Licuala bankae Barfod & Heatubun, 2022

Barfod, Anders S. & Heatubun, Charlie D., 2022, Seven new species of Licuala (Livistoninae, Arecaceae) from New Guinea, Phytotaxa 555 (1), pp. 1-16 : 2-5

. Licuala bankae Barfod & Heatubun , sp. nov.

Type:― PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Milne Bay Province: Hagita, sea level, 10°19’S, 150°18’E, 1 March 2000, Barfod 449 (holotype AAU !; isotypes CANB! BRI!, K!, LAE!).

Figures 2, 3A−B.

Diagnosis: ―This species shares several traits with Licuala multibracteata , L. penduliflora , and L. suprafolia such as inflorescences with more than ten nodes, pedicellate flowers and biseriate stamens. It differs from these by having fibrous, loosely sheathing rachis bracts, ferruginously haired rachillae and pedicels, rounded calyx lobes and a short style.

Solitary palm tree up to 7 m tall. Stem about 10 cm in diam. Leaves about 35 in crown; sheath 30−40 cm long disintegrating into a fibrous mesh; petiole variable in length, up to 1.8 m long in fully developed leaves, 2−2.5 cm wide at the base, 0.8−1 cm wide below insertion of lamina and covered by patches of ferruginous, woolly tomentum, lower third armed with up to 3−4 mm long spines; lamina rounded to heart–shaped in outline, divided in 17–19 segments; mid-segment with 16−20 adaxial ribs, 65−70 cm long, 18−20 cm wide and rounded apically; lateral segments with 3−5 adaxial ribs, 45−50 cm long, about 10 cm wide and slightly oblique apically, basal segments with 2−3 adaxial ribs, 24–30 cm long, about 3 cm wide and highly oblique apically; indentations leading to adaxial ribs, 0.5−5.5 cm long, those leading to abaxial ribs less than 0.5 cm long; hastula eccentric. Inflorescences 100−120 cm long, branched to second order, with 10−11 partial inflorescences, curved at anthesis and zigzagged, contained within the crown at anthesis, pendant at fruiting stage; peduncle 40−50 cm long, contained in prophyll and peduncular bract; prophyll 29 cm long, 2−2.5 cm wide basally, disintegrated apically in fibrous mesh; one peduncular bract, similar to prophyll in size and texture, but not as sharply keeled; rachis 70−80 cm long; basal rachis bract 13 cm long, main axis of proximal first order branch about 30 cm long, carrying about 40 rachillae, both rachis and rachillae covered by patches of ferruginous hairs. Flowers solitary, hermaphroditic, subtending bracts up to 1 mm long, often partly deciduous and inconspicuous, borne on 1−2.5 mm long, ferruginously haired pedicels; calyx campanulate, fused with receptacle for 0.3−0.4 mm, glabrous, greenish with brown margins, breaking up regularly in three, about 1 mm long, rounded lobes; corolla yellow, about 3.5 mm long, lobes 1.5 mm long; androecium fused to corolla for about 2 mm, staminal ring about 1 mm high, anthers inserted in two levels and opening in two pulses, about 0.5 mm long; ovary glabrous, 0.8−1 mm long, truncate to rounded apically; style 0.5−0.6 mm long, locules situated in lower half, about 0.3 mm long. Fruit and seed unknown.

Distribution and habitat: ― Licuala bankae is only known from forest edges outside Alotau. Apparently an endemic to the Milne Bay province.

Conservation: ―Critically Endangered. Licuala bankae is only known from one site, where it was locally common along the fringes of land cleared for oil palm plantation.

Etymology: ―Named in honor of the late Roy Banka, an esteemed member of the Palms of New Guinea team and an eager student of New Guinean plant resources.