Dypsis brevicaulis (Guillaumet) Beentje & J.Dransf., Palms Madagascar : 323 (1995)

Primary tabs

no image available

Content

Introduction

  • The leaves of this species appear to come directly from the ground, but there is a small underground stem. The Latin name means 'short-stemmed'. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Distribution

East Coast just N of Manantenina and Manafiafy/Sainte-Luce. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Discussion

  • This species has most distinctive long, narrow leaves. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Biology And Ecology

  • Evergreen forest on white sand or laterite; 1-700 m. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Conservation

  • Critical. Only known from three sites; numbers are extremely low (less than twentyhave been seen) and forests in the area are under threat from shifting cultivation and proposed ilmenite mining operations. (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 (?) dwarf palm, almost acaulescent (Humbert 20671 has "suffrutex 1 m"). STEM largely underground, 5-15 cm, 0.9-2 cm diam. LEAVES 5-8, entire; sheath 7-11 cm long, densely covered with reddish scales but glabrescent, with 2 small auricles, almost open in outermost leaves, then with ragged margins; petiole 0-8 cm long, 2-2.5 mm diam., adaxially flat, abaxially concave, withscattered scales; lamina narrowly triangular, 28-150 x 2.7-4.5 cm, with attenuate base, with c. 4 main veins on each side, adaxially with the proximal part of the midrib scaly, abaxially with the midrib scaly, and with minute scattered scales all over, lobed for 3.5-12 cm, the lobes 1.6-2 cm wide and with rather narrow, dentate apex, the outside margin also with one or two indistinct teeth at 6-10 cm from the apex. INFLORESCENCE unbranched or rarely branched into 2 rachillae; peduncle c. 13 cm; prophyll c. 13 x 0.3 cm; peduncular bract not seen; rachilla 9-17 cm, c. 1 mm diam., lepidote, with 60-80 triads, these protrandrous; rachilla bract wide, concave, rounded-triangular. STAMINATE FLOWERS with keeled sepals 1.3-1.5 x 1-1.2 mm, acute, slightly gibbous; petals 2-2.2 x 1.2 mm, ovate, acute; stamens 6, didymous, biseriate, the antepetalous inserted 0.2-0.5 mm higher up, filaments 0.8-0.9 x 0.3 mm, anthers c. 0.4 x 0.6 mm; pistillode 0.8 x 0.5 mm, club-shaped. PISTILLATE FLOWERS with cucullate sepals; petals ovate, staminodes 6, very short at the base of an oblong ovary, this trigonous, with connivent stigmas. FRUIT unknown. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Materials Examined

  • Tolanaro: Analalava forest, Dec. 1971 (fl.), Guillaumet 4003b (K, P, type); Mt Vohimavo, N. of Ampasimena, March 1947 (old infl.), Humbert 20671 (K, P); St. Luce forest, March 1992 (ster.), Beentje & Andriampaniry 4610 (K, TAN). (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Bibliography

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