Pinanga sessilifolia Furtado, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 35: 283 (1934)

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Distribution

Map uses TDWG level 3 distributions (https://github.com/tdwg/wgsrpd)
Borneo present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)A

Discussion

  • Furtado (1934) described two new species of Pinanga, P. clemensiae and P. sessilfolia, among others, in the same paper. P. sessilfolia is described as being very similar to P. clemensiae but differing in having sessile leaves. The type specimens of these two species are indeed very similar and differ only in the length of the petiole. Furthermore, recently collected material illustrates a range in petiole length from an almost sessile leaf to one with a well- developed petiole. Fruit characters and features of leaf texture and indu- mentum are similar throughout and I do not believe that the two taxa described by Furtado can be retained as distinct. In choosing P. sessilfolia as the name for this taxon, I have been able to rid the genus of the confusion between P. clemensiae and P. clemensii, the latter a quite distinct taxon described by Furtado in the same paper as the other two names. In Martelli (1934), P. albescens var. sarawakensis is described, based on a collection from Sarawak in Kew, presumed to have been collected by Hewitt, but with no date or locality. The variety was distinguished by having the leaf divided into three segments, differences in indumentum on the lower lamina surface, and the unbranched glabrous inflorescence. Typical P. albescens may have leaves divided into leaflets, and have a simple inflorescence. However, the glabrous inflorescence of the variety sarawakensis is distinctive; fruit accompanying the holotype of the variety but not mentioned by Beccari is quite distinct from that of P. albescens. This specimen is in fact P. sessilifolia Furtado, and P. albescens var. sarawakensis is hence transferred to synonymy. (Dransfield, J. 1980: Systematic Notes on Pinanga (Palmae) in Borneo)B

Bibliography

    A. World Checklist of Arecaceae
    B. Dransfield, J. 1980: Systematic Notes on Pinanga (Palmae) in Borneo