Dypsis delicatula Information
Identification:
Slender, clustering palmlet of forest undergrowth. Pale to dark green stem 46–110 cm ca. 5–10 mm diam., internodes 12–52 mm long. Leaves 6–19 in crown, sheaths 1–3.6 cm long, petiole absent or up to 2.6 cm long, ca. 1mm diam., leaf blade entire bifid, 10–18 cm long, with 13–18 abaxial ribs diverging at an angle of about 30º from the rachis, blade divided to one fifth to one quarter, ca. 36–64 mm wide just below the sinus, apical segments shallowly toothed on outer surface with up to 11 teeth, rachis 7.6–14 cm long, lamina bearing sparse scattered minute grey scales abaxially. Inflorescences interfoliar, very slender, 1 or 2 per stem, never exceeding leaves, branching to 2 orders; peduncle 5.0–6.5 cm long; prophyll 2–5 mm long; peduncular bract 2.4–3.8 mm long; first order branches 14–21; second order branches 4, the proximal 2 branched to 2 orders; rachillae very slender, ca. 0.3 mm diam., bearing scattered dark brown scales; triads ca. 3 mm distant near the base of the floriferous portion of the rachilla, ca. 1–2 mm distant distally; rachilla bracts very slender, acuminate, ca. 0.5 × 0.2 mm. Staminate flowers globose ca. 0.7 mm diam.; sepals ca. 0.3 × 0.3 mm, imbricate, broadly triangular with rounded bases, irregularly keeled, emarginate, faintly striate; petals rounded, gibbous, very fleshy, 0.6 × 0.6 mm, glabrous; stamens 3, antepetalous, alternating with and connate with 3 antesepalous staminodes, free stamen filament ca. 0.2 mm high, ca. 0.2 mm wide, connective broad, anthers pendulous, didymous, ca. 0.15 × 0.10 mm, staminodes somewhat club-shaped, flattened, the connective wider at the tip, anthers lacking; pistillode conical, 3-lobed, ca. 0.2 mm wide, minutely trifid at the apex. Pistillate flower globose, ca. 0.7 × 0.7 mm; sepals ca. 0.3 × 0.3 mm, striate, irregularly emarginated and keeled; petals broad, rounded, ca. 0.6 × 0.6 mm, valvate but slightly imbricate at the base, very fleshy; staminodes not seen; ovary eccentrically spherical, ca. 0.4 × 0.4 mm, stigmas 3, ca. 0.1 mm high. Fruit unknown.
General Information:
A newly described palm from Madagascar. This clustering dwarf palm is one of the smallest species in the genus.
Distribution:
Native to, Madagascar
It appears to have very restricted distribution in the remnants of low-altitude rain forest on ridge-tops, mid-slopes and in valley bottoms at elevations of 300–600 m above sea-level, locally abundant in the Betampona region, northwest of Toamasina.
Location: Madagascar (-17.501562°N, 49.117462°E)