Licuala nuichuaensis Henderson & Nguyen Quoc Dung, 2017

Henderson, Andrew & Dung, Nguyen Quoc, 2017, New species of Lanonia, Licuala, and Pinanga (Arecaceae) from Vietnam, Phytotaxa 323 (2), pp. 159-172 : 168

Licuala nuichuaensis Henderson & Nguyen Quoc Dung sp. nov. ( Fig. 9 )

Type:— VIETNAM. Ninh Thuan Province: Ninh Hai District, Nui Chua National Park, near summit of mountain, 11.80N, 109.16E, ca. 800 m, 26 Oct 2009, A. Henderson, Bui Van Than, Nguyen Quoc Dat, & A Ruc Cui 3642 (holotype HN!, isotype NY!).

It is similar to Licuala bachmaensis and L. dakrongensis in its central segments wider at the apices and there briefly joined, but differs in its segments only briefly indented at the apices and closely spaced flower clusters.

Stems solitary, 1.0 m tall, 5.0 cm diameter. Leaf number not recorded; sheath length not recorded; ligules 70.0 cm long, persistent and hanging down below the leaves; petioles length not recorded, with stout, black thorns to 0.6 cm long; blades 140.0 cm wide, split into 22 segments, some briefly joined at their apices, with straight sides, wider at the apex; costa continuous into central segment, not forming a petiolule; middle segment 65.5 cm long, 10.3 cm wide at apex; lateral segment 57.5 cm long, 3.3 cm wide at apex; segments briefly indented at the apex, with minute, brown scales abaxially. Inflorescences erect amongst the leaves, 1.5 m long, branched to 2 orders; prophylls not recorded; rachis bracts to 17.5 cm long, tubular, fraying at the apices; partial inflorescences 2; rachillae 11.5–13.5 cm long, densely covered with felty, brown hairs, these tending to be arranged in short rows; flowers 3.5 mm long, 2–3 borne on a raised pedicel, these closely and irregularly arranged; calyx 3.5 mm long, hairy as the rachillae, 3-lobed at the apex, not tubular basally; corolla 2.5 mm long, split into 3, valvate petals, with dense, appressed hairs; stamens not seen; fruits not seen.

Distribution and habitat:— Ninh Thuan Province in Nui Chua National Park in low forest on steep, rocky slopes at 600–800 m elevation.

Taxonomic notes:— Licuala nuichuaensis shares with L. bachmaensis and L. dakrongensis central segments briefly joined at the apices. It differs from them in its elongate ligules, shallowly lobed segment apices, and closely spaced flower clusters.

Additional specimen examined. VIETNAM. Ninh Thuan: Ninh Hai Distr., Vinh Hai Municipality, NEE slopes of Nui Chua mountains to SW of point 11˚43’52”N 109˚08’35”E, about 600–700 m, J. Regalado et al. HLF4211 (HN, MO).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Licuala nuichuaensis. Left, leaf. Right, leaf base with elongate ligules.