Ptychosperma ambiguum

Ptychosperma (ty-koh-SPEHR-mah) ambiguum (ahm-big-OO-uhm)
Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Gardens, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft
Scientific Classification
Genus: Ptychosperma (ty-koh-SPEHR-mah) Species: ambiguum (ahm-big-OO-uhm)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Oceania
Morphology
Habit: Clustering & solitary Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Palem bambu (Java)

Habitat and Distribution

New Guinea. Grows

Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Gardens, Thailand. Photo by Paul Craft

on limestone deposits.

Description

Clustering, rarely solitary palm to about 5 m tall, although, trunk rarely larger than 2.5 cm (one inch). It has leaves to about 1.25 m long (4 feet), with narrow leaflets clustered along the stem. It has inflorescence brarched to 3 orders, with black fruit, bright red rachillae and cupules. Editing by edric.

Culture

Growing on limestone deposits, it is best suitable to soils with a high pH. Requires a warm, moist, well drained and sheltered position. Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b

Comments and Curiosities

A solitary, very slender species from the understory of rainforests in western New Guinea, where it grows on limestone rock. The leaves have rather narrow, clustering leaflets, and the bright red fruit stalks carry attractive black fruits. (RPS.com)

"ambiguum is definitely the right word... only sources I can find for this palm in the literature say it is a solitary palm, yet all the photos and plants I have personally seen are clustering palms... nothing matches... but since I am more swayed by what I see, than what I read (escecially if not written by a researcher) I will assume this is a suckering species- from New Guinea. Has drooping leaves with long, premorse leaflets and a fairly open crown, as the suckers are arched away from the center, making it a particularly ornamental palm." (Geoff Stein)