Licuala honheoensis Henderson & Nguyen Quoc Dung, 2017

Henderson, Andrew & Dung, Nguyen Quoc, 2017, New species of Lanonia, Licuala, and Pinanga (Arecaceae) from Vietnam, Phytotaxa 323 (2), pp. 159-172 : 166

Licuala honheoensis Henderson & Nguyen Quoc Dung sp. nov. ( Fig. 7 )

Type:— VIETNAM. Khanh Hoa Province: Ninh Hoa District, Tien Du commune, Hon Heo mountain, 12.450N, 109.233E, 334 m, 6 July 2010, A. Henderson & Bui Van Thanh 3666 (holotype HN!, isotype NY!).

It differs from similar species ( Licuala parvula , L. robinsoniana ) with tubular, slightly swollen rachis bracts, flower clusters borne on short pedicels, densely hairy calyces and corollas, and globose fruits in its solitary stems and longer rachillae.

Stems solitary, to 2 m tall, 4 cm diameter. Leaf number not recorded; sheaths length not recorded, becoming fibrous; ligules fibrous, to 14.0 cm long; petioles 120.0–250.0 cm long, with short thorns to 0.5 cm long; blades split into 20–22 segments, these with straight sides; costa continuous into central segment, forming a brief, petiolulate base to segment; middle segment 39.5–64.0 cm long, 3.2–3.6 cm wide at apex; lateral segment 26.0– 39.5 cm long, 1.0– 1.5 cm wide at apex; segments briefly indented at the apex, and with minute, brown scales abaxially. Inflorescences erect amongst the leaves, to 80.0 cm long, branched to 2 orders; prophylls not recorded; rachis bracts tubular, slightly swollen, 7.5–12.0 cm long, fraying at the apices; partial inflorescences to 6; rachillae to 13.0 cm long, densely covered with short, stiff, golden brown hairs; flowers 4.0 mm long, 3–4 borne on a short pedicel, these closely and irregularly arranged, not seen at anthesis; calyx 3.0 mm long, densely hairy as the rachillae, remaining tubular at base, deeply lobed above; corolla 3.5 mm long, densely hairy as the rachillae, split into 3, valvate petals; fruits globose, with reticulate, prominent fibers on surface, 1.1 cm long, 0.7 cm diameter; seed covered by a locular epidermis; endosperm homogeneous.

Distribution and habitat:—South Vietnam in Khanh Hoa province, known only from Hon Heo mountain in low, dry forest at 334–500 m elevation.

Taxonomic notes:— Licuala honheoensis is similar to both L. parvula and L. robinsoniana , differing from these in its solitary stems and longer rachillae.

Additional specimens examined. VIETNAM. Khanh Hoa: Ninh Hoa District, Tien Du commune, Hon Heo mountain , 12.450N, 109.233E, 334 m, 6 July 2010, Henderson & Bui Van Thanh 3668 ( HN, NY) ; Hon Heo , new road to dam, 12.454N, 109.218E, ca. 500 m, 8 July 2014, Henderson & Nguyen Quoc Dung 3926 ( VFM, NY) ; same locality and date, Henderson & Nguyen Quoc Dung 3933 ( VFM, NY). Annam , presque’il de Nui Hon heo, 3 May 1923, Poilane 6182 ( P) .

Figures

FIGURE 7. Licuala honheoensis. Left, leaf bases with fibrous ligules. Right, densely hairy rachilla with globose fruits borne on short pedicels (from Henderson & Bui Van Thanh 3668).