Orania parva

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Orania (oh-rahn-EE-ah)
parva (PAHR-vah)
04418 Orania parva LAE 74046.jpg
Photo by Dr. by Frederick B. Essig.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Orania (oh-rahn-EE-ah)
Species:
parva (PAHR-vah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Oceania
Oceania.gif
Morphology
Habit: Solitary
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

New Guinea. In Papua New Guinea known only from the type locality, with a number of
In the Frieda River Valley, Papua New Guinea, we found a different Orania, which proved to be a new species. I later named it Orania parva, for its rather small dimensions, Orania parva has a very small inflorescence. Photo by Dr. by Frederick B. Essig.
individuals seen (Essig 1980). Orania parva grows on well-drained slopes at about 60 m above sea level.

Description

Small palm. Trunk 4 m tall, about 8 cm in diam. (dbh) diameter breast high. Leaves spirally arranged, 200 - 204 cm long; petiole about 2 cm in diam., with dense red-brown tomentum; rachis about 2 cm in diam., with dense red-brown tomentum; leaflets regularly arranged, held in one plane, 23 leaflets on each side of rachis, about 90 - 106 cm long, 5.5 - 6 cm wide, about 8 - 13 cm distant, adaxial surface green, glabrous, with red-brown tomentum on the midrib and some of the other ribs, midrib thick, others slender, abaxial surface densely covered with white indumentum, red-brown tomentum on every rib and conspicuously on the base of leaflets, midrib slender. Inflorescence spreading, branching to 1 order, about 1.18 m (118 cm) long; prophyll persistent, about 38.5 cm long, 3.5 - 3.6 cm wide, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface with redbrown tomentum; peduncle about 81 cm long, glabrous; peduncular bract one, about 128 - 130 cm long, 3 - 3.8 cm wide, persistent, woody, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface densely covered with red-brown tomentum, splitting in the middle, from top to the base, heavily disintegrating into fibres when old; rachis about 37 cm long; rachillae slender, 8 - 10, about 35 - 36 cm long each, bearing 120 - 128 flower clusters, bearing triads arranged in the proximal half part, the basal about 3.5 cm devoid of flowers, triads about 1 - 1.5 cm distant, rachilla glabrous. Staminate flowers creamy white, with calyx of 3 united sepals, about 2 - 3 mm long; corolla with 3 free petals, about 5 - 8 mm long, 2 mm wide; stamens 6, 5 mm long, filaments always free, dark-brown, about 2 mm long, anthers elongate-lanceolate, pale yellow, about 3 mm long; pistillodes absent. Pistillate flowers creamy white, with calyx of 3 sepals, about 2 - 2.5 mm long; corolla with 3 free petals, about 6 - 7 mm long, 3 - 4 mm wide; staminodes 6, uniform, about 0.7 - 1 mm long; gynoecium dark brown, about 2 - 4 mm long, 2 - 3 mm wide, stigma with 3 elongate lobes. Fruits globose or bilobed, about 1.3 cm in diam. when young. Embryo placed below middle line of seed. Eophyll bifid. (A.P. Keim & J. Dransfield, A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae) in Kew Bulletin 67. 2012)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Orania parva is the smallest member of the genus. This is a beautiful small palm with a simply branching inflorescence and a very long peduncle. Essig (1980) mentioned that it often flowers within arm's reach and although only the type collection was made, a number of individuals were seen in the surrounding area and agreed well with the type. (A.P. Keim & J. Dransfield, A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae) in Kew Bulletin 67. 2012)/Palmweb.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b

Comments and Curiosities

Etymology: From the Latin, parvus - literally; small.

Conservation: Data deficient (DD). The palm is known only from its type and we have no recent information on the status of forests in the type locality. (A.P. Keim & J. Dransfield, A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae) in Kew Bulletin 67. 2012)/Palmweb.



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).

A.P. Keim & J. Dransfield, A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae) in Kew Bulletin 67. 2012


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

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