Licuala suprafolia Barfod & Heatubun, 2022

Barfod, Anders S. & Heatubun, Charlie D., 2022, Seven new species of Licuala (Livistoninae, Arecaceae) from New Guinea, Phytotaxa 555 (1), pp. 1-16 : 13-15

7. Licuala suprafolia Barfod & Heatubun , sp. nov.

Type:― PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Milne Bay Province: Mullins Bay road, sea level, 10 ° 23’S, 150 ° 6’E, 3 March 2000, Barfod 462 (holotype AAU!; isotypes BRI!, CANB!, K!, LAE!)

Figure 8.

Diagnosis: ―This species shares many-noded inflorescences and pedicellate flowers with Licuala bankae , L. penduliflora and L. multibracteata . It differs from these by having inflorescence exposed above the crown and fruits with 2–3 mm thick mesocarp and a slightly furrowed endocarp.

Solitary palm tree up to 7 m tall. Stem about 8 cm in diam. Leaf bases persistent to about 1 m above the ground; sheath 30–40 cm long, early disintegrating into a deciduous, brown, delicate fibrous mesh; petiole 100–120 cm long, 3–3.5 cm wide at the base to ca. 1 cm wide distally, covered by patches of dense, ferruginous ramenta, lower ½ armed with up to 10 mm long, recurved spines; lamina circular to oblong in outline, divided in 19–23 segments; mid-segment 75–90 cm long, with 7–9 adaxial ribs, 12–15 cm wide and truncate apically; lateral segments with 3 adaxial ribs, 3–4 cm wide, truncate to slightly oblique apically, basal segments 45–55 cm long, with 3–4 adaxial ribs, 2.5–3.5 cm wide and highly oblique apically; indentations leading to adaxial ribs 1.2–1.7 cm long, those leading to abaxial ribs 5–7 mm long. Inflorescence 250–320 cm long, erect and curved outwards from the crown centre, branched to second order, with 10–11 partial inflorescences; peduncle 110–120 cm long, contained in the prophyll and peduncular bracts; prophyll 45–55 cm long, brown, chartaceous, covered with patches of ferruginous adpressed tomentum, especially along the keels, tapering at the base and somewhat constricted apically, up to 5 cm wide above the middle, splitting cleanly to 10–15 cm adaxially; two peduncular bracts, green basally to brown and chartaceous towards the apex, the lowermost one ca. 40 cm long, the uppermost one ca. 30 cm long, both otherwise similar to prophyll in texture and hair covering, but not as sharply keeled; rachis 140–200 cm long; basal rachis bract ca. 30 cm long, contained basally in upper peduncular bract, peduncle of basal first order branch hidden in subtending bract, main axis 25–30 cm long, proximally with ferruginous tomentum in patches, carrying 25–30 rachillae, these glabrous to the unaided eye, but with scattered minute hairs visible in 10x magnification. Flowers in pairs proximally to mostly single distally on the rachillae, hermaphroditic; subtending bracts 0.2–0.3 mm long, pedicels of single flowers 0.8–1.2 mm long, those of paired flowers 0.2–0.4 mm long, with minute ferruginous hairs only visible at 20x magnification; calyx campanulate, fused with receptacle for 0.7–0.8 mm, glabrous, breaking up in three, ca. 1.5 mm long, pointed lobes; corolla 2.8–3 mm long, white, split to 2 mm; staminal tube fused to corolla for about 1–1.2 mm, staminal ring 0.8–1 mm high, anthers inserted in two levels, with 0.2–0.3 mm long filaments, rounded to elliptical, ca. 0.5 mm long; ovary glabrous, ca. 1 mm long, more or less truncate apically; style 0.4–0.6 mm long, locules 0.6–0.8 mm long. Infructescence similar to inflorescence, in overall morphology and hair covering, only slightly more expanded and robust. Fruit globose, 9–12 mm in diam., mesocarp ca. 2.5 mm thick, endocarp brittle, slightly furrowed. Seed endosperm with irregularly shaped cavity, usually extending from the periphery to the middle.

Distribution and habitat: ―Only one collection has been made; it is most probably a local endemic. In periodically, inundated forest patches.

Conservation status: ―Critically Endangered. Licuala suprafolia is known from only one site that is threatened by a logging concession and palm oil plantations. It has not been recorded subsequently.

Etymology: ―The epithet refers to the inflorescences that are exposed above the crown at flowering, an unusual feature in the genus.