Linospadix albertisianus (Linospadix albertisianus)

Description

Clustering, small palm. Stems 2-10, erect or bent horizontal, to 2 m tall, 7-10 mm in diameter; internodes elongate, to 4 cm long, dark green; crown with 4-12 leaves. Leaves simply bifid, or irregularly or regularly segmented, 30-90 cm long; petiole 5-12 cm long, to 3 mm wide; pinnae 2-12 per leaf, segmented leaf 20-30 cm long, 5-10 mm wide, once-ribbed, acuminate, 2 terminal pinnae hasally united with the apex attenuate and toothed; in bifid leaf with 1-2 segments either side, broadly attached to the rachis, 5-7-ribbed, apex attenuate, toothed; pinnae glossy mid to dark green above, lighter green below; ribs and veins prominent on both surfaces. Inflorescence to 50 cm long; peduncle 30-40 cm long, 1.9-2 mm wide, laterally compressed, margins acute; prophyll to 12 cm long; rachis 10-20 cm long, slightly thicker than peduncle. Flowers light green to cream. Staminate flowers elongate, curved, subcylindrical[y obtuse, 3.5-4 mm long in bud; sepals rounded, concavely pouched, finely coriaceous, dorsally ridged; petals boat-shaped, coriaceous, 3 times as long as sepals; stamens 10-12, unequal in length, filaments short; pistillate flower ovate, to 3 mm long, petals 2 times the length of the sepals. Fruit ellipsoid, fusiform, evenly curved, attenuate to both ends, 13-18 mm long, 3.5-6 mm wide, red at maturity; epicarp minutely longitudinally striate. Seed ellipsoid, slightly curved. As with most other Linospadix species, there is considerable variation in leaf form. Most common are plants with bifid leaves that have long attenuating segments; other forms include fully pinnate leaves with narrow pinnae, and forms that are irregularly divided with combinations of united and single pinnae. Flower and fruit forms are remarkably unvarying considering the extensive range of this species. Linospadix albertisiana - as Bacularia albertisiana - was described by O. Beccari from plants collected in 1877 by Count Luigi M. d'Albertis on the Fly River, Western Province, Papua New Guinea. (Dr. John Leslie Dowe Palms & Cycads No. 58, Jan-Mar 1998) Editing by edric.