Rhapis excelsa (Thunb.) A.Henry

Taxonomy: Plantae> Tracheophyta> Liliopsida> Arecales> Arecaceae> Rhapis > R. excelsa

Description: Stems to 2.5 m tall, Leaf sheath loosely sheathing the stem, usually with outer and inner fibers of similar thickness, ligule not remaining intact at maturity; petiole to 4 mm wide, margin often smooth, rarely minutely scabrid, often bearing brown papillae; blade with V-shaped or semi-circular outline, variable in size, often with a conspicuous palman, segments broad, narrowing slightly at base and apex, apices sometimes cucculate, usually truncate, with regular dentate secondary splitting, Inflorescence, male and female similar in general appearance; prophyll tubular, overlapping the base of the first rachis bract, relatively thin in texture, reddish brown, sometimes darker at the base, inner surface smooth, outer surface with tomentum often only at the distal end; rachis bracts 2(–3), sometimes with a distal incomplete rachis bract; rachis overall length to 260 mm,., rachillae usually glabrous, pale brown, sometimes with small patches of caducous tomentum. Flowers densely packed on the rachillae. Male flowers globose when young, elongating when mature to 5.2 × 3.8 mm; calyx to 2.8 mm, lobes to 2 mm, usually with a regular margin; corolla sometimes narrowed into a short receptacular-stalk to 1 mm; filaments, shorter row to 2.2 mm, longer row to 2.5 mm, broad, to 0.4 mm, with adaxial keel, triangular in cross section; pistillode sometimes present. Female flowers to 3.6 × 3.2 mm; calyx to 2.3 mm; corolla with a receptacular-stalk to 1.1 mm; staminodes present. Fruit sometimes with 3 carpels developing, often only one reaching maturity, to 8–10 × 8 mm, borne on a short receptacular-stalk to 2 mm, epicarp shiny translucent, minutely papillose, with conspicuous black lenticels.

Flowering and fruiting:

Uses:

Cultivation: Cultivated , Ornamental

References

http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org

https://indiabiodiversity.org