Pogonotium ursinum

Pogonotium (poh-goh-noh-TEE-uhm) ursinum (oor-SEE-nuhm)
Gunung Matang, Sarawak, Malaysia. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Pogonotium (poh-goh-noh-TEE-uhm) Species: ursinum (oor-SEE-nuhm)
Synonyms
Daemonorops ursina
Native Continent
Asia
Morphology
Habit: Solitary Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

Borneo, Malaya. A rare palm restricted to the 1st and 2nd Divisions; elsewhere known

Sarasota, FL. Photo by sarasota alex.

from one collection from Pahang in Peninsular Malaysia. P. ursinum seems to be a speciality of submontane ridgetops. It has been collected on G Matang, G Buri and G Gaharu. This is a beautiful rattan with its numerous, fine, soft, bristly leaflets.

Description

Solitary, short-stemmed, erect rattan, rarely taller than 4 m; stem without sheaths to 10 mm diam., with sheaths to 20 mm diarn,, internodes 5-10 cm. Sheaths densely covered in fine long black spines to 3 cni, sometimes with straw-coloured tips, mostly in horizontal groups with joined bases, some spines much smaller, bristle-like, and abundant pale brown hairs, the sheaths ending in 2 long, slender, tapering, erect ear-like processes (auricles), one on each side of the petiole, to 35 long, 1 cm wide at the base (usually less), ± convex, armed with scattered and grouped spines, the inner surface unarmed. Leaf to 1.2 m, ecirrate; petiole to c. 30 cm, c. 0.5 cm wide at the base, armed with pale reflexed grapnel spines and scattered black spicules and abundant indumentum, later becoming minutely roughened; rachis neatly curved, armed as the petiole; leaflets up to c. 100 on each side of the rachis, very regularly and closely arranged, c. 15 x 0,6 cm, limp, soft, each with a bunch of fine bristles at the base on the undersurface, and abundant soft bristles on both surfaces, the margins with long bristles interlocking with those of the next leaflet; young leaves tinged pink. Inflorescences small and inconspicuous, borne on the leaf sheaths, held erect between the auricles of the subtending leaf, rarely more than 16 cm long, closely adpressed to the sheaths; peduncle very short or absent, the entire inflorescence enclosed within the unarmed or bristly prophyll, splitting along its length to expose the flowers, other bracts very small. Mature fruit ± barrel-shaped, c. 17 x 14 mm, beaked, covered in 16-17 vertical rows of dull red-brown, thin, scarcely channelled scales. Seed 8x6x4 mm; sarcotesta sweet and juicy. Seedling leaf pinnate with c. 6 hairy leaflets on each side. (J. Dransfield, The Rattans of Sarawak. 1992) Editing by edric.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b

Comments and Curiosities

Etymology: The specific epithet from the latin; Bear-like, probably referring to the abundance of hair-like spines.