Dypsis ambilaensis

Description

Slender, clustering undergrowth palmlet, 1-3 m tall. STEMS about 5-8 mm in diam., internodes 7-18 mm long, green when young, densely covered with caducous dark brown to black scales, old internodes ± blackish. LEAVES about 7-8 in the crown; leaf-sheaths 6-8 x 0.9-1.5 cm, striate, sparsely covered with caducous black scales near base, densely covered distally, leaf sheath mouth with 2 triangular, membranous auricles 3-5 x 3-4 mm; leaf about 25-40 cm long; petiole absent or to 7 x 0.2-0.4 cm; rachis 15-22 cm long, abaxially covered with blackish scales; blade entire bifid, to 22 x 11 cm, the apical lobes to 13 x 5.5 cm, or divided into 2-4 pairs of narrow to broad, ± sigmoid leaflets, the narrowest at the base, the mid-leaf leaflets usually the broadest, leaflets ranging from 7-20 x 0.5-4 cm, the apical pair (or the two lobes in the entire, bifid leaf) shallowly lobed distally, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface with bands of caducous brown scales, numerous punctiform scales and sometimes with long narrow ramenta along main ribs. INFLORESCENCE interfoliar, only slightly exceeding leaves, branching to 2 orders; prophyll 12-25 x 0.4-0.5 cm, bearing sparse to dense laciniate red-brown scales or glabrescent; peduncle 17-25 x 0.2 cm bearing scattered laciniate dark redbrown scales; peduncular bract exceeding the prophyll by about 2-6 cm, otherwise similar; rachis 9- 26 cm, sparsely to rather densely covered in red-brown laciniate scales; first order branches 10-27, at least about a half of them branching to the second order; rachillae about 16-55, slender, 3-5.5 cm, about 0.7 mm in diam., glabrous, bearing triads about 2-3 mm distant, each subtended by a low rounded rachilla bract, the bract usually with laciniate redbrown hairs to 1 mm long along margin.