Maxburretia Furtado, Gard. Bull. Straits Settlem. 11: 240 (1941)

Primary tabs

https://media.e-taxonomy.eu/palmae/photos/palm_tc_122273_1.jpg

Distribution

Map uses TDWG level 3 distributions (https://github.com/tdwg/wgsrpd)
Malaya present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)B
Thailand present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)B
Three species in West Malaysia and Peninsular Thailand: Maxburretia rupicola at Batu Caves, Bukit Takun and Bukit Anak Takun in Selangor, M. gracilis on Pulau Dayang Bunting in the Langkawi Islands and one locality in southern Thailand, and M. furtadoana at a few localities near Surat Thani. (Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms)A

Discussion

  • The three species of Maxburretia survive as relics on limestone hills in Southeast Asia. (Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms)A

Diagnosis

  • Dwarf clustering ± stemless or erect dioecious fan palms of karst limestone in southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia, with fibrous sheaths, the fibres sometimes spine-like; leaves induplicate; inflorescences slender with very small flowers and fruit. (Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms)A

Biology And Ecology

  • All three species are palms of the low forest on exposed sides and summits of limestone hills. (Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms)A

Common Name

  • Serdang-batu. (Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms)A

Etymology

  • Commemorates German palm botanist Karl Ewald Maximilian Burret (1883–1964). (Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms)A

Uses

  • Uses not recorded. (Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms)A

Description

  • Small, clustering, acaulescent or shrubby, unarmed, pleonanthic, hermaphroditic or dioecious palms. Stem moderate if present, with very close leaf scars, usually completely obscured by persistent leaf sheaths. Leaves induplicate, palmate, marcescent; sheath expanding into a mass of discrete fibres, irregular or neatly joined at the tips opposite the petiole, or developed as rigid spines; petiole well developed, unarmed, ± semicircular in cross-section; adaxial hastula ± triangular or rounded, sometimes hairy, abaxial hastula obscure; blade neatly divided to ca. 2/3 of its radius into slender, single-fold, usually glaucous segments, tips shallowly split along the folds, surfaces often slightly dissimilar, scattered scales sometimes present on abaxial surface, midribs prominent abaxially, transverse veinlets obscure. Inflorescences solitary, interfoliar, arching out of the crown, branching to 1–3 orders; prophyll tubular, 2-keeled, narrow, elongate, usually obscured by the leaf sheaths; peduncular bracts 1–3 or more, similar to the prophyll; rachis bracts closely tubular with triangular limbs, each subtending a first-order branch; subsequent orders of bracts minute, inconspicuous; rachillae slender, bearing distant, spirally arranged, minute, triangular bracts subtending solitary or, rarely, groups of 2–3 flowers. Flowers very small; where plants dioecious, staminate and pistillate flowers superficially similar; sepals 3, distinct, imbricate, ovate or triangular, glabrous; petals 3, joined for 1/3 to 1/2 their length at the base, somewhat imbricate in midportion, valvate near the tips, elongate, usually with somewhat thickened tips; stamens in staminate and hermaphroditic flowers 6, adnate to the petals, the filaments forming a thin or thick staminal cupule, or distinct, anthers rather short, latrorse; staminodes in pistillate flower similar to the stamens but with thinner slightly finer; infratectum columellate; longest axis 15–19 µm [3/3]. Fruit cupule and smaller, empty anthers; carpels 3, distinct, follicular, united usually developing from only 1 carpel, ellipsoidal (?always), with apical for a very short distance at the base, with triangular style, the carpel stigmatic remains, perianth whorls persistent; epicarp silky hairy when surface hairy distally in 2 species, glabrous in the third, ovules basally young, the hairs falling off at maturity (?always), mesocarp thin, fleshy, attached, anatropous or intermediate between anatropous and endocarp scarcely developed. Seed basally attached, endosperm hemianatropous with basal funicular arils; pistillode of staminate flower homogeneous, with a thin lateral intrusion of seed coat; embryo lateral minute, 3-lobed. Pollen ellipsoidal, usually bi-symmetric; aperture a distal opposite the intrusion. Germination not known; eophyll simple, entire, sulcus; ectexine tectate, perforate, or perforate-rugulate, aperture margin plicate. Cytology not studied. (Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms)A

Anatomy

  • Leaf anatomy not studied; all species very similar in floral anatomy (Uhl 1978a). (Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms)A

Fossil record

  • No generic records found. (Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms)A

Relationships

  • The monophyly of Maxburretia has not been tested. Maxburretia is resolved as sister to Rhapis with low support (Asmussen et al. 2006) or as sister to a clade of Guihaia and Rhapis with low support (Baker et al. in review). (Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms)A

Taxonomic accounts

  • Dransfield (1978a). (Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms)A

Bibliography

    A. Dransfield, J., Uhl, N., Asmussen, C., Baker, W.J., Harley, M. & Lewis, C. 2008: Genera Palmarum. The evolution and classification of palms
    B. World Checklist of Arecaceae