Dypsis ambanjae Beentje, Palms Madagascar : 299 (1995)

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Introduction

  • One of the mysteries of the genus, only known from the type, and not seen for over eighty years. The species name comes from the town of Ambanja.
    NOTE: The epithet sambiranensis is predated in Chrysalidocarpus in the same publication (Jumelle, 1933), but in an earlier fascicle (later combined as Dypsis sambiranensis, a synonym of D pinnatifrons) The new epithet derives from the nearest large town and administrative unit in which the type was found (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
Only known from the type, from the upper Sambirano River. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Discussion

  • According to the Flore de Madagascar, this is synonymous with P. gracilis (now D. oreophila), and the description is a hotchpotch - the small fruit of D. oreophila is not mentioned, nor is the type of D. sambiranensis. The look of the plant is different, and the inflorescence is much larger; we believe this is a taxon in its own right. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Biology And Ecology

  • Rain forest; c. 500 m. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Conservation

  • ?Extinct. Not collected for over 80 years. (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. Stems 4-5 m tall, 5-6 cm diam.; internodes distally 2.5-3.5 cm long, nodal scars c. 0.2 cm, distal diameter of stems c. 2.3 cm. LEAVES pinnate; sheath c. 32 cm, proximally glabrous and waxy, distally with scattered scales, with rounded opening, auricles absent; petiole 13-27 cm long, proximally (in a young leaf) 8 x 7 mm, distally 4 x 6 mm, channelled adaxially; rachis slender, in a young leaf 1 m long, in mid-leaf 3-5 mm wide, slightly keeled, almost glabrous; leaflets c. 47 on each side of the rachis, in groups of 2-6, the group interval 4-5 cm, rather stiff, linear, in a young leaf the proximal 38-40 x 0.3-0.5 cm, median 34-36 x 0.6-0.8 cm, distal 8-23 x 0.3-0.6 cm, main vein 1, ramenta few, 1-3 mm long, or absent, rest of leaf glabrous, apices unequally bifid, attenuate. INFLORESCENCE branched to 2 orders; peduncle c. 42.5 cm long, distally curved, proximally c. 8 x 3 mm diam., distally c. 7 x 4 mm diam.; prophyll c. 52 cm long, 3 cm wide, borne at c. 23 cm above the base of the peduncle, waxy, glabrous, open in its upper 20 cm; peduncular bract inserted at c. 35 cm from the base of the peduncle, 29-40 cm long, opening over its length except for the beak of 5 mm; rachis c. 18 cm long, glabrous with c. 8 branched and 13 unbranched first order branches, the proximal of these with a secondary rachis up to 2.5 cm long and proximally 4 x 2 mm diam., with up to 4 rachillae; rachillae 4-11 cm long, c. 1.5 mm diam., glabrous, sinuous, with distant superficial triads; rachilla bracts c. 1 mm, acute. STAMINATE FLOWERS unknown. PISTILLATE FLOWERS with sepals 1.8-2.2 x 2.8-3 mm; petals 3-3.3 x 3.3-3.6 mm; staminodes 0.6-0.7 mm; ovary 2.5-3.3 x 1.8-2 mm. FRUIT ellipsoid or slightly obovoid, 11-14 x 8-11 mm, the apex rounded; endocarp very fibrous, with interwoven fibres. SEED ellipsoid, 11.5-12.5 x 9.5-10 mm, pointed at the base with a sub-basal depression, rounded at the apex; endosperm ruminate, the ruminations distant and c. 1 mm deep. (Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. 1995: The Palms of Madagascar)A

Materials Examined

  • Ambanja: upper Sambirano, Dec. 1912 (fl., fr.), Perrier 12070 (P, type). (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