm diam.; basal boss to 10 cm high, 18 cm across; internodes 2-5 cm, brown-grey; nodal scars 0.7-2 cm light brown; wood hard. LEAVES 14-20 in crown, porrect and spreading, slightly arching; sheath 10-50 x 7-10 cm, white-floccose, with variously-sized remnants of more distal sheath material; petiole 10-50 cm, proxi mally 1.5-2.5 x 0.8-2 cm across, distally 1-1.8 x 0.8-1.4 cm, (but most of this used to have adjacent sheath material: true petiole 3-18 cm), channelled adaxially, convex abaxially, with raised sharp edges, abaxially white-tomentose; rachis 1.1-2 m, in mid-leaf 0.7-2 cm across, abaxially rounded with two blunt wings, adaxially channelled with blunt edges, densely white-tomentose when young; leaflets regular, the leaflets on opposite sides of the rachis at an angle of 90°, stiff in the proximal part, half-pendulous in their more distal part, green or glaucous with waxy covering when fresh, 49-73 on each side of the rachis, the proximal 9.5-59 x 0.1-1.1 cm, median 50-70 x 1.2-2.3 cm (interval 1-2 cm), distal 13.5-42 x 0.3-1.4 cm, ramenta sparse on the abaxial side, on the midrib only, spaced, large, white, main veins 2-4. STAMINATE INFLORESCENCE multiple in (1) 2s-6s, branched to 1-2 orders (in the Isalo populations the rachillae only branched at the very base of the inflorescence, and sometimes ; these branched rachillae not present), erect, 70-110 cm; peduncle 35-64 cm long, proximally 5-7 mm across, distally 3-7 mm across, densely white-puberulous; common prophyll 3.5-13.5 cm and membranous; peduncular bracts 9-24 cm (inserted at c. 3 cm from the base of the peduncle), 22-55 cm (inserted at c. 6 cm), 60-105 cm (inserted at c. 6 cm), 62-107 cm (inserted at c. 12 cm), densely pubescent abaxially, adaxially smooth and glabrous; rachis 21-46 cm long, ± glabrous, with c. 30 unbranched and 10 branched first order branches in Andringitra, 0-1 unbranched and 25-52 branched ones in Isalo, with rachis bracts c. 15 x 0.3 cm; rachillae close, porrect, 2-12 cm long, 1 mm across, zigzag, especially distally, with dense flowers; pedicel 0.2-1.5 mm. STAMINATE FLOWERS with the calyx connate for 0.3-1 mm, free lobes 0.8-1 x 0.8 mm, triangular, acute; petals free, 7.5-9 x 1.5 mm, gradually tapering to acute apex; anthers 2.5-3.2 x 1.3-1.4 mm, filaments 0.6 -0.7 mm, the 3 epipetalous stamens adnate for 0.7 mm; pistillode 1 x 0.4 mm. PISTILLATE INFLORESCENCE solitary, erect in bud, spreading at anthesis, pendulous in fruit, 66-158 cm long, branching to one order; peduncle 45-105 cm, slightly flattened, proximally 6-10 x 4-10 mm across, distally 4-10 mm across, pale brown- or grey-white tomentose, distally glabrescent; prophyll 6-18 cm, membranous; peduncular bracts respectively 13-34 (inserted at 0-3 cm from the base of the peduncle), 27-48 x 2.2-2.6 (inserted at 0-6 cm), 60-103 (inserted at 6-7 cm) and 59-158 x 1.6-2 cm (inserted at 10-14 cm), the distal two with apices at the same level; all bracts grey-puberulous to white floccose-tomentose abaxially, adaxially glabrous, smooth and rich brown when dry; non-tubular peduncular bract 4-9 x 0.3-0.4 cm; rachis 17-40 cm long, proximally white-tomentose or with grey bloom, otherwise glabrous; most proximal rachis bracts 38 x 5 mm; rachillae spreading or porrect, slightly zigzag, 24-35 in number, 4-26 cm long, 1.2-2 mm across, sinuous, with spaced flowers, with slightly bulbous base 3.5-4 x 2 mm, white-waxy; bracteole 2.3 x 1.8 mm; pedicels 0.5-5 mm. PISTILLATE FLOWERS with the calyx connate for 0.8 mm, free lobes triangular, acute, 1-3 x 1.0-2 mm; petals 6.5-8 x 1.2-1.7 mm, ovate, acute; staminodes 1.8 x 0.6 mm; ovary 2.5 x 1.3 mm. FRUIT yellow, 20-22 x 22-23 mm, 1-seeded; stigmatic remains lateral or subbasal. SEED 16-18 x 18-19 mm, dark brown; seedcoat brown, 0.2 mm thick; embryo 4 mm. EOPHYLL pinnate.</p></div>
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<div type="materials_examined"><p>Ihosy: Isalo, W of Ranohira, anno 1955 (fr.), Humbert 28705 (K, P); idem, July 1992 (pist.), Beentje & Andriampaniry 4711 (BH, K, MO, P, TAN) and (stam.), Beentje & Andriampaniry 4712 (K, MO, TAN); Isalo, Canyon des Singes, Jan. 1964 (fr.) , Bosser 18867 (P, TAN); idem, Feb. 1992 (fr.), Beentje 4588 (BH, K, MO, P, TAN) and (old stam.), Beentje 4589 (BH, K, MO, P, TAN); Isalo, Angabolava, Nov. 1960 (yfr.), Leandri 3923 (P); Isalo, Canyon des Rats, Nov. 1989 (fr.), B. Du Puy et al. MB 450 (BH, K, MO, P, TAN); Isalo, without precise locality, Oct. 1924 (stam., pist.), Perrier 16550 (P). Ambalavao: Andringitra, W slopes, 1200-1800 m, Sept. 1916 (pist.), Perrier 12061 (P); idem, 1500-2000 m, April 1921 (stam., fr.), Perrier 13649 (Holotype P); idem, Canton Sendrisoa, July 1951 (stam.), Razafindrakoto RN 3601 (P); idem, inselberg 11 km S of Ambalavao, Aug. 1972 (pist.), Cremers 2292 (TAN).</p></div>
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