Palms of Southern Asia PRINCETON FIELD GUIDES Rooted in fi eld experience and scientifi c study, Princeton’s guides to animals and plants are the authority for professional scientists and amateur naturalists alike. Princeton Field Guides present this information in a compact format carefully designed for easy use in the fi eld. The guides illustrate every species in color and provide detailed information on identifi cation, distribution, and biology. 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ISBN 978-0-691-13449-9 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Palms—South Asia—Identifi cation. I. Title. II. Series. QK495.P17H445 2009 584'.5095—dc22 2008030892 British Library Catal oging- in- Publication Data is available This book has been composed in Cheltenham Light and Gill Sans Printed on acid- free paper. ∞ nathist.princeton.edu Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Flor, Lidia, and Alfred This page intentionally left blank Contents FOREWORD, by John Dransfi eld 8 AC KNOW LEDG MENTS 9 INTRODUCTION 11 Palm Regions in Southern Asia 11 Layout of the Book 17 Classifi cation of Southern Asian Palms 20 Morphology of Palms 20 Key to the Genera of Palms in Southern Asia 25 THE PALMS OF SOUTHERN ASIA 29 1. Areca 29 23. Licuala 119 2. Arenga 31 24. Livistona 131 3. Bentinckia 36 25. Loxococcus 133 4. Borassodendron 37 26. Maxburretia 134 5. Borassus 37 27. Myrialepis 135 6. Calamus 38 28. Nannorrhops 135 7. Caryota 92 29. Nenga 136 8. Ceratolobus 96 30. Nypa 137 9. Chuniophoenix 97 31. Oncosperma 138 10. Clinostigma 98 32. Orania 139 11. Cocos 98 33. Phoenix 140 12. Corypha 99 34. Pholidocarpus 143 13. Cyrtostachys 101 35. Pinanga 144 14. Daemonorops 101 36. Plectocomia 155 15. Eleiodoxa 109 37. Plectocomiopsis 158 16. Eugeissona 110 38. Rhapis 159 17. Guihaia 111 39. Rhopaloblaste 163 18. Hyphaene 112 40. Salacca 163 19. Iguanura 112 41. Satakentia 165 20. Johannesteijsmannia 115 42. Trachycarpus 166 21. Kerriodoxa 115 43. Wallichia 169 22. Korthalsia 116 APPENDIX Checklist of Species by Country or Region 175 REFERENCES 183 INDEX OF COMMON NAMES 187 INDEX OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES 191 Foreword From the deserts of Af ghan i stan to the limestone orative fi eldwork with his local counterparts in hills of southern China and the rain forests of Asia. Nowhere is this more evident than in Viet- Peninsular Thailand, the natural vegetation of nam, where the author has had several trips, Southern Asia, the area covered by this excit- uncovering astonishing palm diversity, a diver- ing new book, includes some of the most inter- sity hardly imagined a de cade ago. The author esting and unusual palms. For some fortunate has reviewed existing literature and has made areas within the region, taxonomic accounts detailed herbarium studies that have resulted that include palms are already in existence, but in new synonymy and the uncovering of previ- many of these were published in the last cen- ously unrecognized species. His lucid account tury and are already very out of date as far as is easily accessible, not just to the experienced taxonomy or nomenclature are concerned. Sev- botanist. eral suffer from the chauvinism of local botany, When Henderson, Galeano, and Bernal’s where apparently distinctive species were de- Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas was scribed without looking over the border to the published, it immediately fi lled a gaping void. next country to see what had already been Here was a compact book that helped immea- described from there. surably in the identifi cation of palms through- Andrew Henderson provides an amazing out the New World. I have no doubt that Hen- synopsis of the entire palm fl ora of this vast derson’s Palms of Southern Asia will be equally region. Not only does the book account for all used and useful. I emphatically endorse this names that have been published for palms for book—it will prove to be im mensely useful in this region (and includes several important cor- furthering palm diversity studies in the region rections to long- accepted nomenclature) but it and to all fi eld naturalists wanting to identify includes many species that have only recently palms in Southern Asia. been