Hedyscepe H.Wendl. & Drude, Linnaea 39: 178 (1875)

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Number of Taxa

  • 1 species

Distribution

Map accurate to TDWG level 3 distributions

Norfolk Is. (World Checklist of Monocotyledons)
One species endemic to LordHowe Island. (J. Dransfield, N. Uhl, C. Asmussen, W.J. Baker, M. Harley and C. Lewis. 2008)

Discussion

Biology And Ecology

Common Name

Etymology

Diagnosis

Description

  • Solitary, moderate, unarmed, pleonanthic, monoecious palm. Stem rather stout, conspicuously ringed with narrow, raised, whitish leaf scars. Leaves pinnate, stiff, arching; sheath forming a prominent crownshaft, thick, striate, densely covered with white wax and scattered small brown scales; petiole very short, stout, adaxially grooved, abaxially rounded; leaflets subopposite, rather short, lanceolate, pointed, proximal and distal leaflets distinctly narrower and shorter, stiff, ±erect, single-fold, adaxially glabrous, abaxially tomentose along the margins and scaly along the ribs on both surfaces, midrib and 3 pairs of veins raised adaxially, transverse veinlets not evident. Inflorescences solitary, infrafoliar, ?protandrous, branched to 1(–3) orders; peduncle short, ± flat, stout, horizontal; prophyll tubular, dorsiventally flattened, pointed but not tapering, with 2 flat lateral keels, chartaceous, deciduous; peduncular bract like the prophyll but not keeled, also caducous; ca. 3 wide ridge-like bracts above the peduncular bract; rachis rather short but longer than the peduncle, bearing low, pointed, spirally arranged bracts subtending rachillae; rachillae divaricate, stout, bearing triads of flowers nearly throughout, distally with a few pairs and single staminate flowers; floral bracteoles, low, pointed. Staminate flowers asymmetrical; sepals 3, distinct, slightly imbricate and bulbous or connate basally, narrow, elongate, widely separated, tapering distally, keeled; petals 3, distinct, variously angled, valvate; stamens 9–10 (–12 according to J.D. Hooker [1883]) in 2 series, antesepalous stamens solitary, antepetalous stamens paired, filaments awl-shaped, markedly inflexed at the apex in bud, anthers erect in bud, large, variously curved, linear, emarginate apically, bifid basally, latrorse, connective elongate, tanniniferous; pistillode with a rounded ovarian part and long terete style about as high as the stamens. Pollen grains ellipsoidal, slight asymmetry; aperture a distal sulcus; ectexine tectate, perforate, aperture margin similar; infratectum columellate; longest axis ranging from 55–60 µm [1/1]. Pistillate flowers symmetrical, ovoid; sepals 3, distinct, imbricate, rounded; petals 3, distinct, imbricate with briefly valvate apices; staminodes 3, small, tooth-like, (?)borne on one side of the gynoecium; gynoecium unilocular, uniovulate, ovoid with 3 recurved stigmas, ovule laterally attached, form unknown. Fruit broadly ellipsoidal, deep dull red when ripe, stigmatic remains apical; epicarp smooth, mesocarp with a prominent layer of longitudinal, slender fibres over parenchyma and dispersed tannin cells and flat, long fibres adherent to the endocarp, endocarp crustaceous, thin, fragile, not operculate. Seed laterally attached by a broad elongate hilum, raphe branches numerous, anastomosing, endosperm homogeneous; embryo basal. Germination adjacent-ligular; eophyll bifid. Cytology not studied. (J. Dransfield, N. Uhl, C. Asmussen, W.J. Baker, M. Harley and C. Lewis. 2008)

Anatomy

Relationships

Bibliography

  • Dransfield, J. , Uhl, N. , Asmussen, C. , Baker, W.J. , Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008. Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
  • World Checklist of Arecaceae