Calamus spiculiferus J.Dransf. & W.J.Baker, 2014

Baker, William J. & Dransfield, John, 2014, New rattans from New Guinea (Calamus, Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 163 (4), pp. 181-215 : 209-211

13. Calamus spiculiferus J.Dransf. & W.J.Baker , sp. nov. Type:— INDONESIA. Papua Province: Idenburg River , 4 km SW of Bernhard Camp, 850 m, 3°29’S, 139°6’E, March 1939, Brass 13341 (holotype L!, isotypes A, BM!, BRI) .

Diagnosis:— Distinguished by its moderately robust stem, the minute, easily detached spicules on the leaf sheath and the ecirrate leaves with very broad cucullate leaflets borne in pairs in the upper leaf.

Moderately robust rattan, climbing to 35 m or more, whether solitary or clustered not recorded. Stem with sheaths 21–28 mm diam., without sheaths to 15 mm diam.; internodes to at least 23 cm. Leaf ecirrate, 80–90 cm long; sheath drying pale greenish brown, with caducous dark brown scales and thin grey indumentum, sheath spines minute, easily detached, uniformly distributed, 1.5 × 0.1 mm, black with minute swollen pale bases, pointing upward, spines around the leaf sheath mouth absent; knee conspicuous, to ca. 40 × 10–15 mm, drying same colour as sheath, unarmed; ocrea scarcely developed; flagellum present, 2.7 m long; petiole absent or very short, to 2 cm long, 1 cm wide, adaxially flattened, abaxially rounded, bearing caducous dark brown scales, adaxially armed with a few very short spines to 1 mm; rachis to 2.6 m long, adaxially armed with scattered short black spines to 2 mm long, abaxially armed with recurved hooks; leaflets 9–11 on each side of rachis, irregularly arranged in 4–5 pairs, the basal 1–3 leaflets on each side not grouped, diverging within the pair, very broad spathulate, cucullate, longest leaflet in mid-leaf, basalmost leaflets 22 × 5–6 cm, mid-leaf leaflets 19–28 × 5–6 cm, apical leaflets 18–19 × 3–4 cm, apical leaflets joined for half their length, leaflets armed with black bristles to 2 mm long along margins near the tip and sometimes abaxially along main veins and midrib, adaxially unarmed, leaflets lacking indumentum, transverse veinlets very conspicuous. Staminate inflorescence not known in complete state, said to be 2.5 m long with a terminal flagellum, branched to 3 orders, total length unknown; prophyll not seen; peduncular bracts not seen; rachis bracts not seen; primary branches 5, to at least 75 cm long, with numerous rachillae; rachillae to 25–50 × 1.2 mm diam.; rachilla bracts 1.5 × 1 mm, distichously arranged, not overlapping, striate, sometimes splitting, with apiculate recurved tips and scattered brown indumentum, unarmed; floral bracteole cup-shaped, 1.2 mm high, unarmed. Staminate flowers 2 × 1.5 mm; calyx much thickened, 1.2 × 1.5mm, with very short triangular lobes to 0.2 mm high; petals 2 × 0.7 mm; stamens 1.2 mm long, anthers 1 × 0.2 mm. Pistillate inflorescence to 2.7 m long, including peduncle 35 cm, branched to 2 orders; prophyll not seen; peduncular bracts not seen; rachis bracts to at least 21 × 0.7 cm, bearing reflexed hooks; primary branches 7, to at least 60 cm long, with up to 20 rather distant rachillae; rachillae ± arcuate, the basal ones the longest, to 12 × 0.3 cm; rachilla bracts triangular, 2 × 3 mm, distichous, not overlapping, with triangular tips, unarmed, bearing scattered brown indument; proximal floral bracteoles explanate, ca. 1 mm high, distal floral bracteoles cup-shaped, ca. 0.5 mm high, scar from sterile staminate minute, 0.2 mm diam. Sterile staminate flower not known. Pistillate flowers not know. Fruit globose, 13 × 10 mm, with a beak to 1.5 × 1.5 mm, and with ca. 18 vertical rows of mid-brown scales with darker margins. Seed 8 × 7 × 6 mm, with a very deep groove on one side, seed surface deeply scalloped and pitted, endosperm homogeneous, embryo basal. ( Fig. 13 )

Distribution:— Known from submontane forest in Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea and the Idenburg River, Papua Province, Indonesia.

Habitat:— Montane forest at ca. 1300 m above sea level.

Uses:— None recorded.

Vernacular Names:— Nelmo (Kabori).

Specimens examined:— INDONESIA. Papua Province: Idenburg River , 4 km SW of Bernhard Camp, 850 m, 3°29’S, 139°6’E, March 1939, Brass 13341 (holotype L!, isotypes A, BM!, BRI) . PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Sandaun Province: Lumi Subdistrict, Kabori , 700 m, 3°20’S, 141°52’E, 02 April 1974, Zieck NGF 36558 (BH, LAE!) .

Notes:— This rattan ( Fig. 13 ) is distinguished by its moderately robust stem, the minute, easily detached spicules on the leaf sheath (hence the epithet) and the ecirrate leaves with very broad cucullate leaflets borne in pairs in the upper part of the leaf. In leaf and inflorescence morphology, it resembles C. bulubabi and C. papuanus . Calamus bulubabi is immediately distinguished by the abundant, hair-like spines and by the apical leaflets diminishing in size (compared to the large leaflets grouped at the leaf apex of C. spiculiferus ). C. papuanus is a more slender palm, variously armed and with a short, but well-defined, truncate, tightly sheathing ocrea.

Three sterile specimens (Heatubun et al. 1075, Maturbongs 604 and Dransfield et al. JD7652) are tentatively included here.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Calamus spiculiferus. A. Leaf sheath with portion of flagellum. B. Detail of leaf sheath spicule. C. Leaf diagram. D. Leaf apex. E. Primary branch of infructescence. F. Portion of primary branch of staminate inflorescence. G. Portion of staminate rachilla with flower buds. H. Staminate flower bud in longitudinal section. I. Fruit. J, K. Seed in two views. L. Seed in longitudinal section. Scale bar: A = 4 cm; B = 1.8 mm; C = 30 cm; D–F = 6 cm; G = 3.3 mm; H = 2.2 mm; I = 1 cm; J–L = 7 mm. A, B, F–H from Zieck NGF 36558; C–E, I–L from Brass 13341. Drawn by Lucy T. Smith.