Daemonorops draco (Willd.) Blume, Rumphia 2: viii (1838)

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Distribution

Known in Sarawak from a single collection from Pueh Forest Reserve, 1st Division. Elsewhere known (in the sense of Beccari's interpretation) from a few collections from S Sumatra. (Dransfield, J. 1992: The Rattans of Sarawak)A

Discussion

  • D. draco was collected in Sarawak in a valley bottom in lowland dipterocarp forest at 50 m altitude. This specific name has been applied in several senses; Beccari's interpretation (Beccari 1911) is followed here. D. draco approaches D. micracantha but the leaf sheath spines are more robust and the leaflets fewer and larger; the inflorescence bracts of D. draco are also very much thicker than those of D. micracantha. (Dransfield, J. 1992: The Rattans of Sarawak)A

Etymology

  • A dragon (Dransfield, J. 1992: The Rattans of Sarawak)A

Common Name

  • wiondo (Selak.) (Dransfield, J. 1992: The Rattans of Sarawak)A

Uses

  • The cane appears to be of good quality. (Dransfield, J. 1992: The Rattans of Sarawak)A

Description

  • Clustering rattan climbing to 15 m tall; stem without sheaths c. 15 mm diam., with sheaths to 30 mm diam., internodes c. 15 cm long. Sheath bright green, bearing chocolate-coloured indumentum when young, armed with rather irregular short partial whorls of black spines andspinules, to 20 mm long, usually much less; knee well developed, armed with scattered black spines; ocrea absent. Leaf cirrate, to 2.5 m long including the petiole to 30 cm and cirrus to 1 m long; petiole armed laterally with groups of short spines to 6 mm long; leaflets c. 20 on each side of the rachis, ± regularly arranged, rather distant, linear-lanceolate, long acuminate, the longest to 40 x 2.5 cm, armed with long bristles on the main vein and 2 laterals on the undersurface; transverse veinlets minute but easily visible. Inflorescences pendulous, much shorter than the leaves, c. 45 cm long with c. 3 partial inflorescences; bracts rather thick and woody, falling at anthesis; rachillae very short. Mature fruit (not known in Sarawak) ± ovoid, 28 x 20 mm, covered in 16 vertical rows of scales, heavily encrusted with dragon's blood. Seed ± rounded; endosperm deeply ruminate. Seedling not known (Fig. 17). (Dransfield, J. 1992: The Rattans of Sarawak)A

Bibliography

    A. Dransfield, J. 1992: The Rattans of Sarawak