Dypsis fasciculata Jum., Ann. Inst. Bot.-Géol. Colon. Marseille , III, 6(1): 37 (1918)

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Content

Introduction

  • This species occurs in lowlands near the coast; recently made collections are for the most part from forest developed on white sands, poor in nutrients, but the palm will also grow on laterite soils. When growing vigorously this can be quite a handsome species but it is usually rather untidy, with narrow grouped leaflets. Superficially it resembles a depauperate form of Dypsis nodifera. The species name refers to the grouped leaflets. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Distribution

Map uses TDWG level 3 distributions (https://github.com/tdwg/wgsrpd)
Madagascar present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)B
NE Madagascar, from Antalaha and Marojejy to Betampona. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Discussion

  • The interpretation of this name has caused particular problems because we have been unable to locate the type, Perrier 12402, from Antalaha, which, we assume, should be in Paris. Using Jumelle's imperfect description, we have here applied the name to a taxon from forest near the Bay of Antongil, further to the south from Antalaha, that keys out to D. fasciculata and which more or less fits the protologue. Perhaps most significant is Jumelle's description of the stamen form. He describes the thecae as being pendulous, a most unusual stamen type in Dypsis; those collections cited here that have staminate flowers also have stamens of this form. Should the type ever be found, then the conspecificity of the newly collected material will have to be checked. We have also recently made two collections of this taxon on Î;le Sainte Marie, one (sterile) from the Forêt de Kalalao, near to the historic locality Tafondro where Boivin collected, and one (fertile) from the Forêt d'Ambohidena (see notes under Dypsis thouarsiana).
    As interpreted here, this is a distinctive, easily distinguished species, with fascicled leaflets and inflorescences branched to two orders, with lax spreading or pendulous rachillae and staminate flowers with only three stamens with pendulous and divergent thecae. Miller 3327 from Marojejy differs from the other collections cited in being rather small and slender in all its parts. Neverthess it seems to belong here. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Biology And Ecology

  • Lowland forest near the coast, often on white sands, rare inland; 5-225 m. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Conservation

  • Vulnerable. This is quite widespread but occurs in coastal forests that are often affected by fire. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Common Name

  • Not recorded. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Uses

  • Not recorded. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Description

  • Solitary or clustering palm of the forest undergrowth. STEMS 3-6 m tall, c. 15-40 mm diam., internodes to 40 mm long near base,
    c. 15 mm long in mature stems near the crown, green with scattered dark brown scales. LEAVES c. 8 in crown; crownshaft well developed; sheaths 13-24 x 1.5-2.5 cm, densely covered with dark red-brown scales, these sometimes in vertical patches; auricles sometimes present, soon tattering; petiole 8-35 cm long, 5-10 x 3-5 mm in cross section, bearing abundant caducous choco-late-brown scales; rachis 70-90 cm or more long; leaflets 11-23 on each side of the rachis, conspicuously grouped in 2s-6s (usually 3s-4s), c. 10-20 cm between the groups, the proximal few leaflets usually very slender and short (to 16 x 0.3), mid-leaf leaflets 20-47 x 1-4 cm, including the long attenuate drip tip, apical leaflets 10-20 x 2.5-6 cm; leaflet surfaces glabrous. INFLORESCENCE interfoliar, shorter than the leaves, branching to 2 orders; peduncle to c. 50 cm long, 0.8-1.5 cm wide at base, tapering to c. 4 mm widedistally, densely covered in red-brown scales; prophyll inserted c. 6-11 cm above base, 10-40 x 0.8-1.2 cm, sparsely dark scaly; peduncular bract inserted to 14 cm above prophyll, exceeding the prophyll tip by c. 8-11 cm; rachis 20-46 cm, basally scaly as the peduncle, distally glabrescent; rachillae spreading or pendulous, 16-30 in number, 20-c. 50 cm long, c. 1.5-2 mm diam. at anthesis, increasing to c. 3 mm diam. in fruit, glabrous, rachilla bracts rounded, very inconspicuous, triads c. 2 mm distant, in shallow pits. STAMINATE FLOWERS c. 2 x 1.5 mm; sepals c. 1.4 x 0.6 mm, irregularly split and keeled; petals c. 1.6 x 1.2 mm, striate; stamens 3 antesepalous, filaments broad 1.0 x 0.6 mm, anther thecae free, ± pendulous, c. 0.7 x 0.2 mm; pistillode pyramidal, 0.7 x 0.4 mm. PISTILLATE FLOWERS c. 2.5 x 1.9 mm; sepals rounded, c. 1.1 x 1.1, striate, irregularly erose; petals rounded triangular, irregularly imbricate, c. 2 x 1.8 mm; staminodes 3 (4), minute, toothlike, 0.2 x 0.1 mm; ovary rounded to top-shaped, 2 x 1.8 mm. FRUIT green (?still immature), 14 x 7.5 mm. SEED 10 x 4 mm; endosperm homogeneous; embryo lateral near the base. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Materials Examined

  • Andapa: Marojejy, along trail to Marojejy East from Mandena, Oct. 1988 (fl.), Miller 3327 (MO). Maroantsetra, Masoala Peninsula, Antalavia, Feb. 1988 (fl.), Dransfield et al. JD6466 (K, TAN); idem, Feb. 1988 (fl, young fruit), Dransfield et al. JD6472 (K, TAN). Mananara Avaratra: Mananara, Aug. 1917 (fl.), Perrier 12045 (P); 5 km south of Antanambe, April 1992 (fl., fr.), Beentje & Dransfield 4636 (BH, K, MO, P, TAN). Î;le Sainte Marie: Forêt de Kalalao, Nov. 1994 (sterile), Dransfield et al. JD7521 (K, TAN); Forêt d'Ambohidena, Nov. 1994 (buds), Dransfield et al. JD7528 (K, TAN). Toamasina: Betampona, near Ambodiriana, Dec. 1925 (fl.), Perrier 17477 (P). (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Bibliography

    A. Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar
    B. World Checklist of Arecaceae