Retispatha
| Retispatha | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Subfamily: | Calamoideae |
| Tribe: | Calameae |
| Genus: |
Retispatha J. Dransf. |
| Species: | R. dumetosa |
| Binomial name | |
|
Retispatha dumetosa |
|
Retispatha is a rare, monotypic genus of flowering plant in the palm family endemic to Borneo, where the sole species, Retispatha dumetosa, is known as wi tebu bruang (dialectial: wi tebi bagadap) or "the bear's sugar cane". The name combines Latin and Greek words meaning "network" and "spathe", and the species epithet means "bushy". While classified with other rattans, they retain only superficial climbing organs; they sprawl and lean but are not true climbers.
Despite bearing strong resemblance to members of the Plectocomiinae, in preparing illustrations for the palm survey Genera Palmarum, Marion Sheehan discovered a single sterile, staminate flower among the pistillate members. The absence of such a flower previously obscured its relationship with the Calaminae, which it also closely resembles. This find, despite its rarity, seems to confirm its placement in the Calaminae subtribe.
The clustering trunks are extensively armed with spines, 6 - 8 cm wide, closely ringed, with aerial roots at lower leaf nodes. The pinnate leaf is borne on a well-developed and armed petiole, the sheath and rachis also whorled with spines and covered in tomentum. The linear leaflets are regularly arranged with one fold, margins are toothed, and the midrib is prominent.
On flowering, the inflorescence in male plants is branched to three orders, in females to one, rarely two. The prophyll is large, splitting and becoming tattered, and armed with pseudo-whorls of black spines. Peduncular bracts are not present in the genus, the first order branches bear distichous, unarmed tubular bracts with fibrous limbs which subtend or wholly enclose, in the staminate spike, the second order branch system. These are subtended by tubular, membranous bracts, the third order rachillae have similar bracts subtending solitary staminate flowers.
The staminate flowers are tiny with a tubular calyx divided into three hairy, triangular lobes. The corolla is basally tubular and twice as long as the calyx, divided into three lobes, striate and valvate. There are six stamens with laterally connate filaments and oblong to ovate anthers, dorsifixed towards the base. The pollen is circular to elliptical and monosulcate; exine reticulate and tectate and irregularly spotted with striate spines; the tiny pistillode is trifid.
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Wikipedia