Volume 11 > Part 3 > Year 2013 > Page 476 > Arecaceae > Plectocomia

1. Plectocomia elongata Mart. & Blumewfo-0000275155

in Roem. & Schult., Syst. Veg. 7: 1333. 1830.

Accepted Name : This is currently accepted.

Synonyms & Citations :

Description : Robust, solitary rattan. Stem climbing to 50 m, without sheaths to 6 cm diam. near the base, to 10 cm or more in upper parts, with sheaths to 20 cm diam., internodes to 30 cm long; lower parts of old stems frequently with bulbil-like shoots from the nodes. Leaves cirrate; sheaths dull green, armed with horizontal or oblique combs of golden brown or deep reddish-brown spines to 4 cm long, and abundant white or buff-coloured indumentum; knee absent; petiole to ca 30 cm long; rachis to 4 m long; cirrus to 3 m long; leaflets to ca 60 on each side of the rachis, arranged irregularly in groups of two to seven and fanned within the groups, bluish-green on the upper surface, whitish beneath. Inflorescences produced from the top 7–10 nodes, to ca 80 cm long and bearing ca 12 crowded pendulous branches to ca 1 m; bracts chestnut brown, ca 7 by 5 cm, with triangular tips but scarcely truncate. Male flowers up to ca 20 within each bract; female flowers 3–9 within each bract, ± completely concealed. Mature fruit ca 8 within each bract (if fewer, then fruit larger), very crowded, ca 1.5 cm diam., with reflexed stigmas and covered in ca 50 vertical rows of fimbriate-margined reddish-brown scales. Seed ca 1 cm diam. Seedling leaf lanceolate, undivided.

Thailand : PENINSULAR: Surat Thani, Phuket, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Trang.

Distribution : Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java (type), Borneo, the Philippines.

Ecology : Widespread in secondary habitats on poor soils, major light gaps and old land slips from the lowlands, to 1,500 m alt. or more in the mountains.

Vernacular : Wai kam phot (หวายกําพด), wai tao phro (หวายเต่าเพราะ), wai tong phlong (หวายโต้งโพล้ง)(Peninsular); wai pu chao (หวายปู่เจ้า)(Nakhon Si Thammarat).

Uses: The cane is of poor quality. Inflorescence branches are occasionally used as ornaments.

Conservation Status: Not threatened.

Notes: A massive species, easily identified by its large size, absence of knee and ocrea on the sheaths, irregularly arranged discolorous leaflets and the distinctive pendulous inflorescence branches with chestnut brown overlapping bracts.