Hydriastele macrospadix

Description

Solitary, feather-leafed, crownshaft palm. Light gray trunk to 25 cm thick. Arching leaves are dark green. Overall height to 35 m, with a 3-5 m spread. A tall, solitary palm to 20 m in height; stem about ll-12 cm in diameter; leaves about 2O-25 in a crown, arcuate, with pinnae drooping at the tips, sheath about 60-90 cm long, petiole 35-50 cm long, blade about 150.-195 cm long, petiole and rachis brown-dotted pinnae about 30 on each side, 82-100 cm long, 2.5-3.5 cm wide, tip very briefly praemorse or notched, lower surface glaucous, with ramenta lacking or few and inconspicuous at the base of the midrib. Inflorescence, 40-90 cm long, branching to 2 orders with 7-ll primary branches and Il-24 rachillae, upper peduncular and rameal bracts lacking; rachillae 25-36 cm long, about 2 mm wide, glabrous, bearing ca. 150 triads. Flowers red to rose in color. Staminate flowers 8 mm long, 3 mm wide, with 6-9 stamens. Pistillate flowers globose-pyramidal 3.5 mm high, with 3 dentiform staminodes. Fruit 12-16 X 8 mm, bright crimson, seed with ruminate endosperm.