Daemonorops brevicaulis A.J.Hend. & N.Q.Dung, 2010

Henderson, Andrew & Dung, Nguyen Quoc, 2010, Notes on rattans (Arecaceae) from Vietnam, Phytotaxa 8, pp. 25-33 : 28-29

Daemonorops brevicaulis A.J.Hend. & N.Q.Dung , sp. nov. ( Plate 2 )

A speciebus aliis Daemonorops habitu non scandenti et foliis non cirratis differt.

Type:— VIETNAM. Khanh Hoa Province: Khanh Vinh District, Khanh Trung Commune , Suoi Ca Village , 400 m, 21 May 2007, N. Q . Dung 2003 (holotype: FIPI!, isotype: NY!) .

Stems solitary, non-climbing, free-standing, green, to 0.5 m long, 3 cm in diameter without sheaths. Leaves 7; sheaths brownish-green, open, with scattered, yellowish spines to 11 cm long; ocreas to 4 cm long, not spiny; knees absent; petioles to 60 cm long, spiny as the sheaths; rachis to 310 cm long, with scattered, solitary spines abaxially to 3.5 cm long; cirri absent; pinnae to 34 per side of rachis, to 51.5 cm long, 4 cm wide at the middle, linear–lanceolate, regularly arranged, spreading in the same plane, without bristles. Staminate inflorescences to 1.2 m long, erect, not flagellate, branched to 2 orders, with to 20 partial inflorescences; prophylls not seen; partial inflorescence bracts tubular, splitting laterally and early deciduous, without spines or the distal ones with few spines; rachillae 1–13 per partial inflorescence, 0.5–2 cm long; rachillae bracts 6 mm high; floral bracteoles cupular; staminate flowers 7 mm long; calyx cupular, 3 mm long, briefly 3–lobed; corolla 6 mm long, split to the base into 3 valvate petals; stamens 6; filaments 2.5 mm long, inflexed at their apices for 0.5 mm; pistillodes well–developed, 1.5 mm long; pistillate inflorescences shorter than the staminate, branched to 1 order, with 3 partial inflorescences; prophylls not seen; partial inflorescence bracts tubular, splitting laterally and becoming deciduous, without spines on outer surfaces; rachilla 1 per partial inflorescence, 4–10 cm long; pistillate flowers 11 mm long; calyx 6 mm long, cupular, briefly 3-lobed at the apex; corolla 10 mm long, tubular below for 3 mm, free above into 3, valvate petals; staminodes 6, well–developed; fruits ellipsoid, brown, 3.5 cm long, 2.5 cm in diameter.

Distribution and habitat: —Endemic to southern Vietnam in Khanh Hoa Province in primary evergreen forest at 400 m elevation.

Local names and uses:— may dat. No uses recorded.

Discussion: — Daemonorops brevicaulis (named for its short stems) belongs to section Piptospatha of Daemonorops , which in Vietnam includes all species except D. jenkinsiana. It differs from these in a combination of its non–climbing habit, lack of cirri, unbranched partial pistillate inflorescences, and larger fruits.

Figures

PLATE 2. Left. Daemonorops brevicaulis—habit. Right. Daemonorops ocreata—fruits.