Orania oreophila

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Orania (oh-rahn-EE-ah)
oreophila (or-eh-oh-FILL-ah)
Oo2785450.jpg
Kassam Pass, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. Photo by Dr. Mark Coode, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Orania (oh-rahn-EE-ah)
Species:
oreophila (or-eh-oh-FILL-ah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Oceania
Oceania.gif
Morphology
Habit: Solitary
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

New Guinea, Papua New Guinea: mountains of the Kainantu Sub-province and Bismarck Mountains, in Eastern Highlands Province to mountains of the western part of Morobe Province.
Kassam Pass, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. Photo by Dr. Mark Coode, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.
Always at high elevation within a range of approx. 1281 - 1620 m (4200 - 5300 feet). In Castanopsis dominated highland forest. Recorded from 6°12'S to 6°28'S latitude and 146°02'E to 146°05'E longitude. (A.P. Keim & J. Dransfield, A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae) in Kew Bulletin 67. 2012)/Palmweb.

Description

Small palm. Trunk about 5 cm in diam. (diameter at breast height). Leaves 5 - 6 in the crown, spirally arranged, about 275 - 310 cm long; leafsheath about 20 cm long, margins disintegrating into fibres, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface with dense redbrown tomentum; petiole 100 - 120 cm long, with thin red-brown tomentum; rachis 155 to 170 cm long, about 1 cm in diam. in the middle, with dense red-brown tomentum; leaflets elongate-lanceolate, spirally arranged leaflets held in one plane, the proximal 2 leaflets crowded in a group, otherwise about 7 - 8 cm distant in the middle, 22 - 24 on each side, about 60 - 78 cm long, 4.5 - 5 cm wide, adaxial surface dark green, glabrous, with red-brown tomentum on midrib, midrib thick, other ribs slender, glabrous, abaxial surface withwhite indumentum, red-brown tomentum on the margin, ribs slender. Inflorescence spreading, branching to 2 orders, covered with red-brown tomentum, no sign of wax; prophyll persistent, about 26.5 cm long, 4.0 - 4.5 cm wide, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface with thin red-brown tomentum, disintegrating into fibres when old, from upper part down to the base; peduncular bract one, woody, about 58.5 - 59 cm long, 1.6 - 1.7 cm wide, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface with red-brown tomentum, absent in the old inflorescence; first order branch about 28 - 30 cm long, rachilla bract about 3 mm long, rachillae slender, about 18 - 24 cm long, bearing triads in the proximal 4=5 part and paired staminate flowers in the distal 1=5 part, the basal about 1 - 1.5 cm devoid of flowers, triads about 1 - 1.5 cm distant, rachilla glabrous, bearing 48 to 67 flower clusters, the proximal 22 - 37 contains pistillate flowers. Staminate flowers with calyx of 3 united minute sepals; corolla with 3 free petals, about 8 mm long, 2.5 - 3 mm wide; stamens 6, filaments free, dark brown, about 1 mm long, anthers elongate-lanceolate, pale creamy yellow, about 3.5 - 4 mm long; pistillodes absent. Pistillate flowers with calyx of 3 united minute sepals; corolla with 3 free petals, about 5 × 3 mm; staminodes 6, about 1 mm long, uniform; gynoecium dark brown, about 3 mm long, stigma with 3 elongate lobes, about 0.75 mm long. Fruits globose or bilobed, about 3 - 4.5 cm in diam. Embryo placed below middle line of seed. Eophyll bifid. (A.P. Keim & J. Dransfield, A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae) in Kew Bulletin 67. 2012)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b

Comments and Curiosities

Etymology: Specific epithet from the Latin, oreophila - literally; Mountain-loving.



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.

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