Of New Guinea of New Guinea
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Palms of New Guinea cover-english 25/7/06 6:08 pm Page 1 F I E L D FIELD GUIDE TO THE G U I D E T O T H PALMS E New Guinea is one of the world’s greatest palm diversity hotspots. P With around 270 species, the island is home to some of the most A L beautiful and varied palms, many of which are of great economic M OF NEW GUINEA S OF NEW GUINEA importance to rural communities. Field Guide to the Palms of New Guinea is the first identification aid for the palms of the entire O F island. It aims to help field workers, conservationists, students and N horticulturists to identify New Guinea palms to genus level regardless E of their experience or botanical expertise. Many of the most important W species are illustrated. This detailed and richly illustrated book will G U be an invaluable resource for all with interests in the rich biodiversity I of New Guinea, the largest tropical island in the world. N E A • Describes all genera of New Guinea palms • Provides keys and other tools to aid identification W i l l i • Extensively illustrated with photos, line drawings and maps a m J • An invaluable reference for field workers, conservationists, . B a students and palm growers k e r William J. Baker has worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew since 1998 J o and is an authority on the diversity and evolution of the palm family. h n William is head of Kew’s palm research programme and leads the Palms of D r a New Guinea project, a collaborative research and capacity building initiative n s f i on the island’s palm diversity. He has travelled extensively to study palms e l in the wild, especially in New Guinea, has published widely on palm biology d and is currently co-authoring the second edition of Genera Palmarum. John Dransfield was head of palm research at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew from 1975 until his retirement in 2005. John is a leading specialist in the systematics of palms and an experienced fieldworker. He is co-author of Genera Palmarum, the standard scientific reference book for palms, and the World Checklist of Palms and currently co-edits PALMS, the Journal of the International Palm Society. William J. Baker John Dransfield Palms of NG Introduction 6/10/06 12:21 pm Page 1 Palms of NG Introduction 6/10/06 12:21 pm Page 2 Palms of NG Introduction 6/10/06 12:21 pm Page 1 Field Guide to the Palms of New Guinea William J. Baker and John Dransfield Line drawings by Patricia K. R. Davies, Soejatmi Dransfield and Lucy T. Smith Palms of NG Introduction 6/10/06 12:21 pm Page 2 © The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2006 The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher unless in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. Great care has been taken to maintain the accuracy of the information contained in this work. However, neither the publisher, the editors nor authors can be held responsible for any consequences arising from use of the information contained herein. First published in 2006 by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK www.kew.org ISBN 1 84246 138 9 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Production Editor: Michelle Payne Typesetting and page layout: Margaret Newman Design by Media Resources, Information Services Department, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Printed and bound in Italy by Printer Trento For information or to purchase all Kew titles please visit www.kewbooks.com or email [email protected] All proceeds go to support Kew’s work in saving the world’s plants for life Cover photo: Cyrtostachys loriae, Timika, Papua (Photo: W. J. Baker) Palms of NG Introduction 6/10/06 12:21 pm Page 3 Table of contents Introductory sections Acknowledgements . 4 The purpose of this book . 5 How is the book arranged? . 5 New Guinea and its palm flora . 6 Plants that look like palms . 7 An introduction to palm morphology . 9 Palm specimens and how to collect them . 16 Where to see New Guinea palms . 18 Keys . 19 The genus accounts . .27 Fan palms Borassus . 28 Corypha . 30 Licuala . 32 Livistona . 36 Bipinnate palms Caryota . 38 Rattans Calamus . 40 Daemonorops . 44 Korthalsia . 46 Pinnate palms Actinorhytis . 48 Areca . 50 Arenga . 54 Brassiophoenix . 56 Calyptrocalyx . 58 Clinostigma . 62 Cocos . 64 Cyrtostachys . 66 Dransfieldia . 68 Drymophloeus . 70 Heterospathe . 72 Hydriastele . 76 Linospadix . 80 Metroxylon . 82 Nypa . 84 Orania . 86 Physokentia . 90 Pigafetta . 92 Pinanga . 94 Ptychococcus . 96 Ptychosperma . 98 Rhopaloblaste . 100 Sommieria . ..