Eremospatha tessmanniana Information
Identification:
Clustered slender palm climbing up to 150 m, more commonly to 60-80 m. Stems, often branching, circular in cross-section, without sheaths 10-12 mm in diameter, with 12-15 mm in diameter; internodes 15-20 cm long. Leaf sheath longitudinally striate, with black caducous indumentum; ocrea entire, horizontally truncate, extending to 1.5 cm; knee absent. Juvenile stems with sheath, 0.6 cm in diameter; petiole angular, 15-17 cm long armed along the margins with reflexed, bulbous-based, black tipped spines; leaves bifid, 20 cm by 24 cm, deeply notched, with somewhat rounded lobes; elaminate rachis present on lower section of stems, up to 80 cm long. Leaves on mature stems sessile, or very nearly so (petiole up to 1.5 cm), rachis up to 80 cm long, somewhat flattened proximally, becoming triangular in cross-section distally, armed along the margins with reflexed, bulbous-based, black tipped spines, with black caducous indumentum below; cirrus up to 40-60 cm long, armed as the rachis, indumentum absent; leaflets, up to 5-8 on each side, inequidistant, opposite to sub-opposite, linear-elongate to lanceolate, broadly attenuate at the base moderately rounded praemorse at apex, 14-18 cm long by 2.2.5 cm broad at the widest point, concolorous, somewhat rigid, coriaceous, armed along the margins with inequidistant robust black-tipped spines, reflexed and reverse-facing at base, forward-facing at apex, 5 to 7-costulate; lowermost leaflets smaller than the rest, lax, not reflexed; acanthophylls 2-2.5 cm long, slender, ± parallel. Flowers and fruits unknown.
General Information:
Eremospatha tessmanniana is a forest species found on well-drained soils in closed-canopy forest.
Distribution:
Native to, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria
Eremospatha tessmanniana is a relatively uncommon species of rattan and is known from only three localities; the Takamanda region of the Cameroon/Nigeria border and cross border region of Cameroon and the Rio Muni territory of Equatorial Guinea. Further collections might link this disjunction.
Location: Cameroon (6.080354°N, 9.161568°E)