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

Baker, William J. & Dransfield, John, 2014, New rattans from New Guinea (Calamus, Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 163 (4), pp. 181-215 : 182-184

1. Calamus badius J.Dransf. & W.J.Baker , sp. nov. Type:— INDONESIA. Papua Province: Timika, between Ajkwa and Otomona Rivers, on road from Timika to mile 38, 30 m, 4°26'22"S, 136°54'27"E, 10 February 1998, Dransfield et al. JD 7661 (holotype K!, isotypes BO!, BH!, L!, MAN!) .

Diagnosis:— Distinguished from other species of Calamus in New Guinea by the ecirrate leaves (leaves lacking cirri), the discolorous leaflets, mid to dark green on the upper surface, beige-brown on the undersurface, the broad-elliptic leaflets (6–8 on each side of the rachis), the well-developed ocrea, which is coriaceous, persistent and tends to diverge from the sheathed stem, and the flagellate inflorescence.

Medium-sized clustering rattan climbing to 25 m. Stem with sheaths 20–28 mm diam., without sheaths to 14–15 mm diam.; internodes 22–28 cm. Leaf ecirrate, to 50–100 cm long including petiole; sheath mid-green, drying pale to bluish green or pale brown, with thin pale brown indumentum, sheath spines usually abundant, usually rather uniform, 2.5–6 × 1–1.5 mm, with swollen bases, solitary or very rarely paired, black, horizontal, densely covered in indumentum when newly emerged; knee 41–47 × 7–9.5 mm, drying same colour as sheath, armed as the rest of the sheath; ocrea conspicuous, 33–80 × 1.4–2.6 cm, erect or slightly diverging from sheath, congenitally split on the far side of the sheath to the petiole, coriaceous, persistent, same colour as sheath, armed with scattered spines as the sheath, usually more densely so; flagellum present, to 3–4 m long; petiole 12–20 cm long, 7–9 mm wide and 4–6 mm thick at the base, flattened or slightly convex adaxially, abaxially rounded, with sparse indumentum, with scattered rigid persistent spines to 1 mm along the margins and adaxial and abaxial faces; rachis to 85 cm long, distally sparsely armed with recurved hooks; leaflets 6–8 on each side of rachis, regularly arranged or in distant groups of 2, broadly elliptic, longest leaflet in mid-leaf 33–41 × 7.5–9 cm 2–4 cm, apical leaflets usually in a group of 4, displayed in a fan, 21–26 × 3.5–6 cm, apical pair of leaflets united for half their length, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface densely covered in pale chestnut-coloured indumentum, lacking bristles except for short bristles to 1 mm long along the margins, transverse veinlets conspicuous, numerous, sinuous. Staminate inflorescence branched to 3 orders, to 2.5 m long including the peduncle 37 cm long and a short flagelliform tip; prophyll to 36 × 1.2 cm, closely sheathing, splitting neatly at its tip, with a triangular lobe to 2.0 × 1.4 cm, covered in sparse pale to mid-brown indumentum, armed with scattered short triangular spines 1 mm long, with swollen bases; peduncular bracts absent, rachis bracts similar to prophyll but shorter, with similar indumentum and armature; primary branches 13, to at least 36 cm long, ca. 22 cm apart, with numerous rachillae; rachillae 10–40× 1.5 mm; rachilla bracts 0.9 × 0.8 mm, distichously arranged, explanate, the triangular tip reflexed, glabrous, striate, unarmed; floral bracteole 1 × 1–1.5 mm, cup-shaped, glabrous striate. Staminate flowers close to anthesis 3.0 × 1 mm; calyx 1.5 mm diam., tubular in basal 1 mm, with 3 lobes 0.5 × 1.0 mm, glabrous, striate; corolla 2.5 × 1 mm in bud, tubular in basal 0.1 mm; stamens 6, filaments 0.5 × 0.3 mm, anthers 1.2 × 0.2 mm; pistillode pyramidal, 0.5 × 0.3 mm. Pistillate inflorescence similar to staminate inflorescence, to 2.5 m long including 20 × 0.9 cm peduncle and short flagelliform tip, branched to 2 orders; prophyll to 20 × 0.9 cm, tubular and closely sheathing, splitting apically to give a triangular lobe to 2 × 0.7 cm, bearing mid-brown indumentum and scattered spines to 1 × 0.5 mm with swollen bases; peduncular bract absent (always?), rachis bracts similar to prophyll but shorter; primary branches 4–7, to 33 cm long, 16–20 cm apart, with up to 29 rachillae; rachillae 2–6.5 × 1.5 mm; rachilla bracts triangular, explanate, the tips reflexed, 2 × 2 mm, distichously arranged, striate, unarmed; proximal floral bracteoles 1.5 mm high, ca. 1.5 mm diam., striate, explanate, distal floral bracteoles cup-shaped, 1 × 1.5 mm, scar from sterile staminate ca. 0.2 mm diam. Sterile staminate flower very immature, 1.5 × 1.0 mm; sepals 1.5 × 1 mm, joined in basal 1 mm; petals 1.5 × 1 mm; sterile stamens ca. 0.8 mm long. Pistillate flowers (immature buds) 2.5 × 1.5 mm; calyx tubular in basal 2 mm, with lobes 0.5 × 1 mm, striate, glabrous; petals 1.5 × 1 mm, joined in basal 0.5 mm, striate; other parts very immature. Fruit not seen. ( Fig. 1 )

