Suzanne Mogue Kamga, Raoul Niangadouma, Fred W. Stauffer, Bonaventure Sonké, Thomas L.P. Couvreur
Phytokeys
Figure 1.
Raphiagabonica, illustrations. A Habit (bar = 1 m) B Details of trunk - notice curly fibres C Detail of full inflorescence D Detail of base of inflorescence E Penduncular bracts F Partial inflorescence with old flowers G Detail of basal part of rachillae with old female flower H Detail of apical part of rachillae with old male flowers (Scale bar: 1 cm) I Partial inflorescence with fruits J Fruit K Longitudinal section of fruit. Drawings based on A from Mogue 22 B–J Mogue 23. Drawings by Hans de Vries.
Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia.Johannesteijsmannia magnifica J.Dransf. Arecaceae. CN: [Malay - Daun payung perak], Silver Joey palm. Native to Thailand and Malaysia. Essentially, no trunk up to ca 3.5 m height. Leaves solid, simple, underside silver colored. It is a trunkless palm, with enormous spear shaped, entire up to ca 3 m long, (the first metre of which is petiole) and up to ca 2 m wide. The underside is covered in fine white hairs which give it a silvery appearance. Cultivated as ornamental.Ref and suggested reading:zipcodezoo.com/Plants/J/Johannesteijsmannia_magnifica/www.pacsoa.org.au/palms/Johannesteijsmannia/magnifica.html
The highly irritating juice of the fruit was once used as a sort of 'pepper spray' for defense. Photo from a Rungus Longhouse, northernmost Sabah, Borneo.