Calamus nanduensis W.J.Baker & J.Dransf., 2014

Baker, William J. & Dransfield, John, 2014, New rattans from New Guinea (Calamus, Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 163 (4), pp. 181-215 : 198-200

8. Calamus nanduensis W.J.Baker & J.Dransf. , sp. nov. Type:— PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Morobe Province: Finschhafen District, Banario Mountain , near Nanduo village , 28 km NW of Finschhafen, 1200 m, 6°25'56"S, 147°40'3"E, 06 December 2000, Banka et al. 2010 (holotype K!, isotypes AAU!, LAE!, NY!) .

Diagnosis:— Distinguished by its robust, clustering habit, the sheath with fine, easily dislodged spines and dense, grey or brown indumentum, a well-developed, fragile ocrea, and the long inflorescence with conspicuous funnel-shaped bracts on primary branches and pistillate rachillae (staminate material not seen).

Robust, clustering rattan climbing to 20 m. Stem with sheaths 14–35 mm diam., without sheaths to 9–20 mm diam., cut stems exuding white sap, internodes 6–17 cm. Leaf ecirrate, to 72–118 m long including petiole; sheaths dull to dark green, with dense, grey to brown indumentum (rusty orange on young sheaths) composed of matted, minute, dark brown and white, fibrous scales, indumentum completely covering surfaces of young sheaths, becoming patchy on older sheaths, armed with numerous, very fine, needle-like, sinuous, grey-brown, solitary, dry spines to 4mm long, spines readily detached, leaving residual spine base, some spines erect and adpressed to sheath, spines bearing some indumentum as sheath, cut sheath exuding pink to purple sap; knee 30–65 mm long, 16–25 mm wide, colour and indumentum as sheath, more or less unarmed; ocrea 10–20 cm, ligule-like or splitting into auricles, well developed adjacent to petiole, not developed opposite the petiole, papery, brown, unarmed, fragile, soon disintegrating; flagellum 1.8–3 m; petiole 12–16 cm, 0.8–1.1 × 0.4–0.5 cm at base, flat or shallowly channelled adaxially, rounded abaxially, patchy indumentum as sheath, moderately armed with short, straight spines adaxially and on margins, armed with robust grapnels abaxially, cut petiole exuding pink to purple sap; rachis 50–90 cm, somewhat arching, largely unarmed adaxially, armed with robust grapnels abaxially, scattered indumentum as sheath; leaflets 21–29 each side of rachis, regularly arranged, narrowly elliptic or linear-lanceolate, glossy, longest leaflet near to base 31–54 × 2–2.5 cm, mid-leaf leaflets 29–45 × 2–2.8 cm, apical leaflets 8.5–12 × 0.5–0.7 cm, apical leaflet pair united to one fifth of their length or not united, leaflet armed with few marginal spines, widely spaced brown or black bristles to 5 mm on adaxial surface of major veins, unarmed abaxially, with scattered indumentum as rachis and petiole at base and on veins, transverse veinlets moderately conspicuous. Staminate inflorescence not seen. Staminate flowers not seen. Pistillate inflorescence pendulous, ca. 5.2 m long including ca. 0.6 m peduncle and ca. 2.3 m flagelliform tip, branched to 2 orders; prophyll not seen; peduncular bracts not seen, rachis bracts to ca. 34 × 1.2 cm, tubular, opening asymmetrically at apex to form acute triangular limb, splitting secondarily at apex by ca. 2 cm, with patchy indumentum as sheath, armed with scattered, robust grapnel spines; primary branches 7, to ca. 40 cm long, to ca. 45 cm apart, stiff, arching, with up to ca. 31 rachillae, bearing conspicuous, inflated, funnel-shaped bracts to ca. 17 × 8 mm; rachillae 60–120 mm × 4 mm, stiff, recurving; rachilla bracts ca. 4 × 5 mm, distichous, funnel-shaped; proximal floral bracteole ca. 4 × 2.5 mm, distal floral bracteole ca. 2 × 2.7 mm, scar from sterile staminate flower elliptic. Pistillate flowers ca. 5 × 2.2–2.3 mm at anthesis; calyx 2.2–2.3 mm diam., tubular in basal 3.5–3.8 mm, with 3 lobes to 0.8–1 × 1.3–1.4 mm; corolla 4 × 1.6–1.7 mm, tubular in basal 2.5–3 mm, with 3 lobes to ca. 0.8 × 0.8 mm; staminodes 6, 1.1–1.3 mm long, staminodal ring 1.3–1.5 mm high; ovary ca. 1.5 × 1.3 mm, globose, style 0.6–1 mm long, stigmas 0.8–1.2 mm long, erect, recurving at tips. Sterile staminate flowers not seen. Fruit not seen. Seed not seen. ( Fig. 8 )

Distribution:— Known from two adjacent localities along the road to Pindiu in the foothills of the Saruwaged Range, NW of Finschhafen.

Habitat:— Primary and secondary montane fores, 1100–1200 m.

Uses:— None recorded.

Vernacular Names:— Kobing (Kotte).

Specimens examined:— PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Morobe Province: Pindiu, Finschhafen-Pindiu road, 1100 m, 6°36’S, 147°51’E, 19 February 1996, Baker et al. 678 (K!, LAE!); Finschhafen District , Banario Mountain , near Nanduo village , 28 km NW of Finschhafen, 1200 m, 6°25'56"S, 147°40'3"E, 06 December 2000, Banka et al. 2010 (holotype K!, isotypes AAU!, LAE!, NY!)

Notes:— Calamus nanduensis ( Fig. 8 ) is distinguished by its robust, clustering habit, sheaths with numerous, very fine, easily dislodged spines and dense, grey or brown indumentum (also present on other organs), a welldeveloped, but fragile ocrea, and its long inflorescence with conspicuous funnel-shaped bracts on primary branches and pistillate rachillae (staminate material has not been seen). In its inflorescence morphology and the presence of an ocrea, it bears some resemblance to some members of the paired fruit group ( Dransfield & Baker 2003), especially C. pholidostachys Dransfield & Baker (2003: 381) , though C. nanduensis does not bear paired fruit. The presence of funnel-shaped bracts is also shared with C. sashae though the inflorescence of this species is more robust. The sheath armature C. sashae and C. pholidostachys is entirely different to that of C. nanduensis , being very robust and borne in partial collars rather than needle-like and solitary.

The presence of a well-developed ocrea and funnel-shaped rachilla bracts is also shared with C. pseudozebrinus Burret (1935: 319) and C. womersleyi . Like C. nanduensis , C. pseudozebrinus bears fine, needlelike and readily detached spines, although they are arranged in collars, rather than solitary. The inflorescence of C. pseudozebrinus is robust, but the primary branching systems are relatively short, the largest being around half the length of C. nanduensis with much smaller rachilla bracts. Calamus womersleyi is a smaller rattan overall, distinct in this group on account of its smaller leaf with irregularly arranged leaflets, short, truncate, strictly sheathing ocrea, and its more slender inflorescence and primary branching systems.

The epithet refers to Nanduo village near the type locality in recognition of the warm welcome and support that the villagers provided the first author and his colleagues during the field trip on which the type material was collected .

Figures

FIGURE 8. Calamus nanduensis. A. Leaf sheath with ocrea. B. Leaf apex. C. Portion of pistillate inflorescence. D. Pistillate rachilla with immature fruit. Scale bar: A = 3 cm; B, C = 4 cm; D = 7 mm. From Banka et al. 2010. Drawn by Lucy T. Smith.