Arecaceae
Licuala

Licuala suprafolia Barfod & Heatubun

First published in Phytotaxa 555: 13 (2022)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SE. Papua New Guinea. It is a tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

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
Single-stemmed palm to 7 m
Morphology Stem
Stem ca. 8 cm diam. Leaf bases persistent to the ground in shorter individuals; sheath ca. 30−40 cm long, early disintegrating into a delicate deciduous, fibrous, brown mesh; petiole 100−120 cm long, covered with patches of dense, adpressed, rust-coloured indumentum, armed in lower half; blade, divided into 19−23 segments; mid-segment 75−90 cm long, 12−15 cm wide and truncate apically
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence 2.5−3.2 m long, erect and arching away from the crown centre, with 10−11 first-order branches; peduncle 1.1−1.2 cm long, covered by the prophyll and peduncular bracts; 2 peduncular bracts, 30−40 cm long; rachis 140−200 cm long; peduncle of basal first-order branch hidden in subtending bract, main axis 25−30 cm long, proximally with rust-coloured tomentum in patches, bearing 25−30 rachillae, with minute hairs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in pairs proximally to mostly single distally on the rachillae; pedicels of single flowers 0.8−1.2 mm long, those of paired flowers 0.2−0.4 mm long; calyx bell-shaped, glabrous, breaking up into 3, ca. 1.5 mm long, pointed lobes; corolla white; stamens biseriate; ovary glabrous, ca. 1 mm long, more or less truncate apically; style 0.4−0.6 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit globose, 9−12 mm diam., mesocarp ca. 2.5 mm thick, endocarp brittle, slightly furrowed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed 5–7 mm diam.
Distribution
One site west of Alotau in far south- eastern New Guinea.
Ecology
Periodically inundated forest patches surrounded by grassland at sea level.
Vernacular
None recorded.
Conservation
Critically Endangered. The only known site of Licuala suprafolia is threatened by a logging concession.
Note
Characterised by its long persistent leaf bases and heavily armed petioles. The inflorescence is more than 2.5 m long and exposed above the crown at anthesis. It has two peduncular bracts and numerous first-order branches. See note under Licuala multibracteata.
[PONG]

Uses

Use
None recorded.
[PONG]

Sources

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Palms of New Guinea

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0