Mangrove Date Palm (Phoenix paludosa)
Description
Solitary tree palm. Stem 1.5 - 3.5 (5) m, without leaf sheaths about 15 cm in diam. Leaves to about 2.4 m long; acanthophylls sparsely arranged in one plane, to about 4 cm long; leaflets closely and regularly inserted in one plane, 14 - 45 x 0.4 - 2.5 cm; lamina concolorous with discontinuous white, scurfy ramenta in midrib region on the abaxial surface. Staminate inflorescence with prophyll to about 30 x 5 cm, coriaceous; rachillae to about 10 cm long. Staminate flowers not seen. Pistillate inflorescence with prophyll splitting twice between margins, to 60 x 4 cm; peduncle to 100 x 1.2 cm; rachillae to about 23 cm long. Pistillate flowers spirally arranged in distal half of rachilla, about 20 in number; calyx cupule 1.5 mm high; petals 3 - 4 x 6 mm. Fruit oblong, to 19 x 10 mm, colour at maturity not known. Seed elongate, to 14 x 7 mm; embryo lateral opposite raphe, slightly supra-equatorial; endosperm ruminate.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Tracheophyta
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Arecales
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Family: Arecaceae
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Genus: Phoenix
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