Verschaffeltia splendida
Verschaffeltia splendida
Verschaffeltia splendida is an endemic to the Seychelles palm. It is the only species of the genus Verschaffeltia.
- 4.1 Notes and references
Features
Verschaffeltia splendida is a showy, medium-sized, single -stemmed palm with stilt roots and spines. Young palms are strongly reinforced, with age they become less prickly. They are several times flourishing and monoecious getrenntgeschlechtig ( monoecious ).
The stem is erect and provided with conspicuous annular leaf scars. Young specimens are densely covered with black spines, the elderly have rings of backward spines. At the base of the trunk sits a cone of stilt roots strong.
The chromosome number is 2n = 36
The leaves are large, bifid, with fiederförmigen ribs and cloth. They are irregularly divided into multiple segments folded. The leaves fall off, leaving a smooth scar. The leaf sheaths are open and do not form a crown shaft. In young palms are very densely occupied with black spines in mature palms they are unarmed. The petiole is short and bald, in young palms reinforced as well as the rachis, in adult unbewehrt. The leaf blade is undivided in young palms, split irregularly in adult. The margins are lobed up to half of blade to split and form reduplicate segments. The leaf blade is the upper side glabrous, underside scattered studded with small, point-like scales and showy large chaff scales along the ribs.
Inflorescences
The inflorescences are individually between the foliage leaves ( interfoliar ) and are two or three branches, towards the tip only just. The male flowers first bloom ( Proterandrie ). The peduncle is long, round in cross section and hairy like all axes of the inflorescence. The cover sheet sits slightly apart from the base of the stem. It is very large, persistent, leathery, Roehrig, zweikielig, unarmed and scattered occupied with scales. There is a bract on peduncle that targets well above the previous sheet. It is obsolete, similar to the previous sheet, but is thinner and not zweikielig.
The inflorescence axis is shorter than the stem. Your bracts are very small, triangular and unobtrusive. The first-order lateral axes are numerous, spreading, flexible to stiff, slightly arched and contribute in a spiral arrangement of flowers triads, only at the top are single or paired male flowers.
Flowers
The male flowers are small and spherical. The three sepals are free, are imbricat and are rounded. The three petals are also free standing valvat and are twice as long as the calyx. The six stamens are free, fleshy and rather short stamens. The anthers are roundish, Medifix and latrors. The stamp rudiment is large, triangular and about as long as the petals. The pollen is ellipsoidal and asymmetric. The germ is opening a distal sulcus. The longest axis measures 41 to 47 microns.
The female flowers are larger than the males and also spherical. The three sepals are free imbricat and tear irregularly. The three petals are free, broad, imbricat and with a very short, triangular, valvater tip. The six staminodes have ribbon-like filaments and broad, flat peak. The gynoecium is ovoid, with a unicompartmental ovule. The three stigmas are short and bent back.
Fruits
The fruit is one seed, globose, brownish green, the perianth remains on the fruit, the scar remains sit at the base of the fruit. The exocarp is smooth and dry rough. The mesocarp has a crusty layer directly below the exocarp and underneath rather thin and fleshy, with a few from the endocarp adhering fibers. The Endkarp is thin, cartilaginous, and exhibits a distinct ridges and back as well as a round basal germ opening.
Dissemination and locations
The species occurs in the Seychelles islands of Mahé, Praslin and Silhouette. It grows in relic forests on slopes between 300 and 600 m above sea level. Less frequently it is found in river valleys below 300 m above sea level. Mainly it grows on steep slopes and rugged canyons. Usually the trees are solitary, rarely in groups.
System
The genus is placed Verschaffeltia Verschaffeltiinae within the family Arecaceae in the subfamily Arecoideae, Tribe Areceae and subtribe.
In the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, just the way Verschaffeltia splendida is recognized.
The genus is named after the Belgian nurseryman Ambroise Alexandre Verschaffelt Colette ( 1825-1886 ).
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. 618-620.