Yanisi (Heterospathe califrons)

Description

Solitary, moderate, unarmed, pleonanthic, monoecious, undergrowth palm to 2.7 m tall. Stem erect, rough-ringed, to about 1.5 mtall, about 6 cm in diam.; internodes to l- cm long. Leaves undivided, bifid, to 13 per crown, erect, arching at maturity; emerging leaves green; leaf including petiole and sheath to 2 m long; sheaths not forming a well-defined crownshaft, each to 24 cm long, the edges fibrous and marcescent; petiole green, only occasionally light purple, about 85 cm Iong, deeply channelled adaxially, the edges sharply angled, convex abaxially and sparsely puncticulate; sheath and petiole persistent on the stem; mid-rachis triangular, channelled adaxially, convex abaxially, sparsely puncticulate; lamina undivided, inversely sagittate, bifid, to 115 cm long, 35 cm wide, lobe to 35 cm long, pinnately ribbed and distinctly plicate, up to 25 maior costae (ribs) on each side of the rachis, the abaxial surface drying glaucescent; indumentum on midrib red-brown scurfy. Inflorescence in terfoliar, erect, becoming only slightly curved in fruit, to 85 cm long, branching to 2 orders; peduncle about 57 cm, covered with brown scales; prophyll lanceolate, about 20-35 x 2.0-2.5 cm, persistent, attached near the base and completely encircling the peduncle, tubular, 2-keeled laterally, and splitting abaxially and apically; peduncular bract attached below middle of peduncle, to about 37 x 2.4 cm, splitting abaxially, marcescent as the inflorescence matures; I or 2 basal first-order branches of rachis further branching with 2 rachillae, distal branches as rachillae, about lO-12, arranged spirally along axis, each about 0.2 x 5-13 cm, more or less terete or slightly angular, tapering distally, covered with brown scales as peduncle; triads or very rarely paired flowers borne spirally along the rachilla and subtended by low, lip like bracts. Stqminate flower oblong, light yellowish, about 2 x 4 mm; sepals 3, petals 3, longer than the sepals; stamens 6, filaments white; pistillode prominent, conical. Pistillate flower rounded in bud, greenish greenish-yellow, shorter than the staminate flower, about 1.5 x 2 mm; sepals 3, imbricate, ciliolate along the margins, about 1.2 x 1.5 mm; petals 3, imbricate at base, broadly acute at tips, about 1 x 1.5 mm; pistil ovoid-conical, about 0.8 x 1.2 mm, staminodes minute. Inftuctescenc with erect to slightly arching rachillae. Fruifs spirally arranged along the rachilla, glossy green, ripening yellow then red, oblong-ovoid, 16 x 7 mm, stigmatic residue obliquely apical, pericarp thin, fibrous, epicarp peeling off readily and drying granulose with sclerosomes. Seed ovoid, about 15 x 8 mm, with prominent hilum, endosperm ruminate; embryobasal. Germination adiacent-ligular; eophyll bifid.