Dypsis montana (Jum.) Beentje & J.Dransf., Palms Madagascar : 303 (1995)

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Content

Introduction

  • A rare small palm from the high mountains (hence the name). This species slightly resembles D. occidentalis, which occurs in the same area. (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
Tsaratanana. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Biology And Ecology

  • Montane forest; c. 1500 m. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Conservation

  • Unclear. Known from a single site only, but the Tsaratanana is not well known botanically. (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

  • Clustering palm to 1 m tall. STEMS < 4 mm diam. LEAVES c. 5 in the crown; leaf sheath 7-9 cm long, proximally glabrous, distally with patches of reddish indument, with small triangular auricles 2-5 mm high; petiole 2.5-5 cm long, c. 2 mm diam., with scattered scales; rachis 16-27 cm long, in mid-leaf c. 2 mm wide, with scattered scales; leaflets 3-5 on each side of the rachis, the proximal 10-13 x 0.9-2 cm, median 11-16 x 1.5-2.4 cm, distal pair forming a flabellum 16-22 cm long, connate for 7-8 cm, leaflet interval 1-3 cm, but usually with a large gap just below the terminal flabellum, with scattered scales on the abaxial surface, main veins 1, to 7 on the terminal flabellum. INFLORESCENCE interfoliar, unbranched; peduncle 23-27 cm long, densely scaly; prophyll 10-12 cm long, 3-5 mm wide, open only near the apex; peduncular bract inserted at 4.5-13 cm from the base of the peduncle, 7.5-15 cm long, split in the distal 5-9 cm; rachilla 10-14 cm long, 1-2 mm diam., densely stellate-puberulous, with distant triads. STAMINATE FLOWERS with sepals 0.5-0.7 x 0.4-0.6 mm; petals 1-2 x 0.5-1.2 mm; stamens 6, equal, the filaments c. 0.5-0.8 mm long, flattened, anthers 0.6-0.7 x 0.4-0.6 mm, dorsifixed; pistillode 0.7-0.9 x 0.2-0.3 mm, slender and conical. PISTILLATE FLOWERS with sepals 0.5-0.7 x 0.6-0.7 mm; petals 2-2.2 x 1.4-1.5 mm; staminodes c. 0.2 mm; gynoecium c. 1.6-1.7 x 1.4-1.7 mm. FRUIT unknown. (Plate: see next page). (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Materials Examined

  • ?Ambanja: Tsaratanana, Dec. 1922 (fl.), Perrier 15646 (Holotype P); idem, S. Andohanitrema, May 1993 (bud), Malcomber & Hemingway 2471 (K). (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