Lanonia hainanensis Information

Lanonia hainanensis Information

Identification:
Stems clustered, to 4 m tall, 2-3 cm diameter, erect. Leaves 12-15; leaf sheaths ca. 40 cm long, extended above the petioles into short auricles; petioles 50-160 cm long, the proximal ca. half with regularly spaced, recurved, brown spines to 0.5 cm long; blades to 120 cm wide, split into 12-17 segments, without or with a few, minute, reddish-brown scales abaxially, with straight sides; costas 3.0-5.7 cm long; middle segment split almost to the base of the blade (to costa apex) into 2 lobes, these only slightly wider than the others, 36-41 cm long, 7-8 cm wide at the apices; indentations leading to adaxial fold 0.7-1.3 cm deep, those leading to adaxial fold 0.2-0.3 cm deep, indentations deeper on lateral segments. Inflorescences to 100 cm long, erect among the leaves; prophylls ca. 26 cm long; peduncles ca. 50 cm long; peduncular bracts not seen; rachis ca. 50 cm long, with 2 partial inflorescences, these branched to 2 orders, subtended by broad, flattened, densely brown tomentose rachis bracts, these splitting laterally; staminate rachillae 9-16 on each partial inflorescence, 8-17 cm long, ca. 1 mm diameter, moderately covered with short, brown hairs; floral stalks scarcely developed, solitary or borne in groups of 2-4, each subtended by small bracteoles; staminate flower buds 3-3.5 mm long, bullet-shaped; calyces ca. 2 mm long, shallowly lobed at the apices, glabrous; corollas ca. 4 mm long, glabrous, split to the base into 3 petals; staminal rings 0.8-1 mm long; filaments free for 0.6-0.8 mm, approximately equal in length; anthers 0.5-0.6 mm long; pistillate rachillae 9-14 on each partial inflorescence, 8.5-12 cm long, ca. 2 mm diameter, hairy as the staminate rachillae; floral stalks scarcely developed, solitary, each subtended by small bracteoles; pistillate flower buds 3-3.5 mm long, oblong; calyces ca. 2 mm long, shallowly lobed at the apices, glabrous; corollas ca. 4 mm long, split to the base into 3, valvate petals, these reflexed at and after anthesis, glabrous; staminal rings with vestigial filaments; pistils 1.3-1.5 mm long including a 0.3 mm long style, glabrous. Fruits 0.7-0.9 cm diameter, globose, orange or red at maturity, epicarp smooth.

General Information:
This is a newly described species (Henderson et al. 2007). Previously misidentified as Licuala spinosa.

Distribution:

Native to, China

Location: Hainan, China (19.053118°N, 109.621582°E)

Observations