Eremospatha quinquecostulata Information
Identification:
Clustered slender palm climbing to 10-15 m. Stems ± circular in cross-section, without sheaths 4-9 mm, with 5-10 mm; internodes 14-16 cm long. Leaf sheath longitudinally striate, with sparse brown caducous indumentum; ocrea entire, obliquely truncate, extending to 1.2-2.7 cm; knee somewhat inconspicuous, ridge-like, vertically linear, tapering at base, extending to 4 cm. Leaves sessile, or with petiole up to 10 cm long, somewhat flattened, armed along the margins with inequidistant, reflexed, bulbous-based, black-tipped spines; rachis 60-80 cm long, flattened in cross-section proximally, becoming triangular in cross-section distally, armed as the petiole; cirrus up to 40-50 cm long, very fine, armed as the rachis although spines becoming sparse distally; leaflets, 5-12 on each side, inequidistant, grouped in pairs or in 4's, somewhat irregularly clustered, lanceolate to loosely rhomboid, unequally attenuate at base, entire and acuminate to irregularly praemorse at apex, 13-20 cm long by 2-3 cm broad at the widest point, discolorous, adaxially dark green, abaxially mid-green, margin unarmed or sparsely armed with somewhat straight, forward-facing, black-tipped spines, praemorse apex ciliate-spiny; with 5 conspicuous, equal, main veins; lowermost leaflets smaller than the rest, although not obviously so; acanthophylls, somewhat slender, up to 2 cm long, at 45° angle to cirrus. Flower and fruit unknown.
General Information:
Vulnerable (VU) due to its restricted range and habitat loss, particularly along the Nigeria-Cameroon border.
Distribution:
Native to, Cameroon, Nigeria
This species is known only from SE Nigeria through to Cameroon found only in high forest.
Location: Cameroon (6.072041°N, 9.154358°E)