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

Baker, William J. & Dransfield, John, 2014, New rattans from New Guinea (Calamus, Arecaceae), Phytotaxa 163 (4), pp. 181-215 : 196

7. Calamus lucysmithiae W.J.Baker & J.Dransf. , sp. nov. Type:— PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Central Province: Port Moresby sub-district, Hegore village near Kanosia plantation, 0 m, 8°59’S, 146°58’E, 12 July 1973, Zieck NGF 36555 (holotype L!, isotypes A, BH, BRI, CANB, LAE!) .

Diagnosis:— Distinguished by its short, but well-developed, divergent ocrea, the widely spaced, broadly elliptic leaflets and the long, trailing inflorescence with strongly recurving rachillae and pistillate flowers sometimes borne on pedicel-like stalks.

Slender rattan climbing to 30 m. Stem with sheaths 6–11 mm diam., without sheaths to 4–8 mm diam. Leaf ecirrate, to 45–80 m long including petiole; sheath glaucous green to reddish brown, with scattered to dense, thin indumentum of fine brown and translucent scales, moderately armed with scattered, stiff, dark, needle-like spines, spines 1–13 mm long, scattered indumentum as sheath; knee 15–24 mm long, 4–10 mm wide, colour as sheath, unarmed or lightly armed as sheath; ocrea 20–48 × 4-10 mm, divergent, triangular with edges inrolled, stiff, brown, unarmed or densely armed as sheath, especially at apex, persistent; flagellum 120-200 cm; petiole 3–50 mm, 2–3 mm wide and 3–5 thick at base, flattened adaxially, rounded abaxially, scattered indumentum as sheath, with scattered grapnel spines; rachis 33–61 cm, armed as petiole; leaflets 6–8 each side of rachis, regularly to subregularly arranged, rather widely spaced especially at tip, broadly elliptic, longest leaflets at mid-leaf position, mid-leaf leaflets 14–24 × 3.5–4.5 cm, apical leaflets 7–13 × 0.6–2 cm, apical leaflet pair not united or united up to half their length, leaflets unarmed except for minute, scattered marginal bristles, glabrous except for occasional scattered indumentum along veins, transverse veinlets relatively inconspicuous. Staminate inflorescence not seen. Staminate flowers not seen. Pistillate inflorescence trailing, 170–230 cm long including 24–36 cm peduncle and 35–120 cm flagelliform tip, branched to 2–3 orders; prophyll 25–34 × 0.4–1 cm, strictly tubular, opening symmetrically or asymmetrically at apex, sometimes with further secondary splitting, with dense to scattered indumentum as sheath, unarmed or with scattered grapnel spines; peduncular bracts absent, rachis bracts similar to prophyll; primary branches 3–7, to 27 cm long, 20–40 cm apart, erect to strongly recurving, somewhat congested in some specimens, unarmed, with up to 30 rachillae, bracts on primary branch narrow and strictly tubular, with abundant, detachable marginal hairs, widely spaced to 18–30 mm; rachillae 5–70 mm × 0.5–1.2 mm, strongly recurving; rachilla bracts 1–2.5 × 1.4–1.6 mm, subdistichous, with scattered to dense indumentum as sheath, detachable hairs present on margin; proximal floral bracteole 0.5–2 × 1–2 mm, pedicelliform, narrowly funnelshaped, distal floral bracteole 0.5 × 1.5–2 mm, saucer-shaped, scar from sterile staminate adnate to abaxial surface of distal floral bracteole. Pistillate flowers not seen. Sterile staminate flowers not seen. Fruit ellipsoid, ca. 14.5 × 10 mm including beak to 2 mm, with 14 longitudinal rows of pale scales with brown margins. Seed (sarcotesta removed) ca. 8 × 6.5 × 5.5 mm, ellipsoid with with a shallow pit on one side, seed surface smooth; endosperm homogeneous; embryo basal. ( Fig. 7 )

Distribution:— Known from three localities along the southern cost of SE Papua New Guinea in Central Province and its border with Gulf Province.

Habitat:— Rain forest from sea level to 90 m, on hills, valleys and at the edge of mangroves.

Uses:— None recorded

Vernacular names:— Eraharo (Toaripi)

Specimens examined:— PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Central Province: ca. 12 km N of Amazon Bay , 90 m, 10°11’S, 149°23’E, 13 June 1969, Pullen 7573 ( CANB!) ; Port Moresby sub-district, Hegore village near Kanosia plantation, 0 m, 8°59’S, 146°58’E, 12 July 1973, Zieck NGF 36554 (A, BH, BISH, BRI!, CANB, ED, K!, L!, LAE, MUN, QRS, SYD, US) , Zieck NGF 36555 (holotype L!, isotypes A, BH, BRI, CANB, LAE!) . Gulf Province: Malalaua sub-district, Iokea , 50 m, 8°35’S, 146°18’E, 20 November 1974, Rahiria & Zieck NGF 36576 ( LAE!) , Rahiria & Zieck 36577 (A, CANB!, BH, LAE!) .

Notes:— Calamus lucysmithiae ( Fig. 7 ) is a lowland rattan of south-eastern New Guinea. It is easily distinguished by its short, but well-developed, divergent ocrea, its leaf with widely spaced, broadly elliptic leaflets and its long, trailing inflorescence with strongly recurving rachillae with pistillate flowers sometimes borne on pedicel-like stalks (comprising bracteole and floral axis). It is superficially similar to C. croftii and C. johnsii in leaf and sheath morphology, but neither of these bears a conspicuous ocrea or stalked pistillate flowers.

This species is named for Lucy T. Smith, botanical artist resident at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, who has executed outstanding line illustrations of the majority of species of New Guinea palm, including the plates used in this article.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Calamus lucysmithiae. A. Leaf sheath with ocrea and flagellum. B. Leaf diagram. C. Leaf apex. D. Portion of infructescence. E. Fruit. F, G. Seed in two views. I. Seed in longitudinal section. Scale bar: A = 3 cm; B = 20 cm; C = 6 cm; D = 3 cm; E = 1 cm; F–I = 7 mm. A, E–I from Rahiria & Zieck NGF 36577; B, C from Rahiria & Zieck NGF 36576; D from Zieck NGF 36555. Drawn by Lucy T. Smith.