Sis. Believe O. Appendiculata to Represent a Oraniopsis (Beccari
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19851 DRANSFIELD, IRVINE AND UHL: ORANIOPSIS 57 flowers, and with luania of Juan Fernan roxyloni simillimum sed prophyllo incom dez. Beccari further commented that when pleto floribus bracteolas ferentibus, petalis the fruit is known, it might be convenient liberis, staminibus egregiis, 3 inter petala to consider Oraniopsis as a distinct genus. insertis, 3 epipetalis differt. Palma soli However, Essig in his recent synopsis of taria, inermis, pleonantha, dioeca. Folio Orania (Essig 1980) made no mention of reduplicate pinnata, foliolis discoloribus, the generic discordance of O. appendi numerosis, regulariter dispositis. Inflores culata, or even of the subgenus Oraniop centiae unisexuales, solitariae, axillares, sis. interfoliaceae, foliis breviores, 4-ordinibus Good fruiting material collected by H. ramorum; prophyllum vaginis foliorum E. Moore and preserved in the Bailey occultum, incomplete tubulosum; pedun Hortorium prompted J. Dransfield and N. culus elongatus, 3-5 bracteas magnas fer W. Uhl to look again at the generic affin ens, bracteis 2-3 distaJibus inflorescen ities of this well-known but little under tiam alabastro includentibus; rachillae stood Queensland palm and we were numerosae; flores solitarii, spiraliter dis immediately.struck by the similarities to positi vel subdistichi, unusquisque bracteo Geroxylon rather than to Arecoid palms. lam ferens. Flos staminatus calyce cupu A. K. Irvine in the meantime had inde lari, petalis 3 carnosis, staminibus 6 et pendently realized that many features of pistillodio parvo vel magno. Flos pistillatus O. appendiculata are quite anomalous; staminato similis sed antheris vacuis et the present paper is a result of collabo ovario magno trilobato. Fructus rotunda rating since December 1982. During 1983 tus, vestigio stigmatis basi, endospermio and early 1984 A. K. Irvine collected homogeneo, embryone subbasali. complete material, including staminate and pistillate inflorescences and ripe fruit, allowing us to confirm affinity with Ger Species unica: Oraniopsis appendicu oxylon rather than Orania. In fact we lata (F. M. Bailey) J. Dransfield, A. K. believe O. appendiculata to represent a Irvine & N. W. Uhl (Areca appendic new genus, closely related to Geroxylon ulata F. M. Bailey). and adding an extraordinary trans-Pacific Medium, solitary, unarmed, pleonan or trans-Indian Ocean link to the distri thic, dioecious palm. Stem erect, some bution pattern of the tribe Ceroxyleae times quite tall, becoming bare, leaf scars (subfamily Pseudophoenicoideae). We have apparently not very conspicuous. Leaves chosen to use Beccari's subgeneric name numerous, reduplicately pinnate, ± Oraniopsis for the new genus, although upward-pointing, marcescent, several dead we must emphasize that there is no rela leaves hanging vertically for some time, tionship between the new genus and forming a skirt below the crown before Orania, except that caused by misunder falling completely (Fig. IB); sheath appar standing. ently tubular at first, soon splitting oppo site the petiole, the leaf base then open; Oraniopsis (Beccari) ]. Dransfield, petiole short, adaxially channeled, ± gla A. K. Irvine & N. Uhl gen. nov. (Figs. brous, abaxially rounded, densely covered 1, 2) with scales and tomentum, the margins smooth and rather sharp; rachis ± stiffly Orania Zippelius subgenus Oraniopsis held, adaxially flattened or channeled near Beccari in Beccari & Pichi-Sermolli, the base, abaxially rounded, distally angled Webbia 11: 172. 1955. adaxially, a minute flange present at the Genus novum Australiense ad tribum junction between the flattened and angled Ceroxylearum pertinens et ut videtur Ce- areas of the rachis, both surfaces of the 58 PRINCIPES [VOL. 29 19851 DRANSFIELD, IRVINE AND UHL: ORANIOPSIS 59 rachis bearing scattered scales; leaflets (the pistillate spreading but remaining very numerous, single-fold, regularly rather zigzag in fruit), bearing rather dis arranged, ± stiff, ± linear, unevenly acute tant, spirally arranged or subdistichous, or acuminate, the basalmost few on each minute triangular bracts, each subtending side short, narrow and crowded, adaxial a short stalk bearing a minute, membra surface ± glabrous or with scattered scales nous, incomplete, triangular bracteole and along the midrib, abaxial surface covered terminating in a solitary flower. Staminate with dotlike scales and a dense felt of flowers symmetrical, or somewhat mis indumentum (Fig. 2D); transverse veinlets shapen from close packing, open from not evident. early in development; sepals 3, very small, Inflorescences solitary, axillary, inter triangular, membranous, connate basally foliar, shorter than the leaves, staminate and forming a