Calamus lauterbachii Becc.

Baker, W.J., Barfod, A.S., Cámara-Leret, R., Dowe, J.L., Heatubun, C.D., Petoe, P., Turner, J.H., Zona, S. & Dransfield, J. (2024) Palms of New Guinea. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond. 726 pp.

Morphology General Habit

Moderately robust, multi-stemmed rattan climbing to 25 m

Morphology Stem

Stem with sheaths 14–28 mm diam., without 9–17 mm diam.; internodes 8–32 cm

Morphology Leaves

Leaf ecirrate, 40–130 cm long including petiole; sheath green to bluish green, with scattered dark indumentum, spines numerous, 0.5–5 × 0.5–3 mm, triangular, stiff, green to brown, solitary or in collars; knee 18–27 mm long, unarmed or armed as sheath; ocrea 21–90 × 3–5 cm, boat-shaped, somewhat inflated and clasping, erect, leathery, purple-brown, drying brown, armed with numerous fine spines arranged in collars (resembling eyelashes), persistent, but eventually tattering; flagellum 1–4 m; petiole 14–52 cm; leaflets 5–9 each side of rachis, arranged in 2–3 divaricate groups, elliptic to linear- lanceolate, often strongly hooded, leathery, longest leaflet at mid-leaf position 26–44 × 2.8–8 cm, apical leaflets 16–36 × 2.5–8 cm, apical leaflet pair united for half to three quarters of their length, leaflet surfaces almost always unarmed, margins armed with stout bristles

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence erect or flagelliform, 0.5–2.6 m long including 0.2–0.7 m peduncle, flagelliform tip either lacking or well-developed to 180 cm, branched to 2 orders in the female and 2–3 orders in the male; primary bracts papery, inflated, splitting, tattering and disintegrating (especially where subtending a primary branch); primary branches 1–2, to 32 cm long, compact and/or congested, male rachillae 5–44 mm × 1–2.5 mm, female rachillae 6–25 mm × 3–4 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit solitary, ellipsoid or obovoid, 20–30 × 13–14 mm, scales yellow to reddish brown

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed (sarcotesta removed) 11–15 × 9–11 × 6–8 mm, ellipsoid or obovoid, with deep lateral pit and shallow to deeper rounded furrows; endosperm homogeneous.

Distribution

Widespread in mainland New Guinea and Yapen Island.

Ecology

Lowland forest, from sea level to 700 m. local names. Ajabf kwa nyi (Ormu), Angulim (Bogia), Kobing (Kotte), Kolaben (Maia), Nongkoek (Kati), Onda (Kabori), Woy (Arso).

Conservation

Least Concern.

Note

This species is the commonest member of the Calamus lauterbachii group, which comprises three flagellate species (including also C. heatubunii and C. nudus) that share strongly grouped, rather broad leaflets, conspicuous, persistent, papery to leathery ocreas and inflorescences sometimes with congested primary branching systems (Baker & Dransfield 2017). Calamus lauterbachii itself is a highly distinctive rattan, characterised by its broad, hooded leaflets, which are few in number and arranged in irregular, divaricate groups, and its very long, leathery ocrea, which is often purple-brown in colour and armed with low, finely spiny crests that resemble eyelashes. Its inflorescence can be either flagelliform or erect and not flagelliform.Typically, the inflorescence bears only one or two primary branches, which are very condensed and subtended by papery primary bracts that split and tatter. Because the rachillae are so congested, the inflorescence can appear club-like in fruit. The holotype of C. lauterbachii appears to have been destroyed in Berlin. However, an image of the specimen is available (Beccari 1908) and an isotype, comprising fragments of male rachilla and flowers, is held in Florence. These closely match the type of Calamus humboldtianus, the later name under which this rattan was previously widely known.