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Classification
Licuala
Nomenclature
SUMMARY
Small rosette plants to moderate sized shrubs, solitary or caespitose. Leaf palmate; petiole usually elongate, armed along the margins, spines gradually decreasing in size towards the blade; blade rarely undivided or divided to the base into a number of wedge-shaped segments, all sessile or mid segment rarely with a petiolule. Apices of individual segments dissected by a mixture of long indentations, leading to the adaxial (upper) ribs and short indentations leading to the abaxial (lower) ribs. Inflorescence interfoliar; peduncular bracts and rachis bracts tubular; number of partial inflorescences (first order branches) 1–7, spicate or branched, decreasing in size towards the distal nodes. Flowers hermaphroditic and protandrous, inserted in groups or solitary; stamens 6, fused to the corolla basally, the filaments distally free or connate and forming a cuplike structure. Fruit one-seeded ripening from green to red, globose and less than 1 cm diam.; endocarp thin and bony; endosperm homogeneous. Germination remote-tubular.
About one hundred and thirty five species from India to Vanuatu. Fourteen species and two varieties in Thailand.