Licuala parvula 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 : 169

Licuala parvula Henderson & Nguyen Quoc Dung sp. nov. ( Fig. 10 )

Type:— VIETNAM. Khanh Hoa Province: Ninh Hoa District, Ba Ho Tourist Area, 12°23’N, 109°08’E, ca. 20 m, 24 Jul 2007, A. Henderson & Ninh Khac Ban 3457 (holotype HN!, isotype NY!).

It differs from all other species of Licuala in Vietnam its smaller size, short, fibrous ligules, and short, curved inflorescences.

Stems clustered, 1.0– 1.5 m tall, 1.7–3.0 cm diameter. Leaves 9; sheaths 5.0–10.0 cm long, fibrous on the margins; ligules 4.0–10.0 cm long, fibrous; petioles 36.0–96.0 cm long with few, straight thorns to 0.5 cm long proximally; blades 34.0–102.0 cm wide, split into 6–13 segments, these with curved or straight sides; costa not or briefly continuous into central segment; middle segment 18.0–33.0 cm long, 3.7–8.8 cm wide at apex; lateral segment 11.5–26.5 cm long, 0.7–1.2 cm wide at apex; segments briefly indented at the apex, with minute, brown scales abaxially. Inflorescences short amongst the leaf bases, 14.0–25.0 cm long, curving down in fruit, branched to 2 orders; prophylls 5.5 cm long; rachis bracts 1.5–4.0 cm long, funnel-shaped, fraying at the apices; partial inflorescences 4; rachillae 2.5–5.5 cm long, sparsely to densely hairy with short, brown hairs; flowers 5 mm long, 1–2 borne on a short pedicel, these closely and irregularly arranged; calyx 3.5 mm long, densely hairy as the rachillae, tubular at the base, 3-lobed above; corolla 4 mm long, split into 3 petals, these briefly imbricate basally, valvate above, with dense, appressed hairs; stamens 6; staminal ring 1 mm long; anthers oblong; pistil 3 mm long; fruits globose, with reticulate, subepidermal fibers, bright red at maturity.

Distribution and habitat:—Southern Vietnam in Khanh Hoa province in lowland rainforest along rocky stream margins at 20–50 m elevation.

Taxonomic notes:— Henderson (2009) misidentified the specimens cited here as Licuala robinsoniana . Licuala parvula is similar to that species but differs in its smaller size; short fibrous ligule; fewer segments (6–13 versus ca. 20); and short (14.0–25.0 cm long), curved inflorescences (versus ca. 70.0 cm long, erect inflorescences).

Additional specimens examined. VIETNAM. Khanh Hoa: Ninh Hoa District, Ba Ho Tourist Area , 12.383N, 109.133E, ca. 20 m, 3 July 2010, Henderson & Bui Van Thanh 3654 ( HN, NY) ; same locality, 12°23’N, 109°08’E, ca. 20 m, 10 Jul October 2016, Henderson & Nguyen Quoc Dung ( NY, VFM) ; Dien Khanh District, Suoi Tien , 12.203N, 109.027E, ca. 50 m, 4 July 2010, Henderson & Bui Van Thanh 3661 ( HN, NY) ; Khanh Vinh District, Khanh Trung Commune, Suoi Ca Village , 21 May 2007, Nguyen Quoc Dung 2011 ( NY, VFM) .

Figures

FIGURE 10. Licuala parvula. Left, habit. Right, short infructescence with globose fruits (from Henderson & Bui Van Thanh 3654).