Calamus spiralis A.J.Hend., N.K.Ban & N.Q.Dung, Palms (1999+). 52(4): 196 (2008)

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Distribution

Map uses TDWG level 3 distributions (https://github.com/tdwg/wgsrpd)
Vietnam present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)A

Habitat

  • Known only from central Vietnam in Bach Ma National Park in Thua Thien-Hue, on steep slopes in lowland rain forest. It is apparently a rare plant in the Park. (Henderson, A.J., Ban, N.K. & Dung, N.Q. 2008: New species of Calamus (Palmae) from Vietnam. – Palms; Journal of the International Palm Society 52(4): 187-197)B

Discussion

  • In Evans et al. (2002) the specimens cited here will key to Calamus palustris. Calamus spiralis is clearly not that species, differing in the smaller size of all its parts (except the fruits - which do resemble those of C. palustris), and in its bulbous-based groups of leaf sheath spines.
    By its climbing habit, eflagellate sheaths, cirrate leaves, eflagellate inflorescences, and tubular partial inflorescence bracts, Calamus spiralis appears to be a member of Beccari's (1908) Group XV.
    (Henderson, A.J., Ban, N.K. & Dung, N.Q. 2008: New species of Calamus (Palmae) from Vietnam. – Palms; Journal of the International Palm Society 52(4): 187-197)B

Common Name

  • Local name: may cam mo. (Henderson, A.J., Ban, N.K. & Dung, N.Q. 2008: New species of Calamus (Palmae) from Vietnam. – Palms; Journal of the International Palm Society 52(4): 187-197)B

Description

  • Stems climbing, clustered, forming large clumps, to 15 m long, 0.7 cm diameter with sheaths. Leaf sheaths closed and tubular, green with gray tomentum, with scattered groups of spines, each group bulbous-based with 3 (rarely more) black spines to 0.25 cm long, the central spine of a group longer than the two lateral ones, the groups denser at the sheath apex, sometimes with a few, longer, needle-like spines present at sheath apices; knees present, obscure; ocreas 0.5 cm long, with groups of spines as the sheath apices; flagella absent; petioles 0.5-1 cm long; rachis 9-20 cm long, with few, recurved, solitary spines abaxially; cirri 55 cm long; pinnae 3 per side of rachis, 13-18.5 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide at the middle, linear-lanceolate, irregularly and distantly arranged, the basal pair of pinnae swept back across the sheath, not spiny on veins, spiny on margins near the pinnae apices. Staminate inflorescences not known; pistillate inflorescences 40 cm long, erect, not flagellate, branched to 1 or 2 orders, with 1 or 2 partial inflorescences; prophylls 10-13 cm long, closely sheathing the peduncle, split only apically; partial inflorescence bracts splitting only apically, closely sheathing the rachis; rachillae 5-7, 1-2 cm long; rachillae bracts 1.5 mm high, acuminate, glabrous; floral bracteoles cupular, not lobed; pistillate flowers 4 mm long, arranged distichously but irregularly along the rachillae, appearing spirally arranged in life; calyx 3.5 mm long, tubular, split for about half its length into 3 lobes, glabrous; corolla 3 mm long, split for about two thirds its length into 3 valvate petals, glabrous; staminodes 6; ovary 2.5 mm long; fruits 2.3 cm long, 1.4 cm wide, ellipsoid, reddish-brown, the scales faintly channeled, the perianth not tubular and pedicellate; endosperm homogeneous; embryo basal. (Henderson, A.J., Ban, N.K. & Dung, N.Q. 2008: New species of Calamus (Palmae) from Vietnam. – Palms; Journal of the International Palm Society 52(4): 187-197)B

Materials Examined

  • Vietnam. Thua Thien-Hue: Bach Ma National Park, 16°14'N, 107°52'E, 100 m, 15 Apr 2007, A. Henderson, Nguyen Quoc Dung, Phan Xuan Phuong, & Le Van Bo 3280 (Holotypus: HN! Isotypi: K! NY!). (Henderson, A.J., Ban, N.K. & Dung, N.Q. 2008: New species of Calamus (Palmae) from Vietnam. – Palms; Journal of the International Palm Society 52(4): 187-197)B

Bibliography

    A. World Checklist of Arecaceae
    B. Henderson, A.J., Ban, N.K. & Dung, N.Q. 2008: New species of Calamus (Palmae) from Vietnam. – Palms; Journal of the International Palm Society 52(4): 187-197