Dypsis marojejyi

Description

Squat solitary palm. TRUNK 3-6 m tall, 20-30 cm. in diam., near the crown about 20 cm. in diam.; stilt roots present near the base (always?); internodes about 2 cm. LEAVES 18-20 in the crown, the upper part of the trunk with marcescent leaves and sheath remnants, litter accumulating; sheath 20 cm long, open, not forming a crownshaft, with dense rusty-brown pubescence, about 40 cm wide; petiole 0-10 cm, densely reddish-pubescent, 3-3.5 x 2 cm diam.; rachis 3-4 m long, in mid-leaf 1.1-2.3 cm wide, reddish-tomentose; pinnae about 60 on each side of the rachis, in groups of 3-6 and fanned within the groups, stiff, the group interval 4-9 cm, bright to dark green, the proximal 29-41 x 0.3-0.4 cm, median 45-70 x 2.5-5 cm (interval 0.5-2 cm), distal 15-35 x 0.7-2.7 cm, the apical pair joined for up to 3 cm and multi-fold (always?), main veins 3-5, with ramenta on the main veins, and with reddish scattered scales on the minor veins, apices unequally acute, the distal ones praemorse, young leaf liver-coloured. INFLORESCENCE bud, cylindrical and fat (0.6 mm. in diam.), anthers 1.8-2 x 0.8-1 mm, versatile; pistillode about 1.3 x 0.6-0.9 mm. PISTILLATE FLOWERS with sepals 1.3-2.5 x 1.7-3.5 mm; petals 2.7-4.6 x 2.5-5 mm; staminodes six, 0.2-0.6 mm; gynoecium (in bud) about 2.5 x 0.8 mm. FRUIT pale yellow-green, ellipsoid to slightly obovoid, 22-25 x 14-18 mm, the apex rounded, pustulate; endocarp with densely anastomosing fibres. SEED slightly obovoid, 18-20 x 13-16 mm, with pointed base and rounded apex; endosperm ruminate, the intrusions dense, 2-5 mm deep. (J. Dransfield and H. Beentje. 1995)/Palmweb.