Wae koko paya

Description

Clustering, moderate short-stemmed montane rattan with stems to 2 m only, very rarely longer; stem without sheaths to 10 mm in diam., with sheaths to 20 mm in diam., internodes short, generally not more than about 10 cm long. Sheaths dull green, covered in copious brown indumentum and abundant large flat horizontal spines varying from 5-30 mm, with hairy margins, the spines usually scattered but sometimes partially whorled; knee poorly developed; ocrea very conspicuous to 15 cm, spiny, brown tomentose, and tattering. Flagellum usually absent, rarely longer than 1 m when present. Leaf ecirrate to 1 m including the robust petiole to 30 cm; petiole armed with distant long spines to 4 cm; leaflets ± regularly arranged, up to 10 on each side of the rachis, apical pair joined for about 2/3 their length, longest leaflets to 35 x 5 cm, bearing short spinules along the margins and a tuft of orange-brown hairs on the undersurface by the rachis, transverse veinlets conspicuous; young leaves pinkish. Inflorescences generally shorter than the leaves, but in robust long stemmed individuals up to 2 m long; partial inflorescences up to about 8, generally crowded near the inflorescence tip; male rachillae to 50 x 1.5 mm, female to 70 x 2.5 mm. Mature fruit ovoid, about 8 x 7 mm with a beak 2 x 1 mm, and covered in 18 vertical rows of yellowish-brown scales with darker margins. Seed 6 x 5 x 4 mm; endosperm homogeneous.