Calamus nudus W.J.Baker & S.Venter

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 9–15 mm diam., without sheaths to 7–9 mm diam.; internodes 10–28 cm

Morphology Leaves

Leaf ecirrate, to 64 cm long including petiole; sheath green, with scattered dark scales, spines numerous, 1–4 × ca. 1 mm, narrow triangular, stiff, green, solitary; knee 18–20 mm long, lightly armed as sheath; ocrea 40–55 × 1–2.5 cm, erect, inflated, boat-shaped, open longitudinally to base, papery, brown, with numerous solitary spines, similar to sheath spines, but finer, ocrea tattering to dry fibres, sometimes disintegrating; flagellum 100–200 cm; petiole to ca. 13 cm; leaflets 3–5 each side of rachis, arranged in a single fan-like group, lanceolate, leathery, longest leaflets at apex, apical leaflets 44–51 × 3.5–4 cm, lower leaflets slightly smaller, apical leaflet pair united from one third to one half of their length, leaflets armed only on margins with stout bristles

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence flagelliform, 1.6–2.2 m long including 0–4 cm peduncle, the remainder being flagellum-like, branched to 2 orders in the female, male not seen; primary bracts very narrow and tightly sheathing as in flagellum, tattering at mouth; primary branches 1 (sometimes up to 3), to 21 cm long, first primary branch emerging directly from inflorescence base and not subtended by any primary bract, male rachillae not seen, female rachillae 14–25 mm × 3–4 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit solitary, ellipsoid, ca. 20 × 12.5 mm, scales orange-brown

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed (sarcotesta removed) ca. 10 × 8 × 6 mm, ellipsoid, smooth, with deep lateral pit; endosperm homogeneous.

Distribution

Scattered sites in southern central New Guinea.

Ecology

Lowland forest at 30–146 m.

Vernacular

Aliopoi (Bamu), Arompotto (Kati).

Conservation

Near Threatened. Calamus nudus is threatened at some of its sites by logging concessions.

Note

solitary spines. directly from the inflorescence base and is not subtended by any primary bract (including a prophyll). Primary bracts are evident in the distal, flagellum-like part of the inflorescence (which is long and flagellum- like). Vegetatively, C. nudus is similar to C. heatubunii in the almost palmate leaves comprising very few leaflets and the pronounced ocrea armed with numerous Calamus nudus belongs to the flagellate C. lauterbachii group (see under C. lauterbachii). It is unique among Calamus species (and indeed palms) in that its first primary inflorescence branch emerges

Use

None recorded.