Chrysalidocarpus tsaravoasira (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

Diagnostic

inter species maximas tristichas foliolis regulariter dispositis inflorescentiis multo ramosis numero foliolorum infra glandibus dispersis tectorum distincta.

General Description

Solitary palm. TRUNK 10-25 m, 18-40 cm diam, prominently ringed above, scarcely below, 7.5-25 cm across near crown, internodes 5-15 cm, pale brown, distally green. Crownshaft green, swollen, 1-1.5 m. Wood pink. LEAVES 5-9, tristichous, porrect, stiff to arcuate; sheath 69-150 cm long, 12 cm across, green, distally densely scaly, with or without irregular ligule c. 22 mm; petiole 0-13 cm, distally 4.5 x 4 cm, densely scaly to glabrous; rachis strongly arcuate, 2-3.5 m long, glabrous or scaly, in mid-leaf 2-3 cm wide; leaflets 102-120 on each side of the rachis, regular, stiff to arcuate, dull dark green, the ones on opposite sides of the rachis in one plane or at a slight angle, less conspicuously so near the tip, mid-green, proximal leaflets 68-135 x 0.5-3.1 cm with conspicuous pendulous reins, median 81-127 x 2.2-3 cm (interval 1.5-3 cm), distal 10-48 x 0.2-2 cm, apex single or bifid, unequal, main vein 1, thickened margins, rest faint, scattered tufts of ramenta, and with a few scattered scales on the minor veins. INFLORESCENCE infrafoliar, branching to 3 orders, arching with pendulous rachillae; peduncle 22-26 cm, strongly curved, distally c. 4 x 3 cm, with scattered scales; prophyll 41-54 cm, borne at 6-9.5 cm above the base of the peduncle, c. 14 cm wide, persistent, pale brown abaxially, chestnut-red adaxially; peduncular bract inserted at c. 14 cm above the base of the peduncle, deciduous; rachis 47-50 cm, first order branches 14-20, 15 x 9 mm across, glabrous or with minute scattered scales, all axes green; rachillae cream-coloured, pendulous, 13-53 cm, 3-4 mm across, glabrous; triads spaced to dense, sunken; rachilla bract obtuse. STAMINATE FLOWERS only known in young bud. PISTILLATE FLOWERS in young fruit with sepals 2.8-3.7 x 4-5.2 mm, ciliolate; petals 4.5-5 x 5.6-6 mm; staminodes c. 1.2mm long. Young FRUIT 4-5 x 5-5.5 mm.

Conservation

Endangered. Only known from three sites, two of which are under agricultural pressure; numbers within the populations are low, and we have seen less than thirty altogether.

Biology

Open primary forest, steep upper slopes or ridgetop hollows; 275-1050 m.

Distribution

Only known from Marojejy, Maroantsetra and Mananara.

Vernacular

Tsaravoasira, Hovotravavy, avaboko (Betsimisaraka).