Author:
Jan Scholten
Book:
Qjurious
Type:
Info
Chapter:
3-633.44.03
Sommieria leucophylla
Region: West Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea
Genus: 1 species.
Taxonomy: resemble Asterogyne, Heterospathe.
Botany: solitary palm; understory; habitat dense, humid, rain forest, constant shade or filtered light; stem short, lacks armament.
leaves numerous, undivided, irregularly divided, or deeply bifid, densely tomentose sheaths, disintegrate into a mass of fibers at the base, short petiole; inflorescence interfoliar, erect, as long as the leaves, sparsely branched; peduncle long, slender, single peduncular bract is tubular and borne at the tip of the peduncle, enclosing the flowers before antithesis; short rachis usually bears few rachillae, spirally arranged, each subtended by a small bract; flowers staminate, asymmetrical, in triads, three distinct, valvate sepals, three thick petals, with 60 stamens, very short filaments; anthers elongated, basifixed; pollen triangle shaped, with reticulate, tectate exine; pistillate flowers larger than the male's, three sepals have rounded sides, pointed tips, petals asymmetrical with thick valvate tips, three to six small, triangular staminodes; gynoecium is ovoid and covered in brown scales; three stigmas are apical and reflexed; ovule pendulous; fruit red, breaks away in age exposing the brown, warty mesocarp; single seed, spherical, homogeneous endosperm, subbasal embryo.