Lanonia hexasepala (Lanonia hexasepala)

Description

Stems solitary or clustered, 1.5-2 m tall, 2 cm in diameter, erect, densely covered with flat, black scales. Leaves 6; leaf sheaths 7-15 cm long, densely covered with flat, black scales, extended above the petioles into 9-17 cm long auricles; petioles 16-47 cm long, scaly as the sheaths, the proximal about half with closely to widely spaced, recurved, black spines 0.2-0.6 cm long, these sometimes bifid; blades 20 cm wide, split into 10-14 segments, with numerous, minute reddish brown scales abaxially, with straight sides; costas 0.5-1.5 cm long; middle segment split almost to the base of the blade (to apex of costa) into 2 lobes, these not wider than the other segments, 13-23 cm long, 2.5-3 cm wide at the apices; indentations leading to adaxial folds 1-1.5 cm deep, those leading to abaxial folds 0.4-0.6 cm deep, indentations deeper on lateral segments. Inflorescences 60 cm long, erect among the leaves; prophylls 16 cm long; peduncles not seen; rachis absent, with 1 partial inflorescence, this branched to 1 order in pistillate plants, 2 orders in staminate plants, subtended by narrow, tubular, scarcely brown tomentose rachis bracts, these splitting apically; staminate rachillae 21 on each partial inflorescence, 12-18.5 cm long, about 0.5 mm in diameter, minutely hairy; floral stalks scarcely developed, borne in groups of 2-3, each subtended by small, ciliate bracteoles; staminate flower buds 1-1.5 mm long, globose; calyces 0.8-1.2 mm long, cupular, gibbous, 3-lobed at the apices, sparsely hairy; corollas 0.6-1 mm long, split completely to the base into 3, valvate petals, glabrous; staminal rings short; filaments free for 0.1-0.2 mm; anthers 0.2 mm long; pistillate rachillae 10-12 on each partial inflorescence, 4-10 cm long, 0.5-0.7 mm in diameter, minutely hairy; floral stalks scarcely developed, solitary, each subtended by small bracteoles; pistillate flower buds 1.5 mm long, oblong; calyces 1.5 mm long, gibbous, 3-lobed at the apices with each lobe splitting again as the fruits develop and becoming 6-lobed, minutely and sparsely hairy; corollas about 1 mm long, split to the base into 3 petals, these spreading horizontally as the fruits develop, glabrous; staminal rings absent, with vestigial filaments; pistils about 0.3 mm long including a 0.1 mm long style, glabrous. Fruits 0.6-0.7 cm in diameter, globose, colour not known, epicarp warty.