Rhapis Linnaeus f.

Henderson, Andrew, 2016, A revision of Rhapis (Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 258 (2), pp. 137-152 : 139

Rhapis Linnaeus f. in Aiton (1789)

Stems clustered, 1.9(0.5–4.0) m tall, 0.7(0.3–1.4) cm diameter (without sheaths). Leaf ligules scarcely developed, or lobed, more or less persistent, or acute, solid, more or less persistent, or acute, soon disintegrating; petioles 29.2(5.7– 73.0) cm long, 2.3(0.8–5.0) mm wide at apex; abaxial hastula complete, a low ridge separating petiole apex from costa, or incomplete, part of the petiole continuous with the costa; segments 8(2–28) per leaf, lanceolate or elliptic, usually multi-veined, acuminate, the apices oblique, toothed, or linear-lanceolate, usually multi-veined, not acuminate, the apices truncate, toothed, or narrowly linear, usually 1–2-veined, acuminate, the apices scarcely toothed; central segments 25.0(9.0–41.0) cm long, 3.0(0.4–7.2) cm wide at mid-point, free almost to the base or joined at the base, the non-split basal part 3.1(0.1–10.5) cm; lateral segments 22.4(8.2–39.0) cm long, 1.9(0.4–4.3) cm wide at midpoint, the non-split basal part 1.7(0.1–5.4) cm; abaxial surface of segments with or without minute, brown scales, gray indumentose or not indumentose when first exposed. Inflorescences small to large, with the first branch almost as large as the rest of the inflorescence, or slender, few branched, with the first branch not as large as the rest of the inflorescence; prophyll and peduncular bract narrow, tubular, not or scarcely overlapping, the inflorescences exerted apically through the bracts on a curved peduncle, or broad, flattened, completely overlapping, the inflorescences exerted laterally through the bracts on a recurved peduncle; rachis 9.9(1.0–26.5) cm long; rachillae filiform, usually tomentose, especially the staminate ones, or rachillae not filiform, glabrous; proximal rachillae 7.8(2.6–15.5) cm long, 1.1(0.3–2.6) mm wide; staminate and pistillate flowers pedicellate or sessile; staminate and pistillate corollas with poorly developed, inturned apical lobes, these not swollen internally, or with well developed, erect, triangular apical lobes, these swollen internally; filaments keeled or terete; fruits globose, white or yellow, 8.0(5.6–9.9) mm long, 6.7(4.8–8.2) mm diameter, borne on a pedicelliform pistillate corolla, or a swollen, persistent perianth.

A genus of 11 species distributed from southern China through Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, with an outlying population in western Sumatra.