Chrysalidocarpus rabepierrei
Contents
Habitat and Distribution
Endemic to Madagascar, more specific to the eastern side of the Masoala Peninsula.
Description
John Drainsfield recognised it as being undescribed; however, the material available for collection at that time, lacking flowers and fruit, was inadequate for the new specie to be described. Other new discoveries from that expedition were described by Rakotoarinivo & Dransfield (2010). In 2015, WLE, MR and WJB revisited the area to collect more material; a detailed description of this expedition and the palm flora of Masoala is given by Baker et al. 2016. They are known only from very restricted areas around their respective type localities. Although the palms described from Masoala occur inside the Masoala National Park, ongoing forest clearing in both areas may pose a serious threat to all four species.
Dypsis rabepierrei Eiserhardt & W. J. Baker sp. nov. Type: Madagascar, Antsiranana, Sava, Antalaha, Vinanivao, Tanany Rabepierre (Ankorabe), 74 m a.s.l., 15°43'41"S, 50°12'50"E, 18 Nov. 2015, Eiserhardt et al. 138 (holotype K!, isotypes MO!, P!, TAN!).
http://www.ipni.org/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60476871-2
Slender, solitary, mid-storey palm 4 – 6 m tall (rarely to 20 m), bearing 6 – 10 spirally arranged leaves in crown. Stem 2.5 – 7 cm in diam., green; leaf scars prominent; internodes 1.5 – 10 cm; covered in white indumentum. Leaf to 250 cm long including petiole; sheath 35 – 60 cm long, blackish green with white indumentum, apically also with blackish-brown scales, young sheaths bright red, crownshaft to 70 cm long, 4 – 5 cm wide; petiole 41 – 70 cm long, concave on adaxial surface, green, basal portion sparsely covered with blackish-brown, peltate scales; leaflets 33 – 45 each side of rachis, regularly arranged in one horizontal plane, slightly arching, borne 0.5 – 5 cm apart, adaxially glaucous and abaxially reddish brown when dry, glaucous on adaxial surface; basal leaflets 35 – 56 cm long, 0.6 – 1.1 cm wide, linear; middle leaflets 43 – 61 cm long, 1.2 – 1.6 cm wide, linear, transverse veinlets inconspicuous; apical leaflets 12 – 17 cm long, 0.4 – 0.6 cm wide, linear, not united. Inflorescence 70 – 90 cm long, interfoliar, more or less horizontal, tassel-shaped, branched to 2 orders, pale yellow; prophyll 50 – 62 cm long, 5 – 12 cm wide, green turning pale brown at anthesis, cucullate, glabrous; first peduncular bract similar to prophyll, persistent, c. 45 cm long, c. 10 cm wide, attached 6 – 7 cm below first primary branch; two additional inconspicuous peduncular bracts present, 0.3 – 1 cm long; peduncle 42 – 45 cm long, 1 – 2 cm wide, glabrous; primary branches c. 20, to 18 cm long, c. 0.5 cm apart, with up to 8 rachillae; rachillae 8 – 15.5 cm long, 1.5 – 3 mm in diam.; rachilla bracts inconspicuous; triads c. 2 mm apart, spirally arranged. Male flower 3.9 – 4.4 mm long, 3.2 – 3.4 mm in diam. at anthesis; sepals 3, 1.8 – 2.3 mm long, 1.8 – 2 mm wide, cucullate with sharp keel; petals 2.5 – 3.2 mm long, 2.5 – 2.8 mm wide, rounded; stamens 6; filaments 1.9 – 2.5 mm long, free, spindle-shaped; undehisced anthers 2 – 2.2 mm long, c. 0.9 mm wide; dorsifixed; dehiscence latrorse; connective dark brown; pistillode 2.8 – 2.9 mm long, 0.9 – 1.1 mm in diam. at base, bottle-shaped, dark brown (Fig. 5). Female flower not seen. Fruit not seen. Seed not seen.
RECOGNITION. This palm is distinct from other Dypsis species in Group 3 sensu Dransfield & Beentje (1995) being solitary, having a tassel-shaped inflorescence with prophyll and peduncular bract of very similar appearance and length, and glabrous leaflets.
SPECIMENS EXAMINED. MADAGASCAR. Antsiranana: Sava, Antalaha, Vinanivao, path from Anovandrano R., W of Iketra, 58.4 m a.s.l., 15°44'48"S, 50°10'58"E, 15 Nov. 2015, Eiserhardt et al. 128 (K!, MO!, TAN!); Sava, Antalaha, Vinanivao, Tanany Rabepierre (Ankorabe), 75 m a.s.l., 15°43'41"S, 50°12'50"E, 18 Nov. 2015, Eiserhardt et al. 137 (K!, MO!, P!, TAN!); Sava, Antalaha, Vinanivao, Tanany Rabepierre (Ankorabe), 74 m a.s.l., 15°43'41"S, 50°12'50"E, 18 Nov. 2015, Eiserhardt et al. 138 (K!, MO!, P!, TAN!); Sava, Antalaha, Vinanivao, Tanany Rabepierre (Ankorabe), 74 m a.s.l., 15°43'41"S, 50°12'50", 18 Nov. 2015, Eiserhardt et al. 139 (K!, MO!, P!, TAN!); Antalaha, Masoala Peninsula, Sahamalaza, Iketra, Tanany Fred, 55 m a.s.l., 15°45'S, 50°12'E, Dransfield et al. 7635 (K!).
VERNACULAR NAMES AND USES. Lafaza maitso or ovojavavy (Betsimisaraka).
CONSERVATION STATUS. Critically Endangered (CR) [B2a,b (iii)+D]. The only known population is located at the edge of the Masoala National Park where the local population has some access to the natural resources. It is predicted that the quality of the habitat declines and may affect the long-term survival of the less than 20 individuals seen.
ETYMOLOGY. The species is named after Monsieur Rabe Pierre who kindly allowed us access to his land both in 1996 and 2015, guiding both expedition parties to palm-rich areas from which the type specimens of Dypsis rabepierrei, D. ovojavavy (both described here), D. metallica Rakotoarin. & J. Dransf. and D. vonitrandambo Rakotoarin. & J. Dransf. (Rakotoarinivo & Dransfield 2010) were collected.
NOTES. This is a fairly inconspicuous medium-sized understory palm, the most outstanding feature being the intensely waxy-white crownshaft, and the tassel-shaped yellow inflorescence with long cucullate prophyll and peduncular bract (Fig. 6). On morphological grounds its relationships lie with informal Group 3 of Dransfield & Beentje (1995) where it superficially resembles a single-stemmed form of Dypsis onilahensis (Jum. & H. Perrier) Beentje & J. Dransf., or D. baronii, but is immediately set apart by the unusual tassel-shaped inflorescence.
Culture
Cold Hardiness Zone: 10a HABITAT. Primary lowland humid forest.
Comments and Curiosities
Conservation:. Critically Endangered (CR) [B2a,b (iii)+D]. The only known population is located at the edge of the Masoala National Park where the local population has some access to the natural resources. It is predicted that the quality of the habitat declines and may affect the long-term survival of the less than 20 individuals seen.
External Links
References
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12225-018-9776-z Edit by João Santos Costa
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.
