Calamus barfodii W.J.Baker & J.Dransf.

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 slender, multi-stemmed rattan climbing to 30 m

Morphology Stem

Stem with sheaths 8–16 mm diam., without sheaths 5.5–10 mm diam. Leaf ecirrate, to 72–78 cm long including petiole; sheath pale green, glaucous, with very thin pale indumentum, spines numerous, 0.5–4 × 0.5–1.2 mm, triangular, tips sometimes dark, solitary; knee 17–27 mm long, armed as sheath; ocrea 9–17 × 1–2.7 cm, inflated, boat-shaped, open longitudinally to base on side opposite petiole insertion, clasping and usually obscuring sheath, tough, brown, dark purple when young, armed as sheath, persistent, apparently inhabited by ants; flagellum 90–140 cm long; petiole ca. 2–4 cm long; leaflets 23–26 each side of rachis, regularly arranged, linear lanceolate, longest leaflet in mid-leaf 19–26 × 1.5–2 cm, apical leaflets 3.5– 10 × 0.3–1.3 cm, apical leaflet pair united up to one fifth of their length or not united, very sparsely armed with dark bristles on margins and upper surface near tip

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence erect to arching, 40–59 cm long including 21–40 cm peduncle, lacking flagelliform tip, branched to 2–3 orders in the female and 3 orders in the male; primary bracts strictly tubular and somewhat inflated, slightly asymmetric at apex and sometimes splitting slightly, sparsely to densely armed as sheath; primary branches ca. 4, to 7 cm long, 5–8 cm apart, compact; male rachillae not seen, female rachillae 4–13 mm ×1–1.3 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit solitary (only immature specimen seen), ellipsoid, ca. 10 × 6 mm, scales light brown to yellow

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed not seen.

Distribution

South side of the Owen Stanley Range, south-eastern New Guinea.

Ecology

Lowland forest, 50–460 m. local names. None recorded.

Conservation

Endangered. Calamus barfodii has a restricted distribution. Deforestation due to logging concessions is a major threat in its range. Its close proximity to Port Moresby may also constitute a potential risk.

Note

Calamus barfodii is a flagellate species that displays an unusual combination of characters, consisting of a well-developed, inflated, persistent ocrea that clasps the stem (resembling that of C. altiscandens, C. macrochlamys or C. longipinna and similar species), a rather short, erect to arching inflorescence bearing stout, inflated bracts that split to the base by the emergence of very compact primary branching systems (similar to the C. anomalus group, see under C. anomalus) and very short rachillae.