Ravenea beentjei Rakotoarin. & J.Dransf.

Rakotoarinivo, M. & Dransfield, J. 2010. New species of Dypsis and Ravenea (Arecaceae) from Madagascar. Kew Bulletin 65: 279. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-010-9210-7

Morphology General Habit

Medium-sized, solitary, dioecious palm

Morphology Trunk

Trunk 3.5 – 10 m tall, 8 – 15 cm diam., internodes 4 – 11 cm, bark brown, wood soft, base of the crown bulbous, c.11 cm across

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 8 – 15 in the crown, porrect to pendulous, arching, marcescent, occasionally trapping litter; sheath 50 – 90 × 10 – 15 cm, yellowish but covered with brown blackish indumentum, margins disintegrating and fibrous; petiole 30 – 150 cm long, 3.5 – 3.8 × 1.5 – 2 cm in cross section, slightly channelled, margins sharp, abaxial surface covered in caducous white to greyish tomentum; rachis 2 – 3.50 m long, 1.2 – 2 × 2.2 – 2.6 cm in cross section in mid-leaf, keeled, pale green, with irregular grey to brown tomentum, becoming glabrescent; leaflets stiff, regularly arranged, arranged in one plane, dark green, 46 – 55 on each side of the rachis, the proximal leaflets 52 – 123 × 0.8 – 2 cm, the median leaflets 116 – 124 × 4.8 – 6 cm, the distal leaflets 21 – 42 × 0.8 – 2.9 cm, leaflets spaced 4 – 6 cm apart, abaxial surface with scattered brown scales and ramenta

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Pistillate inflorescence erect, branched to 1 order, peduncle 19 – 25 cm long, c.1.6 cm across, yellowish, covered with red brown tomentum; prophyll c.30 × 8 cm, pinkish, covered with red brown tomentum; peduncular bracts c.85 × 6 cm, ± equal in size, purplish-pink, abaxial surface densely covered in red brown tomentum in the upper part; rachis 30 – 35 × 1.5 – 1.7 cm, yellow but sparsely to densely covered with red brown tomentum, with 6 – 18 rachillae; rachillae 35 – 48 cm long, glabrescent, sinuous, pedicels 3.7 – 5.2 mm long Inflorescences interfoliar, solitary Staminate inflorescence pendulous, branched to 2 orders, peduncle 24 – 38 cm long, 0.8 – 1 cm wide, prophyll not seen, peduncular bracts several but only 2 preserved, c.77 and 82 cm long, c.9 cm wide, purplish, covered in red brown tomentum, rachis c.48 cm long; rachillae 9 – 15 cm long, c.0.5 mm wide; pedicel 0.6 – 1.2 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Pistillate flowers yellow, sepals connate for c.1.6 mm, lobes c.0.8 × 0.7 mm; petals unequal, spathulate, coriaceous, 1.3 – 6.5 × 4.5 – 5.4 mm; staminodes 12, minute; gynoecium c.7.4 × 8 mm, gibbous, triloculate, stigmas recurved Staminate flowers yellow, calyx connate for c.0.4 mm, lobes 1.6 – 2 × 0.8 – 1 mm; petals free, 6.2 – 6.5 × 4.5 – 4.7 mm, with scattered minute red dots near the apex; stamens (6) 12, 2 opposite each petal, and 2 opposite each sepal, filaments 0.4 – 0.8 mm, anthers c.3.5 × 1.4 mm., pistillode minute

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits blackish, subglobose, perianth persistent, stigmatic remains apical, 1.4 – 1.6 × 1.5 – 1.6 cm, epicarp c.0.8 mm thick, mesocarp 1.8 mm thick, spongy, endocarp spongy

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 3; 1.3 – 1.4 × 0.7 – 0.8 mm, seedcoat black, 0.1 mm thick; endosperm homogeneous

Distribution

Known only from Vondrozo forest, in southeast Madagascar.

Ecology

Common in lowland humid forest, in valleys and swampy areas; 600 – 650 m.

Conservation

Critically Endangered [CR(B2a + b(iii); D)]. Known only from one population in Vondrozo, where it is restricted to frequently flooded areas. In an Extent of Ocurrence estimated to be less than 7 km2, only about 40 mature individuals have been recorded in the field. The forest of Vondrozo is managed by the local community but logging operations still occur.

Note

Similar toRavenearobustior and R. krociana in having solitary inflorescences whether in male or female plants but differing from these in the lack of a ventricose trunk, a more delicate inflorescence, with pendulous rachillae, and having staminate flowers with usually 12 stamens rather than six. The presence of three seeds in the fruit is also rather unusual. The specific epithet honours Henk Beentje, monographer of Ravenea and co-author of Palms of Madagascar.

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: confident