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Classification
Daemonorops
Nomenclature
SUMMARY
Solitary or clustered, stemless to high-climbing hapaxanthic or pleonanthic dioecious rattans. Leaves usually cirrate, even in non-climbing species the apical leaves showing some vestige of a cirrus; sheaths usually heavily armed with spines, the spines frequently grouped; knee present or not; ocrea inconspicuous; flagellum absent; leaflets variously arranged, never discolorous. Inflorescences male and female superficially similar, the male branching to 3 orders, the female to 2, within the genus inflorescnces of two basic types, one with all bracts enclosed within the outermost bract (prophyll), splitting along their length to expose the flowers but with the bract tips still included within the outermost bract, the other with bracts borne on a more elongate inflorescence, the bracts tubular at first, then at flowering splitting along their entire length to leave no tubular portion, and usually quickly falling, the prophyll sometimes persisting; bracts variously armed; partial inflorescences usually shorter than the subtending bract; involucre and involucrophore inconspicuous, the latter often stalk-like. Male flower with small cup-like calyx with 3 short lobes; corolla split ± to the base into 3 petals; stamens 6, slightly epipetalous; pistillode minute. Sterile male flower borne with the female as a pair, like the fertile males but with empty anthers and soon falling. Female flower usually larger than the male, with calyx truncate or 3-lobed; corolla with 3 petals; staminodes 6, joined at the base to form a ring; ovary covered in reflexed scales, and tipped with 3 stigmas, and with 3 locules. Seed usually 1 only, covered in thin to thick, sweet or sour sarcotesta; endosperm deeply ruminate, embryo basal. Seedling leaf usually with 4 or more leaflets.
A hundred and three species in Tropical and Subtropical Asia. Fifteen species in Thailand.