Arecaceae
Chrysalidocarpus

Chrysalidocarpus andrianatonga (Beentje) Eiserhardt & W.J.Baker

First published in Taxon 71: 1183 (2022)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is N. Madagascar. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

General Description
Clustering palm in tufts of 8 -14. STEMS 2-9 m tall, 1.5-2.5 cm diam., snaking and procumbent but with the distal part erect, proximally and/or distally branching at the nodes, often rooting at the branching points; internodes proximally 11-18 cm, distally 1-2.5 cm, dark green, glabrous, nodal scars 0.3-0.7 cm, grey-brown, slightly stepped. LEAVES c. 5 per crown, spiral to almost tristichous, arching-porrect, 80-190 cm; sheath 20-39 cm, closed but occasionally split proximally, without obvious auricles or with minute ones to 5 mm high, green, slightly waxy, proximally glabrous or with laciniate reddish scales, distally with some scattered scales; petiole 6-32 cm, proximally 5.5-10 x 3-5 mm diam. and with a triangular fleshy extension of the sheath lining, channelled proximally, distally 3-6 x 3-5 mm diam., densely pubescent or with scattered scales; rachis 42-128 cm, in mid-leaf to 7 mm wide, keeled, densely pubescent or with few scattered scales; leaflets regular, attenuate, 12-35 on each side of the rachis, the proximal 21-43 x 0.6-1.8 cm, median 16-35 x 2-3.2 cm (interval 3-5.3 cm), distal 3-20 x 0.3-1.9 cm, the distal pair joined for up to 0.5 cm, main veins 1-3, and with thickened margins, with occasional ramenta to 6 mm, with scattered scales on the veins and margins. INFLORESCENCE infrafoliar, branched to 1-2 orders, erect proximally, curved in the distal part of the peduncle through some 140°; peduncle 7-40 cm, proximally 4-12 x 3-3.5 mm diam., distally 4-6 x 2.5-4 mm diam., waxy; prophyll 12-59 cm, borne at 1.5-24 cm above the base of the peduncle, pale brown with scattered scales; peduncular bract persistent or deciduous, inserted at 4-28 cm from the base of the peduncle, 20-29 cm long, hooded, open all the way except the distal 4.5 cm, with a minute beak, with scattered scales; non-tubu-lar peduncular bract 0.2-2 x 1 cm; rachis 4-14 cm, with 9-17 first order branches, sometimes a few (up to 5) of these with a secondary rachis of up to 1.2 cm and 2-3 (-4) rachillae; rachillae 2-10 cm long, 2-3.5 mm diam., glabrous or minutely puberulous, zigzag; triads dense to distant, sunken, with acuminate rachilla bract to 2 mm. STAMINATE FLOWERS with sepals 2.2-x 2.3-2.6 mm, red-spotted on keel and apex; petals connate for 1.2-1.6 mm, free parts 3-3.4 x 2.4-3.2 mm; stamens 6, uniseriate, the filaments connate for c. 0.6 mm, free for 2.8-3 mm, flattened in their proximal half and cylindrical distally, anthers 1.4-1.7 x 0.5-0.8 mm, versatile, obtuse; pistillode 2.5-2.6 x 1.2-1.3 mm. PISTILLATE FLOWERS with sepals 2-3 x 2.8-3.6 mm; petals in young bud 2.5-3.3 x 2.4-mm, concave, striate, (in fruit) 3-4 x 3.3-5.2 mm, ciliolate; staminodes 6, flat, 0.3-0.8 mm high; ovary 1.5-3.7 x 0.9-2 mm. FRUIT green, colour unknown when ripe,
Distribution
Manongarivo and Marojejy Massif.
Conservation
Rare. The distribution of this species is limited. In Manongarivo it is not uncommon in a rather narrow vegetation belt on Bekolosi Mountain.
Diagnostic
D. baronii et D. serpentinae similis, a D. baronii habitu ramificanti foliolis paucioribus inflorescentia minore grana majore et a D. serpentina petiolo breviore foliolis regulariter dispositis inflorescentia majore rachillis pluribus differt.
Vernacular
Tsiriki andrianatonga (Tsimihety, tsiriki being a general palm name).
Biology
Open moist montane forest or heath vegetation, occasionally on rocks in denser forest; 700-1800 m.
[PW]

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
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/38518/2870461

Conservation
VU - vulnerable
[IUCN]

Uses

Use
Leaf decoction used in drink for convalescence, highly prized.
[PW]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. 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 2024. 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

  • Palmweb - Palms of the World Online

    • Palmweb 2011. Palmweb: Palms of the World Online. Published on the internet http://www.palmweb.org. Accessed on 21/04/2013
    • Content licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0