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 is known, it might be convenient liberis, staminibus egregiis, 3 inter petala to consider Oraniopsis as a distinct . insertis, 3 epipetalis differt. Palma soli­ However, Essig in his recent synopsis of taria, inermis, pleonantha, dioeca. Folio (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 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, scars (subfamily Pseudophoenicoideae). We have apparently not very conspicuous. 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; 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 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. , 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 up to ca. 6 m long; sheathing base cup­ cular bract 5, where present, inserted up like, rather short ca. 20 em wide at the to 70 em from the base, membranous, base, tapering to ca. 15 em wide, and then subulate, ca. 6 em long; rachis ca. 35­ narrowing into the petiole; petiole up to 45 em long; rachis bracts triangular, ca. 65 em long, up to ca. 7.0 x 6.0 em membranous, easily disintegrating, the in section, the margins ± winged, ca. 1­ basal to 4 x 1 em, the distal very small 2 em deep, sharp, abaxially brown tomen­ and inconspicuous; first-order branches ca. tose; rachis becoming adaxially ridged at 70 in staminate, 30-40 in pistillate inflo­ ca. half its length; leaflets up to ca. 110 rescence, spirally arranged; rachillae very on each side of the rachis, the apical pair numerous, staminate ca. 3-5 x 0.15 em, composed of 2-4 folds, the rest all single­ pistillate ca. 4-10 x 0.2 em. Staminate fold, basal leaflets ca. 15-20 x 0.5-0.8 flowers cream-colored, borne on pedicels em, mid-leaf leaflets to ca. 100 x 4.5 ca. 1.2 x 1.2 mm; calyx ca. 1 mm high em, apical pair up to ca. 43 x 4.5 em, with lobes to 0.5 mm; petals ca. 6 x 2 leaflets held at ca. 60° from the rachis mm; filaments ca. 3-3.5 mm long, ca. 1

-2. Oraniopsis appendiculata. A. Watson Road, Millaa Millaa, North Queensland. An exposed staminate palm 7 meters tall, stem diameter 22 em, on land cleared 60-70 years earlier for dairy farm. Note epiphytes: Drynaria rigidula (a fern) and Schefflera aClinophylla (Araliaceae) Umbrella Tree. Background left: Calamus moli. Note the palms would have at least been taller than the reach of cattle 60-70 years ago. B. Keith Davis's farm, Watson Road, Millaa Millaa, North Queensland. Staminate inflorescence left, pistilate inflorescence right. C. Leaf, Topaz, North Queensland. Taken at Timberlea, Atherton (Irvine's home), daughter Rina (nearly 10 years old) and son Ian (4 years old). D. Kelly Road, Millaa Millaa, North Queensland, . Upper and lower leaflet surfaces, greyish white below, green above. 1-12-1984. Photos by Tony Irvine.