Orania disticha
Orania (oh-rahn-EE-ah) disticha (dihs-TEE-kah) | |||||||
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Floribunda Palms and Exotics, Hawaii. Photo by Geoff Stein. | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
New Guinea. In Papua this species is found from the tip of the Bird's Head Peninsula region through Nabire in the central part to somewhere near the Idenburg (now Taritatu) river and the southern part of Papua New Guinea up to the south-central part. Abundant on low ridges of lowland tropical rainforest altitudes about 50 to 100 m and up to margin of primary rainforest in rather higher areas reaching about 810 m above sea level. (A.P. Keim and J. Dransfield. 2012)Description
Robust palm. Trunk about 15 - 20 m tall, about 20 - 23 cm in diam. breast high. Leaves 7 - 12 in the crown, distichously arranged, about 4.3 m long; leaf-sheath and petiole about 1.3 m long, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface with dense red-brown tomentum, margins disintegrating into fibres; petiole densely covered with red-brown tomentum; rachis about 3 m long, about 2.5 - 3 cm in diam.; leaflets elongate-lanceolate, regularly arranged, held in one plane, distance between 2 leaflets about 7 - 8 cm, about 90 - 150 cm long, 6.5 - 7.5 cm wide, adaxial surface glabrous, shining, with possible wax, midrib robust, other ribs less robust but thick; abaxial surface with white indumentum, thin red-brown tomentum on the margin and some of the ribs, midrib robust. Inflorescence spreading, branching to 2 orders, glabrous, robust, about 1.2 - 1.3 m long; prophyll persistent, about 30 × 7 cm, disintegrating into fibres when old; peduncle about 3 cm in diam.; peduncular bract one, woody, persistent, about 1.3 m long, including about 15 cm acuminate tip, about 13 cm wide near base, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface with dense redbrown tomentum, splitting in the middle, disintegrating into fibres when old; first order branches about 56 - 60 cm long, rachillae bract about 3 - 5 mm long, 10 mm wide; rachillae robust, conspicuously zigzag, about 41 - 70 cm long each, bearing 65 - 115 flower clusters, triads proximally arranged up to about half part of rachilla, distally half part of rachilla with paired staminate flowers, the basal about 1.5 - 3.5 cm devoid of flowers, triads about 1.5 - 2.3 cm distant, rachilla glabrous. Staminate flowers pale creamy brown; with calyx of 3 united minute sepals; corolla with 3 free petals, about 13 - 14 mm long, 4 - 5 mm wide; stamens 6, filaments free, dark brown, about 1.7 - 2.3 mm long, anthers elongate-lanceolate, pale creamy yellow, always free, about 6.5 - 7 mm long; pistillode absent. Pistillode flowers pale creamy brown; with calyx of 3 united sepals, about 2 - 3 mm long; corolla with 3 free petals, about 8 - 12 mmlong, about 5 - 6 mm wide; staminodes 6, about 1.3 - 2 mm long; gynoecium dark brown, about 4 × 3 mm; stigma with 3 elongate lobes. Fruit globose or lobed, orange (see Burret 1935), about 5.5 - 6 cm in diam.; epicarp thin, smooth; mesocarp fibrous, about 3 mm thick; endocarp hard, red brown, about 1 mm thick; testa very thin, red-brown, covering the endosperm; endosperm homogenous, creamy white, about 4.5 - 5 cm in diam., about 1.5 cm thick, with hollow inside, about 2 cm wide. Embryo placed below middle line of seed. Eophyll bifid. (A.P. Keim and J. Dransfield. 2012)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.
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In the most recent monograph of the genus (Essig 1980), Orania disticha was the only New Guinean species known to have its leaves arranged distichously. In the present study, we describe another distichous species, O. tabubilensis. Apart from the distichous leaves, O. disticha is very similar to O. palindan. However, we regard distichy as sufficiently important to recognise O. disticha as a species based on recent fieldwork in New Guinea by Baker (2000 pers. comm.) and Maturbongs (2001 pers. comm.). They reported that the distichous leaf arrangement persists in mature individuals found in Madang, Papua New Guinea (Baker 2000 pers. comm.) and Kwatisore-Nabire, Papua (Maturbongs 2001 pers. comm.). Unfortunately, Baker only saw the population from the air on his way to other collecting areas. However, Maturbongs provided us with a good collection. In 2002 Maturbongs collected another specimen of distichous Orania from a different location in Papua, Warsamson area, which is north-east of Sorong in the Bird's Head Peninsula. They match the descriptions of O. disticha. A claim for another distichous taxon found in New Guinea was proposed by Ferrero (1997). He reported the presence of an individual with a distichous leaf arrangement and colourful leaves in Papua without giving any details of the exact location and suggested it as a new species. In fact the leaf of O. disticha is indeed densely covered with red-brown tomentum and actually in the protologue Burret (1935) clearly noted this. It is the inflorescence, which is glabrous, not the leaf. In this present study it is suggested that until more evidence becomes available, Ferrero's record is best treated as possibly belonging to O. disticha. The observations on herbarium specimens carried out in this study also agree with the protologue. The other distichous taxa are in Madagascar. Essig (1980) in his monograph wrote that Burret did not designate a holotype and with the Berlin specimen destroyed, Essig selected the specimen in A as lectotype. (A.P. Keim and J. Dransfield. 2012)/Palmweb. |
Culture
This species of Orania has it's leaves all on one plane as the name suggests, grows very well in subtropics and will take short periods of temperatures as low as 2 degrees C. This palm will grow to around 20+ m tall and is solitary likes a thick mulch up to 2 m around the palm in a sunny position with regular watering, fertilize once a year with a slow release fertilizer. Growing Climate: -Temperatures 2 degrees C to 40.C. (Utopia Palms & Cycads) Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b
Comments and Curiosities
Etymology: Genus name; Honors the early 19th century Crown Prince of the Netherlands, F.G.L. Willem van Nassau, Prince of Orange. Species name; Distichous appearance.
Conservation: Near threatened (NT). The palm is known from nine different localities with a wide extent of occurrence but wherever it occurs, the vegetation is subject to extensive logging and disturbance from oil and gas extraction. (A.P. Keim and J. Dransfield. 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).
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.