Nephrosperma

Nephrosperma van houtteanum is an endemic to the Seychelles palm. It is the only species of the genus Nephrosperma.

• 4.1 Notes and references

Features

Nephrosperma van houtteanum is a medium-sized, single -stemmed palm. Young specimens are reinforced, at the age they are more or less unarmed. They are monoecious getrenntgeschlechtig ( monoecious ) and bloom more than once. The stem is erect, unarmed and occupied with conspicuous annular leaf scars.

The chromosome number is 2n = 32

The leaves are pinnate. The leaf sheath is Roehrig, later open, the leaf sheaths do not form a distinct crown shaft. They are covered with dense hair, and wear at the juvenile stage numerous black spines, at the age they are nearly unarmed. The edge of the leaf sheath is irregular ligule -like. The petiole is clearly trained and wears a white pubescence and scattered scales. The rachis is curved. The Blattfiederchen are regularly arranged, bent and folded two or three times. They are acute to acuminate, upper side glabrous, underside covered with numerous point-like dandruff and hair. Growing leaves are colored red.

Inflorescences

The inflorescences are individually between sheets ( interfoliar ) and are simply branched. The inflorescences are protandrous. The peduncle is very long and about half as long as or longer than the leaves. They are initially upright, later bent. The cover sheet is near the base of the peduncle at, is perennial, coriaceous, Roehrig, zweikielig, the wings are irregularly divided or perforated. It is densely covered with scales and with white wax and covered with short thorns and spines, rarely unarmed. The bract on peduncle is slightly removed from the cover page to, is elongated, with a striking long beak. It is first Roehrig, but rips along and falls off later.

The inflorescence axis is shorter than the stem and bears the flower-bearing lateral axes ( Rachillae ) in schraubiger arrangement. The bracts of the inflorescence axis are very small. The Rachillae are scaly and have a swollen, blossoms open area at the base. They are very long, spreading and slender. Enter at intervals in schraubiger arrangement, the flowers triads. Only at the top are the flowers solitary or in pairs.

Flowers

The male flowers are symmetrical. The three sepals are separated and imbricat, they are plump and keeled. The three petals are around three to four times as long as the sepals; they are separated and are valvat, and boat-shaped. The approximately 40 to 50 stamens have long stamens and anthers very small. These are round, have a broad connective and are latrors. The stamp rudiment is egg-shaped and clear.

The female flowers are spherical. The three sepals are separate and imbrickant, plump, thick and tear like irregularly. Incorporating three petals are separated, imbrickat, roundish, with short, triangular, valvaten tips. The six staminodes are small and tooth-shaped. The gynoecium is inverted - pear-shaped and has a fan with an ovule. The scars are small and are apically.

Fruits

The fruit is rather small, globose to slightly kidney -shaped and red. The perianth is maintained, the scar remains standing sideways. The exocarp is shiny, smooth, the mesocarp is thin, fleshy and has inside a layer of fibers. The endocarp is very thin and gristly. The seed is spherical to kidney-shaped and set on wide apart near the base. He has a long hilum, the Raphe valve branches are separated and are easily inserted into the endosperm. The latter is deeply grooved ( ruminat ).

Dissemination and locations

Nephrosperma van houtteanum is found only in the Seychelles. It is a kind of the lowlands and is no longer found about 500 m above sea level. It grows on rocky slopes, but also occurs in some secondary forests. As an ornamental plant it is grown widely.

System

The genus is placed Nephrosperma Verschaffeltiinae within the family Arecaceae in the subfamily Arecoideae, Tribe Areceae and subtribe. Her sister genus is Phoenicophorium.

In the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, just the way Nephrosperma van houtteanum is recognized.

The name comes from the Greek words nephros for kidney and cum for seeds and refers to the shape of the seeds.

Documents

• John Dransfield, Natalie W. Uhl, Conny B. Asmussen, William J. Baker, Madeline M. Harley, Carl E. Lewis: Genera palmarum. The Evolution and Classification of Palms. Second edition, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2008, ISBN 978-1-84246-182-2, pp. 611-613.