Manjekia maturbongsii Information
Identification:
Solitary palm. Stem 10 - 15 m tall, 10 - 20 cm in diam., tapering towards apex, surface brown with white blotches, internodes 2 - 4 cm apart. Leaves c. 10 in crown; sheath 60 - 70 cm long, crownshaft 80 - 90 x 10 - 12 cm; petiole 26 - 45 cm long, rachis 2.5 - 3 m long; leaflets 25 - 30 each side of the rachis, basal leaflets 32 - 50 cm long, 1 - 4.5 cm wide, sometimes with rein up to 1 m attached, middle leaflets 40 - 49 cm long, 9 - 12 cm wide, apical leaflets 6.5 - 42 cm long, 2 - 4.5 cm wide. Inflorescence 60 - 70 cm long; prophyll 24 - 26 cm long, 6 - 8 cm wide, greenish white, splitting apically, caducous later; first peduncular bract 31 - 35 x 5 - 7 cm, attached 15 - 20 mm above prophyll insertion; peduncle 8 - 14 cm long, 2 - 2.5 cm wide; primary branches 25 - 28, longest primary branch (basalmost) 40 - 65 cm; rachillae 8 - 19 cm long, 1.5 - 3.5 mm in diam., floral triads 3 - 9 mm apart. Staminate flower 6.5 - 8 mm long, 2.5 - 3.2 mm in diam. in bud; sepals 2 - 2.4 mm long, c. 3 mm wide; petals 7 - 7.5 mm long, c. 3 mm wide; stamens 30 - 32, 4.5 - 6 mm long; filaments 1.5 - 4 mm long; anthers 3 - 3.8 mm long, 0.5 - 0.8 mm wide; pistillode c. 5 mm long, 1.2 - 1.4 mm in diam. Pistillate flower 4.5 - 5 mm long, c. 4.5 mm in diam.; sepals 3 - 4 mm long, 4 - 4.5 mm wide; petals 4 - 4.5 mm long, 3 - 3.5 mm wide; staminodes 2 - 3; gynoecium c. 4 mm long, c. 3 mm in diam. Fruit 24 - 31 mm long, 14 - 16 mm in diam.; pericarp 1.5 - 3 mm thick, endocarp 23 - 30 mm long, 12 - 12.5 mm in diam. Seed 14 - 20 mm long, 9.5 - 12 mm in diam, ellipsoid.
General Information:
Distinguished from other genera of subtribe Ptychospermatinae (tribe Areceae) by its moderately robust, solitary habit, arching leaves, broadly lanceolate pendulous leaflets with wide, concave, praemorse apices, white inflorescence axes and terete, straw-coloured endocarp with broad, adherent, longitudinal fibres interspersed with very fine fibres.
Distribution:
Native to, Indonesia
Endangered. Lowland forest on limestone with thin soils and many sink holes, 80 - 170 m elevation. Papua Province, Biak Numfor Regency, Biak Island: forest on the road side, main road from North Biak Nature Reserve to Biak town, 0°44’20"S 135°52’57"E; North Biak Nature Reserve, Sansundi village, 0°42’S 135°50’E, Samber forest, 1°8’33"S 135°53’43"E.
Location: Indonesia (-1.045566°N, 135.884399°E)