Dypsis nodifera
Dypsis (DIP-sis) nodifera (noh-dih-FEHR-ah) | |||||||
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Vohimana Reserve, Madagascar. "Photo by Olivier Reilhes" | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
Endemic to Northwest, East and Southeast Madagascar. Moist forest, on steep or slight mid slopes, or littoral forest on white sand and then on the flat; alt. 5-1440 m.Description
Solitary (but sometimes subcolonial) palm. STEM 2-10 m tall, 1.2-6 cm in diam., 1-3 cm diam. near the apex, sometimes procumbent with only the distal part erect; stilt roots sometimes present; internodes 3.5-10 cm long, dull grey to distally red-brown; wood hard; crownshaft pale green with reddish flecks, 25-35 cm long. LEAVES 6-12 in the crown (to 17 and 3-ranked according to Dorr), erect to porrect, slightly arching; sheath 12-30 cm long, 1.5-1.6 cm across, closed, pale green or grey-green, sometimes tinged with pink, with scattered (distally denser) red-purple scales, without obvious ligules or (more often) with dark triangular auricles 0.5-5 cm high; petiole absent or up to 28 cm long, proximally 5-12 x 3-6 mm across, distally 3.5-10 x 2.5-4 mm across, yellow-green, adaxially channelled or flat, less often slightly convex, densely scaly; rachis 24-75 cm long, in mid-leaf 3-5 x 2-3.5 mm, densely scaly on both surfaces but adaxially glabrescent; leaflets (12-) 23-59 on each side of the rachis, in groups of 2-6, the groups at intervals of 5-15 cm, the leaflets within the groups 0.2-0.8 cm apart, twisted and fanned within the groups with their apices pendulous, within the groups the leaflets increasing in size from proximal to distal, often with swellings 2-4 mm across at the insertion point on the rachis, the distal often reflexed towards the leaf base, the proximal 14-35 x 0.1-1.8 cm, the median 12-37 x 1.2-4.5 cm, the distal 6.5-20.5 x 0.4-3.5 cm, proximal and median narrowly ovate, long-acumi-nate, dark green, with 1-7 main veins and minute scattered reddish scales, larger scales on the margins and occasionally some medium-sized (3-4 mm) ramenta in the proximal part, distal pair joined at the base for 0.3-3.3 cm, with 1-5 main veins and dentate narrow apices. INFLORESCENCE interfoliar to infrafoliar, 20-90 cm long, branched to 3 orders, less often to 2 or 4 orders, porrect to arching with pendulous rachillae, protandrous; peduncle (5 -) 13-32 cm long, proximally 10-15 x 5-8 mm across, distally 5-9 x 4-6 mm, densely scaly; prophyll 7-33 cm long, 0.9-3 cm wide, borne at 2-6 cm above the base of the peduncle, glabrous, opening near the apex only; peduncular bract inserted at 4-11 cm from the base of the peduncle, soon deciduous, 12-26 cm long, opening over its entire length except for the 0.5- cm long beak, adaxially rich red-brown, abaxially pale brown with some scattered scales; non-tubular peduncular bract inserted at 12-18 cm from the base of the peduncle, triangular, 0.2-1.8 cm long; rachis (7-) 13-30 cm long, densely scaly but glabrescent, with rachis bracts to 12 x 8 mm, with 8-14 branched and 6-10 unbranched first order branches, the proximal ones basally 5-12 x 3-5 mm across; rachillae (7-) 12-34 cm long, about 1 mm across, puberulous but glabrescent, with spaced superficial triads; buds red, flowers white, pink or cher-ry-red. STAMINATE FLOWERS with sepals imbricate, 0.8-1.2 x 1-1.6 mm, proximally keeled and gibbous, concave, with ragged membranous margins; petals red, with fleshy apex, 0.8-1.6 x 1.7-2.3 mm, broadly ovate, rounded with small apiculus; stamens 6, didymous, biseriate, with the antepetalous stamens inserted higher up and more central than the antesepalous ones, filaments 0.5-1 x 0.5-0.7 mm and triangular, anthers 0.3-0.4 x 0.5-0.6 mm, the locules dorsifixed, proximally divergent, obtuse, not versatile; pistillode invisible or nearly so. PISTILLATE FLOWERS with sepals 1.2-1.5 x 1.5-1.9 mm, broadly elliptic; petals white, elliptical with broad membranous wings, distally fleshy, 1.4-2.2 x 2-2.5 mm; staminodes six, minute; gynoecium 1-1.5 x 1.3-1.5 mm, asymmetric, the style arms up to 0.6 mm long. FRUIT ellipsoid, green (always?), 8-10 x 5-8 mm, rounded at both ends; endocarp fibrous, with somewhat anastomosing fibres. SEED ellipsoid, about x 5.5 mm, with rounded ends; endocarp deeply (> 50 %) ruminate. (J. Dransfield and H. Beentje. 1995)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.
