Pinanga mooreana J.Dransf., Kew Bull. 34: 783 (1980)

Synonyms

Diagnostics
A small diameter palm, growing with several stems from the base. Leaves very large and pinnately divided. Fruits in two rows, black, elongate.

Description
Clustering, unarmed, pleonanthic, monoecious palm. Stem with basal suckers forming rather close clumps; stem robust to 8 m or more tall, to 2.5 cm diam. just above the nodes, to 3.5 cm diam. just below the nodes, rarely with greater diameter; nodal scars very conspicuous, about 1.5 cm wide, whole internode to 9 cm long; stem surface dull purplish-brown above, grey-brown below, in young parts densely covered with chocolate-coloured scales. Crownshaft to 1.25 m long, slightly swollen, dull purplish-brown. Leaves 6-8 in crown; leaf sheath to 75 cm long, dull purplish-brown, densely covered with chocolate-coloured scales; leaf without sheath to 3 m long; petiole 35-100 cm, slightly channelled adaxially, rounded abaxially, c. 1.5 cm in diam., with caducous chocolate- coloured scales; leaflets to 25 on each side of the rachis, regularly arranged, rather stiff, diverging from the rachis at an angle of about 60 degrees, mostly 2-ribbed except for occasional 1- or 3-ribbed leaflets, and the apical compound pair; lowermost leaflets to 33 x 2 cm, long- acuminate; mid lamina leaflets to 65 x 4 cm, very gradually narrowed towards the tip; uppermost 2-3 leaflets on each side with lobed tips corresponding to the major ribs; apical leaflet pair joined along mid line for about 15 cm of rachis, with lower margin to 33 cm long, and upper margin to 23 cm long, to 10 cm wide, conspicuously lobed with adaxial splits to 1 cm deep and abaxial splits to 4 cm deep; lamina dull dark green, coriaceous when fresh, drying dull green-brown, only slightly paler on abaxial surface, very slightly rugose when dried, glabrous except for very sparse brown scales along abaxial ribs on abaxial surface. Inflorescence infrafoliar, pendulous; prophyll not known; peduncle to 5 cm long, flattened, 2 x 0.5 cm wide at the prophyll scar; rachillae 5-8 held +/- in the same plane, the longest to 27 cm long, flattened, 6 x 3 mm in T.S.; triads arranged distichously, to 10 mm distant with subtending bracts very inconspicuous. Staminate flowers unknown. Pistillate flower depressed globose; calyx with 3 rounded, imbricate, ciliate-margined lobes to 2.5 mm long, 5 mm wide, joined for c. 0.5 mm at the very base; corolla with 3 rounded, imbricate, ciliate-margined lobes to 2.25 mm long, 4.5 mm wide; staminodes absent; ovary rounded, about 3 mm diam., tipped with irregularly lobed and flattened stigma. Half-mature fruit greenish, with black calyx and corolla, borne on a yellowish-green rachilla, the fruit +/- cylindrical, 15 x 5 mm. Maturing fruit turning yellowish, then orange, finally deep purplish-black, the rachillae eventually yellowish to orange. Mature fruit broadly ellipsoid, very slightly curved, to 3 x 1.5 cm, with a distinct low collar surrounding the apical stigmatic remains; epicarp smooth but not satiny; endocarp with conspicuous longitudinal fibres; seed adhering to the endocarp, to 2 x 1 cm, attached basally; endosperm deeply and irregularly ruminate; embryo basal. [from http://e-monocot.org/taxon/urn:kew.org:wcs:taxon:156464]

Ecology
Confined to lowland forest. In the G. Mulu National Park it is one of the characteristic features of alluvial forest; in the Bintulu area, however, it was collected it at the edge of kerangas forest. This Brunei specimen was growing near the top of a ridge.

Uses

Distribution
Borneo (only Sarawak and Brunei so far).

Local names