Johannesteijsmannia altrifrons
Solitary acaulescent palm. Stem subterranean, procumbent to 15 cm diam. Leaves 20–30 in crown, large, erect; petiole up to 2.5 m long, armed with minute, up to 1 mm long spines; blade up to 3.5 m long and 1.8 m wide, with up to 20 or more folds on each side, glabrous below, with brown scales proximally on the costa. Inflorescence erect at first, eventually pendent, branched to the third order; peduncle 30–50 cm long; rachillae 20–100, 5–20 cm long, greenish with dense white tomentum. Flowers cream coloured and pointed in bud, 4–5 mm long. Fruit 4–5 cm diam., with 60–80, 0.6–0.8 cm long corky warts.
Of some concern since seeds and live palms are collected in the wild for cultivation.
A rare species in Thailand, instantly recognizable because of its large undivided diamond-shaped leaves.
Global — Peninsular Malaysia, western Borneo and Sumatra (type).
Thailand — PENINSULAR: Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat.
Usually gregarious on hill slopes and ridge tops in hill dipterocarp forest, to 800 m altitude, in the extreme south of Peninsular Thailand.
Ornamental; also used for temporary thatch.