cup; petals 3, free, fleshy, and pistillate superficially similar, branch much longer than the sepals, narrow, tri ing to 4 orders; prophyll short, obscured angular; stamens 6, almost as long as or by the leaf bases, incompletely tubular, longer than the petals, the antesepalous 2-keeled, ± leathery, becoming fibrous inserted between the petals in, apparently, and disintegrating distally, sparsely the same whorl (? by displacement), the tomentose, the basal margins decurrent; antepetalous epipetalous, filaments very peduncle elongate ± flattened and winged fleshy with ± conical, swollen bases, at the base, distally ± elliptical in cross tapering to the connective, anthers ± section, sparsely to densely tomentose; oblong, ± versatile, basally somewhat peduncular bracts 3-5, elongate, the first sagittate, latrorse; pollen elliptic, mono inserted near the prophyll, the rest ± sulcate, exine semitectate, the distal face evenly spaced along the peduncle, the dis perforate, the proximal face reticulate; tal 2-3 ± enclosing the inflorescence in pistillode usually very much shorter than bud, ± beaked, leathery, tubular at first, the filaments, 3-angled, apically trifid. Pis then splitting longitudinally and becoming tillate flowers as the staminate but with flattened, sparsely to densely tomentose, slightly broader sepals and petals; stami eventually caducous, leaving circular or nodes as the stamens, the empty anthers crescentic scars; rachis slightly shorter large; gynoecium tricarpellate, triovulate, than the peduncle; rachis bracts numer conspicuously 3-lobed, stigmas apical, ous, inconspicuous, short, triangular, acute short, becoming recurved; ovules laterally or acuminate, membranous, incomplete, attached, ? hemianatropous. Mature fruit each subtending a first-order branch; first developing from 1 carpel, rounded, the order branches with a basal bare portion, stigmatic and carpel remains basal; epi distally bearing spirally arranged second carp smooth, yellow at maturity; meso order branches each subtended by a carp ± fleshy, with horizontal fibers and minute incomplete bract; rachillae stone cells; endocarp obsolescent. Seed, crowded, ± twisted or zigzag at anthesis, rounded, the integuments thick, ± woody, +- 1. Oraniopsis appendiculata. A. Watson Road Millaa Millaa, Atherton Tablelands, North Queensland. Form of palms left exposed after clearing land for dairy farming, some 60-70 years earlier. The palms are 9 meters tall x 20 cm stem diameter, and would have at least been taller than the reach of cattle 60-70 years ago and noticeable enough for the farmer to leave standing. B. Kelly Road, Millaa Millaa, North Queensland. Old inflorescences in axils of leaves. C. Watson Road, Millaa Millaa, North Queensland. Exposed palm with full size but % mature, green fruit. Foreground: Drynaria rigidula. an epiphytic fern growing on the palm. Background right: Calamus moti. D. Topaz, North Queensland. In rain forest gully near edge. Overall height 9 meters. 1-12-1984. Photos by Tony Irvine. 60 PRINCIPES [VOL. 29 19851 DRANSFIELD, IRVINE AND UHL: ORANIOPSIS 61 with a basal short spur, and few sparsely except near the tip where ca. 30°; adaxial branched, impressed vascular strands; surface dark green, abaxial surface mealy, endosperm homogeneous with a narrow grey-white, tinged brown, with numerous central hollow; embryo sub-basal. Germi small, dark brown' scales. Inflorescences nation adjacent-ligular; seedling leaf bifid 80-120 em long; peduncle up to ca. 75 with entire tips. em long, up to ca. 4 x 2 em in cross section, strongly flattened and winged at Oraniopsis appendiculata (F. M. the base; prophyll borne near the base of Bailey) ]. Dransfield, A. K. Irvine & the peduncle, ca. 25 x 6 em, abaxially N. W. Uhl, comb. nov. open to the base, adaxially splitting irreg ularly; peduncular bract 1 inserted 6-13.5 Areca appendiculata F. M. Bailey, in em above the base, up to ca. 60 em long, Dep. Agric. Bot. Bulletin 4: 18. 1891. split abaxially, opening out somewhat, ca. Type: Queensland, Bellenden-Ker, F. 10 em wide at widest point, strongly M. Bailey s.n. in 1889 (BRI). keeled; peduncular bract 2 inserted ca. Orania appendiculata (F. M. Bailey) 20-26 em above the base, 60-135 x 8 Domin in Bibliothec. Bot. 85: 498. 12 em; peduncular bract 3 inserted ca. 1915. 25-50 em above the base, slightly smaller Orania beccarii F. M. Bailey in Queens than bract 2; peduncular bract 4, where land Agric. Journal 23: 35. 1909. Type present, inserted up to 70 em above the as for A. appendiculata. base, either similar to bract 3, up to 87 Tnmk up to 20 m tall, 20-45 em diam. em long or dissimilar, triangular, membra at breast height, gray, irregularly marked nous, ca. 5 em long, incompletely sheath with leaf scars. Leaves ca. 8-15 in crown, ing with long decurrent margins; pedun