Distribution:— Known only from lowland forest near Timika and Mindiptanah in southern Papua Province.

Habitat:— In lowland forest at altitudes up to 100 m above sea level.

Uses:— None recorded.

Vernacular Names:— Bobnong (Kati).

Specimens examined:— INDONESIA. Papua Province: Mindiptanah , 5°45’S, 140°22’E, 26 August 1957, Dijkstra BW 6632 (L!, MAN) ; Timika , 100 m, 4°45’S, 136°32’E, 5 July 1995, Maturbongs 112 (K!, MAN) ; Timika, road to Kali Kopi from mile 38, 80 m, 4°25'23"S, 136°56'16"E, 6 February 1998, Dransfield et al. JD 7650 (BH, BO, K!, L, MAN) ; Timika, between Ajkwa and Otomona Rivers , on road from Timika to Mile 38, 30 m, 4°26'22"S, 136°54'27"E, 10 February 1998, Dransfield et al. JD 7661 (holotype K!, isotypes BO!, BH!, L!, MAN!) .

Notes:— Calamus badius ( Fig. 1 ) is known from rather few collections found in two areas of Indonesian New Guinea, in lowland forest. This species is very distinctive in its few, broadly elliptic leaflets that are strongly discolorous, mid to dark green on the adaxial surface and bearing beige-brown indumentum on the abaxial surface (the specific epithet refers to the colour of the abaxial surface of the leaflets). It is one of only two species of Calamus in New Guinea with discolorous leaflets, the other being the unrelated C. zieckii Fernando (2014 : in press), which otherwise differs in its cirrate leaves with grouped, linear leaflets and non-flagellate inflorescences. The leaf sheath also bears a conspicuous ocrea up to 8 cm long, which is leathery, slightly divergent from the stem and densely armed with stout spines, which are also widespread on the sheath.

One very incomplete specimen (Morren 223) collected in Sandaun Province, on the Hak River, Telefomin District (K) consists of a fragment of rachis and a single leaflet. The shape of the leaflet and the brown indumentum on its undersurface suggest that this could well be Calamus badius .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Calamus badius. A. Leaf sheath with flagellum. B. Leaf apex. C. Primary branch of staminate inflorescence. D. Staminate rachilla. E. Pistillate rachilla. F. Staminate flower. Scale bar: A = 4 cm; B = 8 cm; C = 6 cm; D, E = 1.5 cm; F = 2 mm. A–F from Dransfield et al. JD 7661; E from Dransfield et al. JD 7650. Drawn by Lucy T. Smith.