Calamus pintaudii W.J.Baker & J.Dransf., 2017

Baker, William J. & Dransfield, John, 2017, More new rattans from New Guinea and the Solomon Islands (Calamus, Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 305 (2), pp. 61-86 : 80-82

10. Calamus pintaudii W.J.Baker & J.Dransf. , sp. nov. Type:— PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Chimbu Province: Kundiawa,

Daman Nanga (Sino Pass) Village, 2200 m, 5°45’26”S, 145°11’1”E, 30 October 2012, Pintaud et al. 671 (holotype

K!, isotypes LAE, P, Binatang-RC).

Diagnosis:— Distinguished by the robust, clustering habit, the sheath drying orange-brown with dense indumentum, densely armed with needle-like spines, the papery, fragile ocrea almost encircling the sheath, but soon disintegrating, and the robust inflorescence with robust rachillae with funnel-shaped bracts.

Robust, clustering rattan climbing to 20 m. Stem with sheaths 20–55 mm diam., without sheaths 10–20 mm diam.; internodes 35–45 cm. Leaf ecirrate to ca. 2 m long including petiole; sheath orange-brown in dry material, with dense white to brown woolly indumentum comprising matted white hairs mixed with brown hairs and scales, densely armed with brown, needle-like spines up to 50 mm long and ca. 1 mm wide, varying in length, with scattered indumentum as sheath; knee 55 mm long, 15–20 mm wide, colour and indumentum as sheath, unarmed or armed as sheath; ocrea 23–30 cm long, ligule-like, almost encircling the sheath, but split on the side opposite (away from) the petiole, papery, fragile, soon tattering and disintegrating, rusty brown, unarmed; flagellum present, 3–5 m, robust; petiole 8–28 cm, 8–12.5 mm wide and 6–6.5 mm thick at base, flattened to channelled adaxially, rounded abaxially, indumentum as sheath, armed with stout, solitary spines; rachis 1–1.8 m, indumentum as sheath, armed with grapnel spines; leaflets 32–35 each side of rachis, arranged regularly, linear lanceolate, longest leaflet at mid-leaf position 36–40 × 1.8–2.2 cm, apical leaflets 6–14 × 0.2–0.6 cm, apical leaflet pair free to united by one quarter of their length, major veins with dark bristles to 7 mm long adaxially, glabrous abaxially, margins with scattered dark bristles, most dense at leaflet tip, with sparsely scattered brown scales on both surfaces, transverse veinlets moderately conspicuous. Staminate inflorescence robust, ca. 4.5 m long including peduncle and ca. 2 m flagelliform tip, branched to 3 orders; prophyll not seen; peduncular bracts not seen, rachis bracts ca. 35 × 0.9–1.5 cm, tubular, asymmetric at tip, indumentum as sheaths, sparsely to moderately armed with stout spines and grapnels; primary branches 4–8, to 35 cm long, erect, somewhat arching distally, with numerous rachillae, bracts tubular, 7–21 mm × 3.5–6 mm, unarmed, with scattered indumentum as sheath; rachillae 30–60 mm × ca. 8 mm, somewhat arcuate; rachilla bracts 6.5 × 3 mm, distichous, apiculate, scattered indumentum as sheath; floral bracteole 2 × 2 mm, cup-shaped. Staminate flowers not seen. Pistillate inflorescence similar to staminate inflorescence, but branched to 2 orders; prophyll not seen; peduncular bracts not seen, rachis bracts ca. 50 × 1.2 cm, tubular but with deep split to ca. 15 cm, indumentum as sheath, unarmed or lightly armed with stout spines; primary branches to ca. 35 cm long, straight to recurving, with up to ca. 22 rachillae, bracts as in staminate inflorescence; rachillae 90–160 mm × 7–8 mm, recurving; rachilla bracts 7 × 5.5 mm, distichous, deeply cup-shaped, with scattered brown scales; proximal floral bracteole 4.5 × 3 mm, distal floral bracteole 3 × 3 mm, scar from sterile staminate flower adnate to upper, outer margin of distal bracteole, discoid, concave. Pistillate flowers ca. 5 × 2.5 mm in early bud; calyx ca. 2.5 mm diam., tubular in basal ca. 3 mm, with 3 lobes to ca. 2 × 2 mm, with scattered brown scales; corolla ca. 4 × 2 mm, tubular in basal 2 mm, with 3 lobes to 2 × 1.5 mm, glabrous; staminodes 6, 1.8–2 mm long; gynoecium 2.5 × 0.6 mm, cylindrical, including stigmas 0.5 mm long. Sterile staminate flowers 3 × 2 mm in bud, with empty anthers. Fruit spherical, 15.5–17.5 × 12.5–13 mm including beak 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, with 17–18 longitudinal rows of brown, convex, dark-margined scales, sarcotesta testa. Seed (sarcotesta removed) 8.5–10 × 8–8.5 × 8–8.5 mm, spheroidal, sculptured with deep pits and grooves; endosperm homogeneous; embryo basal.

Etymology:— The species epithet honours our friend and colleague, the late Jean-Christophe Pintaud (1970– 2015), French palm biologist and collector of the type specimen (see Anthelme et al. 2016).

Distribution:— Recorded from three widely separated localities in the eastern end of the central mountain chain of Papua New Guinea between Mt. Wilhelm and Mt. Suckling.

Habitat:— Primary montane forest, 600–1400 m.

Uses:— Locally used in construction of suspension bridges, binding fences and village houses.

Vernacular names:— Kapurna (Goilala-Tapini)

Specimens examined:— PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Central Province: Moani Mt. slope NW of Tapini, halfway along road to Matia-lavava, 1370 m, 8°19’S, 146°58’E, 4 December 1968, Zieck NGF 36189 (BH!, L!, LAE!). Northern Province: Tufi Subdistrict, along Mt. Suckling expedition trail, ca. 1 hour above Mai-u 1 camp, 610 m, 9°39’S, 149°10’E, 13 July 1972, Essig LAE 55228 (BH!, LAE!). Chimbu Province: Kundiawa, Daman Nanga (Sino Pass) village, 2200 m, 5°45’26”S, 145°11’1”E, 30 October 2012, Pintaud et al. 671 (holotype K!, isotypes LAE, P, Binatang-RC).

Notes:— See notes under Calamus baiyerensis .