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

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

Vernacular

Not recorded.

Conservation

Vulnerable. Single-site status, but is fairly abundant in this site, which is protected.

Diagnostic

D. baronii et D. andrianatongae similis sed foliolis aggregatis et petiolo longo, a D. baronii vagina breve et caule ramificanti, a D. andrianatongagrana minore bractea pedunculi breviore differt.

Distribution

Only known from the Mananara Biosphere Reserve.

General Description

Solitary or clustering rather floppy palm. STEMS 5-6 m, 3-4 cm diam., starting vertical, then leaning over with almost horizontal part, the apex again vertical; nearly all stems seen branched twice or more, with the branches closely parallel; internodes distally 1-8.5 cm, glabrous, proximally corky, cracked vertically with lenticels, dull grey-brown, the upper branches green; nodal scars 0.8-1.2 cm, brown. LEAVES c. 6 in the crown, spirally inserted; sheath 21-26 cm long, green with a white bloom, with a few scattered scales distally; petiole 43-75 cm long, distally 2-3 mm wide, with scattered scales; rachis 50-120 cm long, in mid-leaf 0.2-0.3 cm wide; leaflets 7-17 on each side of the rachis, irregular or in groups, the group interval 4-9 cm, proximal leaflets 40-70 x 2.4-3.5 cm, median 25-46 x 1-1.6 cm, distal 13-20 x 0.7-1.7 cm, main veins 1-2 (distal 2-3), but in multifold leaflets 3-5, few ramenta, otherwise glabrous, some sinuous transverse veins, distal leaflets connate for c. 2 cm, dentate over a width of c. 2 mm, distal pair joined for c. 0.6 cm. INFLORESCENCE infrafoliar, branched to 1 order, recurved; peduncle 8-10 cm long, distally 0.4-0.5 x 0.3-0.5 cm diam., stel-late-scaly; prophyll 12-18 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide, borne at 2-3 cm above the base of the peduncle; peduncular bract inserted at 5-7 cm from the base of the peduncle, 7-12.5 cm long; rachis 2.5-3 cm long, with scattered stellate scales, with 5-7 branches; rachillae 4-8 cm long, 1-2 mm diam., with scattered scales; triads distally distichous. STAMINATE FLOWERS with sepals 1.9-2 x 1.5-1.8 mm, the innermost the widest; petals in young bud c. 1.8 x 1.3 mm; stamens 6, uniseriate?, filaments in bud 0.3 mm, anthers 0.6-0.8 x 0.3 mm; pistillode c. 0.8 x 0.2 mm. PISTILLATE FLOWERS with sepals 3-3.2 x 2.6-3.3 mm; petals 3.5-4 x 2.8-3.2 mm; staminodes 0.8-1 mm; gynoecium c. 4.2 x 2 mm. FRUIT purplish-tinged, ovoid, 12-14 x 9-10 mm. SEED c. 11 x 8.5 mm, endosperm ruminate, the ruminations 1-2.5 mm deep, distant, embryo lateral near the base.

Biology

Lowland rain forest; may form thickets on steep mid slopes or in heath-like forest on ridgetops, with Satranala and Pandanus on very thick humus layer on ultramafic soil; 240-280 m.