Dypsis ampasindavae Beentje, Palms Madagascar : 153 (1995)

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Content

Introduction

  • A rare species, with the leaves in three ranks.The new name refers to the village nearest to the forest where the type was found, and where HB stayed when he refound the species ('the sand across the bay' in Malagasy).
    NOTE: The epithet 'loucoubensis' is too close to that of Chrysalidocarpus lucubensis Becc of 1906, a synonym of D. madagascariensis. (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
Restricted to Nosy Be and Manongarivo Mountains. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Discussion

  • Closest to the other large tristichous species, D. tsaravoasira and D. pilulifera. Distinct in its longer rachillae and homogeneous endosperm. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Biology And Ecology

  • Moist lowland forest, on steep mid slope; 10-200 m. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Conservation

  • Endangered. Known from only two sites, both of which are protected; but tree poaching is a severe threat in Lokobe Special Reserve (see Adany et al. 1994). HB has seen less than 25 trees in the two sites. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Common Name

  • Lavaboka (Tsimihety). (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Uses

  • Used in house construction; palm-heart eaten. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Description

  • Large solitary palm. TRUNK 12-15 m, 18-25 cm diam., with basal swelling 20 cm high and 40-55 cm diam., with surface roots; internodes 10-17 cm long, pale brown; nodal scars 1-3 cm, grey; near the crown 17 cm diam., and the internodes here c. 17 cm long, nodal scars 2 cm. LEAVES 9-11 in the crown, tristichous, porrect to arching with pendulous leaflets; sheath 110-146 cm long, 20-23 cm diam., pale green with some wax, half open, without auricles or with slight auricles to 1 cm high; petiole absent or up to 18 cm long, 5-8.5 x 3-4.5 cm diam., channelled, green and with scattered scales or glabrous; rachis 3.6-5 m long, in mid-leaf 2-3 x 1.8-2.5 cm diam. and keeled, with scattered scales; leaflets 84-103 on each side of the rachis, regular, pale or mid-green, in one plane but with the distal part pendulous, the proximal 105-137 x 0.8-2.1 cm, median 105-170 x 2.7-5.1 cm (interval 2.5-4 cm), distal 18-30 x 0.4-2.3 cm, the distal pair joined for c. 10 cm, main veins 1, quite glabrous, apices acute and bilobed. INFLORESCENCE infrafoliar, erect and spreading, 1.3-1.5 x 1.2-1.4 m, branched to 3 orders; peduncle 25-34 cm long, proximally 6.5-12 x 3.5-7 cm diam., with scattered scales; prophyll 50-60 x 10 -13 x 4 cm, borne at 7-9 cm above the base of the peduncle; peduncular bract inserted at 15-16 cm from the base of the peduncle, c. 90 cm long, 14 x 9 cm diam., green with a white bloom, beaked for 6 cm; rachis 90-120 cm long, pale whitish green, with 18-22 branched and 15-21 non- branched first order branches, the most proximal of these with a rachis of up to 32 cm, at its base to 2.5-5 x 1.2-1.5 cm diam., with up to 21 second order branches and rachillae; rachillae whitish green, 24-58 cm long, 3.5-5 mm diam., glabrous; triads distant, in slight pits; rachilla bract small, acute. STAMINATE FLOWERS cream; sepals 1.5-2.1 x 1.4-1.8 mm, broadly ovate, gibbous proximally, keeled, acute to truncate, with ciliolate membranous margins; petals 3-3.4 x 1.7-2 mm, ovate, acute; stamens 6, uniseriate, filaments 1.2-1.5 mm long, thin, anthers 2-2.3 x 0.5-0.6 mm, dorsifixed, versatile, the locules parallel and obtuse; pistillode c. 1.5 mm high, columnar, 0.5 mm diam. PISTILLATE FLOWERS cream; sepals 1.8-2.4 x 2.2-2.6 mm (- 3.6 mm in fruit), broadly ellipsoid, rounded, concave, ciliolate; petals 2.7-3.4 x 2.3-2.5 mm (-4 x 4.5 mm in fruit), concave, striate, with membranous margins, ciliolate; staminodes 6, flat, obtuse, 0.2-0.8 mm long; gynoecium 3-3.4 x 2.2-2.7 mm. FRUIT ovoid, 10-13 x 7.5-9 mm, apex obtuse with an asymmetrical point; endosperm fibrous, the fibres slightly anastomizing. SEED ellipsoid, 9-11 x 7-8 mm, pointed at the base, rounded at the apex, with a subaequatorial depression; endosperm ruminate, the ruminations distant and 1-2 mm deep. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Materials Examined

  • Nosy Be: Lokobe, Sept. 1932 (fr.), Perrier 18730 (Holotype P); idem, July 1992 (fl.), Beentje & Andriampaniry 4697 (K, MO, TAN), and (bud), Beentje & Andriampaniry 4700 (BH, K, MO, P, TAN). Ambanja: Manongarivo, S of Ambalafary, Feb. 1992 (fr.), Beentje et al. 4583 (BH, K, MO, P, TAN). (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