Heterospathe elegans

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Heterospathe
(heht-eh-roh-SPATH-eh)
elegans (EHL-eh-ganz)
52dec1f7423f6.jpg
Bonario Mountain, Narduo, near F, Papua New Guinea. Heterospathe elegans subsp. humilis. Photo by Dr. William J. Baker, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Heterospathe
(heht-eh-roh-SPATH-eh)
Species:
elegans (EHL-eh-ganz)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Oceania
Oceania.gif
Morphology
Habit: Solitary & clustering.
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

New Guinea.
Bonario Mountain, Narduo, near F, Papua New Guinea. Heterospathe elegans subsp. humilis. Photo by Dr. William J. Baker, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.

Description

Slender, solitary or clustering, understorey palm, acaulescent or with aerial stem to 2.5 m, bearing 7 - 12 (-18) leaves per crown. Stem 1 - 5 cm in diam., with persistent leaf bases towards the apex; internodes 1.5 - 3.5 cm. Leaf 1 - 3.3 m long including petiole; sheath indistinct or to 42 cm, margins fibrous; petiole 42 - 130 cm long, concave adaxially, rounded abaxially; rachis 20 - 140 cm long; pinnately divided (occasionally entire) with 6 - 43 leaflets each side of rachis; leaflets arranged regularly or rarely in pairs, borne 1 - 10 cm apart, adaxial surface dark green, abaxial surface green, ramenta (if present) to 2.4 mm long, attached to abaxial midvein for up to ¾ the leaflet length, small brown scales sometimes present on abaxial leaflet surface; middle leaflet 21 - 58 cm long, 1 - 2.75 cm wide, sigmoid, with 1 - 8 folds, transverse veinlets inconspicuous; apical leaflets 9.5 - 43 cm long, 0.4 - 4.5 cm wide, sigmoid to linear, 1 - 10 folds. Inflorescence 65 - 150 cm long, interfoliar, elongate, branched to 1 - 2 orders; prophyll 12.5 - 46 cm long, 0.5 - 2 cm wide, flattened, splitting apically; peduncular bracts 1(-2); first peduncular bract 12.5 - 60 cm long, 0.25 - 1.5 cm wide, tubular, inserted above the tip of the prophyll in the distal quarter of the peduncle; splitting lengthwise or rarely detaching basally to leave a 1 - 2 cm collar-like remnant; second peduncular bract (if present) 0.1 - 1.5 cm long; peduncle 50 - 140 cm long, 1.5 - 5.5 mm wide, ellipsoid in section, often covered with tomentum which is more dense above the insertion of the first peduncular bract; first order branches 4 - 16, to 26 cm long, 0.5 - 5.5 cm apart, with up to 7 rachillae; rachillae 5 - 17 cm long, 1 - 2 mm in diam.; triads up to 2 mm apart, arranged spirally, lacking female flowers in distal quarter of rachilla. Male flower 1.8 - 3.8 mm long, 1.5 - 2.6 mm in diam. at anthesis; sepals 3, 1 - 2 mm long, 1.5 - 2.5 mm wide, imbricate, green, margins sometimes ciliate; petals 1.4 - 3 mm long, 1.2 - 3 mm wide, valvate, triangular, green, striate when dry; stamens 6; filaments 0.8 - 1.9 mm long, free, inflexed; anthers 1 - 2 mm long, 0.2 - 1.5 mm wide, curved, yellow, dorsifixed and versatile, latrorse, connective dark brown; pistillode 0.8 - 1.8 mm long, 0.2 - 0.5 mm in diam. at middle, straight or slightly tapered, trifid, dark red-brown. Female flower 1.5 - 2.9 mm long, 1.7 - 2.9 mm diam.; sepals 3, 1.5 - 2.4 mm long, 1.3 - 2.5 mm wide, imbricate, cucullate, margins often ciliate; petals 3, 1 - 2.3 mm long, 0.7 - 1.7 mm wide, imbricate with valvate apices; gynoecium 1 - 2 mm long, 0.8 - 1.8 mm in diam., globose, stigma minute. Fruit 10 - 15 mm long, 8 - 10 mm in diam., globose with small, subapical stigmatic remains, bright red or orange; endocarp 8 - 10 mm long, c. 6 mm in diam., pale brown, very thin, often adheres to seed. Seed 5 - 8 mm long, 5 - 8 mm in diam., globose; endosperm ruminate; embryo basal. (Trudgen, M.S. and Baker, W.J. 2008. A revision of the Heterospathe elegans (Arecaceae) complex in New Guinea. Kew Bulletin, Vol. 63, pp 639-647)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b

Comments and Curiosities

There are two subspcies:

1.) Heterospathe elegans subsp. elegans; New Guinea.

2.) Heterospathe elegans subsp. humilis; New Guinea.



External Links

References

Phonetic spelling of Latin names by edric.

Special thanks to Geoff Stein, (Palmbob) for his hundreds of photos.

Special thanks to Palmweb.org, Dr. John Dransfield, Dr. Bill Baker & team, for their volumes of information and photos.

Glossary of Palm Terms; Based on the glossary in Dransfield, J., N.W. Uhl, C.B. Asmussen-Lange, W.J. Baker, M.M. Harley & C.E. Lewis. 2008. Genera Palmarum - Evolution and Classification of the Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. All images copyright of the artists and photographers (see images for credits).

Trudgen, M.S. and Baker, W.J. 2008. A revision of the Heterospathe elegans (Arecaceae) complex in New Guinea. Kew Bulletin, Vol. 63, pp 639-647


Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.

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