Dypsis lantzeana

Description

Slender solitary or clustered forest undergrowth palm. STEM to 4 m tall, 0.7-2 cm in diam., internodes 0.8-3 cm long, stem surface with scattered brown scales. LEAVES 6-15 in the crown; sheath 8-9 x 1.5-2 cm, pale green to ivory-coloured, striate, with abundant caducous dark scales, auricles present, to 8 x 4 mm, or not evident; petiole absent or to 10 cm, about 3.5 mm wide with scattered dark brown scales; rachis 19-47 cm; blade entire bifid to 40 x 15 cm, split to half its length, or leaflets 3-9 on each side of the rachis, generally leaflets somewhat sigmoid, tinged pink when newly emerging, 4.5-26 x 0.5-7 cm, sometimes several very small leaflets crowded at base of rachis, apical leaflets 10-16 x 3.5-6 cm, diverging at a rather wide angle, adaxial surface sparsely dotted with minute brown scales, abaxially with scattered punctiform scales and often with conspicuous ramenta to 20 mm long on ribs. INFLORESCENCE interfoliar, branching to 2-3 orders, the branches often somewhat reflexed; peduncle 21-50 cm long, about 2.5 mm in diam. near base; prophyll 10-30 x about 0.7 cm, membranous, sparsely scaly; peduncular bract exceeding prophyll by 7-25 cm; rachis 21-35 cm; rachillae about 50 to over 120 in number, 2-6 cm long, about 0.8-1 mm in diam., often reflexed, usually cherry-red when young, densely covered with long branched brown hairs, triads about 1.5 mm distant, rachilla bract laciniate, it and flowers almost completely obscured by rachilla hairs.