Dypsis mahia

Dypsis (DIP-sis) mahia (mah-HEE-ah)
Manombo, Farafangana, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. Mijoro Rakotoarinivo/Palmweb.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Dypsis (DIP-sis) Species: mahia (mah-HEE-ah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Africa
Morphology
Habit: Solitary, may split. Leaf type: Entire bifid
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

Manombo, Madagascar; only known from the type. Lowland rain forest on thin humus layer

Photo by Dr. Bill Beattie, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.

over rocky soil; about 60 m. ele. (J. Dransfield & H. Beentje, The Palms of Madagascar. 1995)/Palmweb.

Description

Solitary or with paired stems. STEMS to 60 cm, about 6 mm in diam; internodes 3-6 mm, glabrous; nodal scars 1-2 mm. LEAVES 8-10 in the crown, entire; sheath 5-5.5 cm long, the outer open, the inner closed, pale brown with scattered reddish scales distally, with laciniate edges, without auricles; petiole 5.5-7 cm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, with scattered scales; lamina entire, 34-38 cm long, connate for 5-7 cm, lobed for 80-85 %, the lobes 1.1-1.8 cm wide; main veins 5, with few small reddish scales; apices long-acumi-nate, not dentate. INFLORESCENCE interfoliar, erect, branched to 1 order; peduncle 15 -16 cm long, 1.5-2 mm in diam., glabrous; prophyll 11-11.5 cm long, open in the distal 1 cm, with few scattered scales; peduncular bract inserted at about 8 cm from the base of the peduncle, about 10.5 cm long, open in the distal 4.5 cm, with few scattered scales; rachis about 6 cm long, glabrous, with 12 rachillae; rachillae porrect, 3-5 cm long, 0.6 mm in diam., glabrous. STAMINATE FLOWERS yellow in bud, with sepals 0.5-0.6 x 0.5-0.7 mm; petals 0.7-0.9 x 0.8 mm; stamens 6, uniseriate?, the filaments connate at the base, 0.4 mm long and thin, anthers 0.4 x 0.3 mm, AB dorsifixed, slighttly sagittate. PISTILLATE FLOWERS not seen. FRUIT not seen. (J. Dransfield & H. Beentje, The Palms of Madagascar. 1995)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

D. mahia has stems and sheaths reminiscent of D. bernierana, but is otherwise very different and does not really resemble any other species. (J. Dransfield & H. Beentje, The Palms of Madagascar. 1995)/Palmweb.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 10a

Comments and Curiosities

This is a very small species with pencil-thin stems. The small, entire leaves with long lobes are very distinct. Mahia is Malagasy for 'slender' and refers to the very slender lobes of the lamina which, curiously and most unusually in the genus, are acuminate rather than dentate. (J. Dransfield & H. Beentje, The Palms of Madagascar. 1995)/Palmweb.

Conservation: Critical. Known from a single site, which is slowly being destroyed by fire, shifting cultivation and logging. (J. Dransfield & H. Beentje, The Palms of Madagascar. 1995)/Palmweb.