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Although the generic name was validly published by J.D. Hooker in Bentham & J.D. Hooker, Genera Plantarum 3: 877, 909 (1883), the only species mentioned under Phloga is Dypsis nodifera Mart., and under the Code, Article 33.1, Ex. 2, this does not qualify as a new combination. The species bears an extraordinary resemblance to Dypsis pinnatifrons, but can be distinguished by the six stamens (not three) and the ruminate endosperm (not homogeneous, as in the Dypsis). Plants out in the open often have much narrower leaves, and forms with extremely narrow leaves have been split off as var. stenophylla; we believe this is merely an adaptation to bright light, and there are intermediate forms; therefore, we have relegated this variety to synonymy. The flowers were visited by flies in Dransfield et al. JD6436. Overdorff reports that leaves and fruit are eaten by Lemur fulvus and L. rubriventer. Variability can be quite large locally: in Beentje collections at Betampona several trees standing close together were collected, and inflorescences within this population were branched to two or three orders; the prophyll varied in length from 12 to 33 cm. But Beentje & Dransfield 4808 (Mananara Avaratra: Antanambe, Oct. 1994, y.fr.) is so different that it is only tentatively included here. The rachis is slightly longer, but the leaflets are not as tightly grouped and certainly not ovate; they are also less fanned. (J. Dransfield and H. Beentje. 1995)/Palmweb. Note: The author of the combination is often cited as Noronha ex Salomon, even by Salomon himself This is not correct: Salomon is the author of the combination, and Noronha had nothing to do with it. (J. Dransfield and H. Beentje.1995)/Palmweb. Note: The name Phloga polystachya was published as a nomen nudum by Noronha in Prodromus Phytologicus, in Du Petit-Thouars, Mélanges de Botanique et des Voyages (1811); there was no description of any kind, but Noronha gives its local name as "Ou Van"; the same local name for this species was given to HB in 1991 Martius, in 1849, cites Phloga polystachya Noronha MSS as a synonym of his own Dypsis nodifera Mart, and Moore (1963) therefore cited the name as Phloga polystachya Noronha ex Mart Hooker (1887) cited the name Dypsis nodifera Mart under the description of Phloga, but did not make the new combination The first to make the combination under Phloga was Baker (1887); it is curious that Baker also described Dypsis polystachya, with a different type, two pages earlier, but did not compare the two Phloga polystachya is an invalid name, as it is a synonym of Dypsis nodifera. (J. Dransfield and H. Beentje. 1995)/Palmweb. |
Culture
Lightly shaded, moist, but well drained position. A very attractive, and easily grown garden plant. Cold Hardiness Zone: 10a
Comments and Curiosities
This is one of the commonest and most widespread of all Madagascar palms, occurring from sea level up to nearly 1500 m. It is a very attractive single-stemmed species with a slender trunk and leaves with strongly grouped leaflets. In fact it appears uncannily like D. pinnatifrons, and, without staminate flowers and/or fruit it is impossible to tell them apart. The two species can also grow in the same habitat and area, to add to the confusion, but generally, the present species is the smaller and more slender of the two. Young seedlings, however, seem to be easily identified (see notes under D. pinnatifrons). The exposed forms of D. nodifera with very narrow leaflets can be strikingly beautiful. D. nodifera is undoubtedly in cultivation, where it will be impossible to distinguish from D. pinnatifrons until it flowers. (J. Dransfield and H. Beentje. 1995)/Palmweb.
Conservation: Not threatened. Widespread and common.
Uses: Hollowed out stems are used as blowpipes, for poison darts.
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).
Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995. The Palms of Madagascar. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and The International Palm Society.
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.