Saribus brevifolius (Dowe & Mogea) C.D. Bacon & W.J. Baker, Palms 55: 112 (2011)

Primary tabs

https://media.e-taxonomy.eu/palmae/photos/palm_tc_252626_5.jpg

Distribution

Map uses TDWG level 3 distributions (https://github.com/tdwg/wgsrpd)
New Guinea present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)B
Indonesia. Papua, Raja Ampat, Kawe Island and Gag Island. (Dowe, J.L.: A taxonomic account of Livistona R.Br. (Arecaceae))A

Habitat

  • Forming colonies in open coastal forest on ultrabasic rocks at 10-20 m alt. (Dowe, J.L.: A taxonomic account of Livistona R.Br. (Arecaceae))A

Discussion

  • Livistona brevifolia was described by Dowe and Mogea (2004) based on a specimen collected during an ecological survey of the Raja Ampat Islands (Takeuchi, 2003). Livistona rotundifolia also occurs on Kawe, but the two species occupy different habitats: L. brevifolia on well-drained slopes and low ridges, whilst L. rotundifolia occupies moist depressions and swampforest. Livistona brevifolia is a moderate canopy palm to 22 m tall; leaves are smallish and regularly segmented; segment apices are rigid, and with a bifurcate cleft 1-4% of the segment length; the inflorescence is basally trifurcate, not extending beyond the limit of the crown, and with up to 3 partial inflorescences; flowers have all parts red, and the anthers pink; fruit are globose, to 12 mm diam. at maturity. (Dowe, J.L.: A taxonomic account of Livistona R.Br. (Arecaceae))A

Conservation

  • Near threatened. (Dowe, J.L.: A taxonomic account of Livistona R.Br. (Arecaceae))A

Description

  • Hermaphroditic palm. Trunk to 22 m tall, ca 12 cm dbh, leaf scars slightly raised, light grey, internodes narrow, petiole stubs not persistent. Leaves 16-40 in a globose crown; petiole ca 110 cm long, slightly arching, green, proximally 29-42 mm wide, distally 12-13 mm wide, adaxially slightly concave, glabrous, with deciduous white waxy scales on the adaxial surface, abaxially rounded, margins lacking spines; leaf-base fibres coarse, woven in one layer, brown, persistent until leaf fall then deciduous; appendage 12-25 cm long; lamina costapalmate, regularly segmented, semi-circular, moderately undulate, rigid, 55-62 cm long, 45-55 cm wide, adaxially midgreen, abaxially light green; lamina divided for 17-53% of its length, with 22-25 segments, depth of apical cleft 1-4% of the length of the segment, 2-2.5 cm wide where the segments diverge, apical lobes rigid; hastula poorly developed, strongly asymmetric, lobed; parallel veins 5-7 each side of midrib; transverse veins thinner than parallel veins. Inflorescences trifurcate with ± similar collateral axes, branched to 3 orders, ca 60 cm long, not extending beyond the limit of the crown, but with central axis slightly longer and slightly more robust than the lateral axes; each axis with 2-3 partial inflorescences; prophyll 35-45 cm long, 2.5-3.5 cm wide, papyraceous, entire at the apex, glabrous; peduncle of central axis subterete to laterally compressed, 18-20 mm diam.; peduncle of lateral axes terete, 8-12 mm diam.; peduncular bract(s) lacking; rachis bracts 15-25 cm long, tightly tubular, papyraceous, remaining intact at the apex with maturity; bases of partial inflorescences with green tomentum; rachillae 4-9 cm long, straight, subterete to angular, ca 0.5 mm thick, pubescent, red at floral anthesis. Flowers solitary or in clusters of 2-4; sepals basally fused, red, with lobes to 1.0-1.2 mm long; petals broadly triangular, ca 2 mm long, basally connate for ca half their length, thick, fleshy, red, apical margins recurved; stamens much shorter than petals, basal part fused to petal, shoulders flat; filament very short; anthers 0.2 mm long, pink. Fruit globose, 10-12 mm diam.; epicarp thin, smooth, drying minutely tuberculate with scattered lenticels; stigmatic remains apical; mesocarp thin, nonfibrous; endocarp thin, crustaceous; pedicel 2-3 mm, ca 1 mm thick. Seed globose, 8-10 mm diam.; endosperm intruded by the testa to about three quarters across the seed, intrusion of soft tissue irregularly shaped with minor intrusions extending to the outer edge of the endosperm; embryo supra-lateral, ca 1 mm long. Eophyll not seen. (Dowe, J.L.: A taxonomic account of Livistona R.Br. (Arecaceae))A

Materials Examined

  • INDONESIA: Papua, Raja Ampat, Kawe Is., Mogea 8171 with Takeuchi, Neville & Liuw (BO holotype, K, L, MAN, NY); Papua. Raja Ampat, Kawe Is., Mogea 8224 with Takeuchi, Neville & Liuw (BO, K). (Dowe, J.L.: A taxonomic account of Livistona R.Br. (Arecaceae))A

Bibliography

    A. Dowe, J.L.: A taxonomic account of Livistona R.Br. (Arecaceae)
    B. World Checklist of Arecaceae