Orania gagavu Essig, Lyonia 1: 227 (1980)

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Distribution

Map uses TDWG level 3 distributions (https://github.com/tdwg/wgsrpd)
New Guinea present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)B
Endemic to Papua New Guinea (A.P. Keim & Dransfield, J. 2012: A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae). – Kew Bulletin 67: 127-190)A

Habitat

  • Rainforest, on mountain slopes, 400 m above sea level. (A.P. Keim & Dransfield, J. 2012: A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae). – Kew Bulletin 67: 127-190)A

Discussion

  • Apart fromthe number of orders of inflorescence branching and flower clusters in a rachilla, Orania gagavu closely resembles O. lauterbachiana. Although it is not common in the genus, the variation in the number of inflorescence branching orders is not unusual in Orania (e.g. O. paraguanensis and O. trispatha). Unfortunately, we only have one collection of O. gagavu. Nevertheless, until we have more specimens, we regard the two species (O. gagavu and O. lauterbachiana) as distinct based on two characters (A.P. Keim & Dransfield, J. 2012: A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae). – Kew Bulletin 67: 127-190)A

Conservation

  • Data deficient (DD). This palm is known only from its type and we have no recent information on the status of forests at the type locality (A.P. Keim & Dransfield, J. 2012: A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae). – Kew Bulletin 67: 127-190)A

Etymology

  • Gagavu, local name (A.P. Keim & Dransfield, J. 2012: A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae). – Kew Bulletin 67: 127-190)A

Common Name

  • Gagavu (Kaporika). (A.P. Keim & Dransfield, J. 2012: A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae). – Kew Bulletin 67: 127-190)A

Description

  • Large palm. Trunk to 7 m tall, c. 20 - 25 cm diam. (dbh). Leaves spirally arranged; leaf-sheath & petiole 1 m long, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface densely covered with red-brown tomentum; petiole with red-brown tomentum; rachis c. 3 m long, c. 1.8 - 2.5 cm diam. in middle part, with dense red-brown tomentum; leaflets elongate-lanceolate, regularly arranged leaflets held in one plane, the proximal 3 leaflets crowded 2 - 3 cm distant in a group, otherwise c. 6.5 cm distant in middle part of rachis, c. 110 to 120 cm long, 4.5 - 5.5 cm wide; adaxial surface dark green, glabrous, redbrown tomentum on the midrib, midrib thick, other ribs slender, glabrous; abaxial surface densely covered with white indumentum, slightly red-brown tomentum on the margin, midrib thinner than adaxial, other ribs slender. Inflorescence spreading, branching to 3 orders, glabrous, c. 2.5 m long; peduncle c. 1 m long; rachis c. 1.5 m long; 36 first order branches, c. 94 - 95 cm long, secondary branches c. 65 - 70 cm long, rachillae 55 - 65 cm long, slender, distally zigzag, triads in the proximal 1=2 - 3=5, the basal devoid c. 3 - 4 cm of flowers, triads c. 2.5 - 3.5 cm distant, rachilla glabrous, number of flower clusters 80 - 90 in rachilla, triads in the proximal 20 - 25. Flowers unknown. Fruits globose, young fruit with c. 9 mm diam. Embryo placed below middle line of seed. Eophyll bifid. (A.P. Keim & Dransfield, J. 2012: A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae). – Kew Bulletin 67: 127-190)A

Materials Examined

  • PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Milne Bay: On slope of Mt Daraia, several km N of Kaporika Village, Alotau Subprovince, 10°20'S 150°10'E, 12 May 1978, Essig & Young LAE 74096 (LAE holotype, BH!, L!, USF). (A.P. Keim & Dransfield, J. 2012: A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae). – Kew Bulletin 67: 127-190)A

Bibliography

    A. A.P. Keim & Dransfield, J. 2012: A monograph of the genus Orania (Arecaceae: Oranieae). – Kew Bulletin 67: 127-190
    B. World Checklist of Arecaceae