Dypsis plurisecta Jum., Ann. Inst. Bot.-Géol. Colon. Marseille , III, 6(1): 35 (1918)

Primary tabs

A fairly non-descript species, even though it is only known from the type - but under the microscope a most amazing feature becomes apparent: the stamens have the locules pendulous from a broad connective. These socalled 'geonomoid' stamens are known from very few Dypsis species, and resemble those of the genus Geonoma from South America (see page 125). The name 'plurisecta' is Latin for 'divided into several segments'. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Map uses TDWG level 3 distributions (https://github.com/tdwg/wgsrpd)

Madagascar present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)B

Uncertain, possibly Maroantsetra. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

The protologue describes the stamens as three in number, with short filaments, a broad connective, and pendulous locules. All this is quite correct, except for the number of stamens, which is six. In a table on p. 29 of the publication which contains the protologue, there is a description of the leaf sheath anatomy. This type of stamen also occurs, within Dypsis, in D. fasciculata, D. lokohoensis and D. thouarsiana, all species with three stamens. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Presumed extinct; not seen for over seventy years. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Habit unknown. Distal internodes 0.5-1 cm long, c. 0.7 cm diam. LEAVES with the sheath 5-7 cm long, mostly glabrous but distally with scattered scales; petiole absent or up to 5 mm long; rachis 16-24 cm long, with scattered scales, in mid-leaf 1-1.5 mm diam., with c. 1 mm broad wings between the leaflets; leaflets 5-6 on each side of the rachis, regular or nearly so, opposite or occasionally one pair not opposite, the proximal 5-7 x 0.6-1.1 cm, median 10-15 x 1-2 cm, distal 6-10.5 x 1-2.2 cm, slightly sigmoid with attenuate apices, main veins 2-3, with minute scattered white scales on the minor veins, distal pair joined for 3-4 cm, dentate over c. 1 cm. INFLORESCENCE interfoliar, branched to 1 order; peduncle 15-18 cm long, c. 1 mm diam, with scattered scales; prophyll 9-10 cm long, c. 3 mm wide, open in the distal 1 cm; peduncular bract insertedat 7-11 cm from the base of the peduncle, 5-7 cm long, open in the distal 1-2 cm; rachis 5-7 cm long, with c. 9 rachillae; rachillae 2.5-3 cm long, c. 1 mm diam., with scattered scales. STAMINATE FLOWERS in bud with sepals 0.5-0.7 x 0.6-0.8 mm; petals c. 1 x 0.8 mm; stamens 6, biseriate, the inner inserted higher up, filaments c. 0.2 mm long, anthers 0.3-0.4 x 0.3-0.4 mm, the locules pendulous from a broad connective (sub-geonomoid); pistillode c. 0.2 mm, conical. PISTILLATE FLOWERS unknown. FRUIT unknown. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Probably Maroantsetra ("label lost, without a doubt from the Maroantsetra area"), date unknown (before Aug. 1919), Perrier 11966 (Holotype P). C (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

A. Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar

B. World Checklist of Arecaceae