described, based on the author’s collab- John Dransfi eld Honorary Research Fellow Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Ac know ledg ments Field and herbarium work in India and Sri the South China Botanical Garden. Ms. Guo Lanka was supported by grants from the Cen- Lixiu and Mr. Zhou Lianxuan accompanied me tral Florida Palm and Cycad Society, the South in the fi eld in Hainan, and I thank the Hainan Florida Palm and Cycad Society, the Palm Beach Forestry Bureau for permission to visit forest Palm and Cycad Society, and the Palm Society reserves in Hainan. I also thank Dr. Huang of Southern California. I thank Dr. M. Sanjappa, Zhangliang of Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve. Director of the Botanical Survey of India for his Field and herbarium work in Vietnam was support; Dr. Bipin Balodi, Ms. Minya Lollen, and supported by the National Science Foundation Mr. Abdul Hussain of the Botanical Survey of and a Fulbright Research Award. I thank the India, Arunachal Field Station, Itanager for their Director, Dr. Le Xuan Canh, and staff of the In- help in the fi eld; and Dr. C. Renuka of the Ker- stitute of Ecol ogy and Biological Resources ala Forest Research Institute for her help in Ker- (IEBR), Hanoi, for hosting me during my time ala. In Sri Lanka I thank Dr. Siril Wijesundara of in Vietnam. I thank my counterpart at IEBR, Dr. the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, and Mr. Ninh Khac Ban, and other staff members—Mr. Martin Wijesinghe at Sinharaja. Bui Van Thanh, Mr. Nguyen The Cuong, Dr. Field and herbarium work in Myanmar was Nguyen Tien Hiep, Dr. Phan Ke Loc, Ms. Tran supported by grants from the Center for Environ- Thi Phuong Anh, and Dr. Jack Regalado. I am mental Research and Conservation, Columbia also grateful to Mr. Nguyen Quoc Dung of the University, and from the National Geographic Forest Inventory and Planning Institute, Hanoi, Society. I thank the Ministry of Forestry, Yan- for his help and support. gon, for granting permission to collect in Kachin Field and herbarium work in Thailand was sup- State, the staff of the Wildlife Conservation Soci- ported in part by a grant from the International ety offi ce in Yangon for logistical support, and Palm Society. I thank Mr. Poonsak Vatcharakorn all the rattan t eam—Dr. Charles Peters, New York for accompanying me in the fi eld in Peninsular Botanical Garden, U Myint Maung, Hukaung Thailand and for sharing his knowledge of Thai Valley Tiger Reserve, U Saw Lwin, Myanmar Flo- palms. riculturist Association, U Tin Maung Ohn, Uni- Computer equipment for this project was versity of Yangon, U Kyaw Lwin, Mandalay funded by a grant from the International Palm University, and U Tun Shaung, Wildlife Conser- Society. vation Society Myanmar Program. In southern Many friends and colleagues helped with Myanmar, I thank U San Hlaing and Kyi Myat various parts of the work. Dr. Tom Evans kindly Min for their assistance in the fi eld. supplied his rattan database, reviewed parts Field and herbarium work in China was of the manuscript, and shared his knowledge supported by grants from the Montgomery Bo- of rattans. Dr. Neela de Zoysa provided much tanical Center, the Center for Environmental information on the palms of Sri Lanka. Mr. Research and Conservation, Columbia Univer- Martin Gibbons and Mr. Tobias Spanner shared sity, and the International Palm Society. In Yun- their knowledge of Trachycarpus, Dr. John Dowe nan, I thank Dr. Dao Zhiling and Dr. Pei Shengji, his knowledge of Livistona, and Mr. Don Hodel Kunming Institute of Botany, and Dr. Cui Jing- his knowledge of Thai palms. Dr. John Drans- Yun, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden. fi eld answered my many questions on palms of I also thank Ms. Liu Yanchun for her help in Kun- Southern Asia. In New York, I thank Mr. Nate ming and Ms. Long Bo for her help in Kunming Smith, Dr. Chuck Peters, Dr. Holly Porter Morgan, and Xishuangbanna. In Guangxi, I thank Dr. Wei and Dr. Berry Brosi for help with technical mat- Fanan, Ms. Tang Saichun, Ms. Huang Yuqing, ters. I thank Drs. Anders Barfod and Henrik and Ms. Qin Xiang of the Guangxi Institute of Balslev for inviting me as a Visiting Professor to Botany, Guilin, for their help. In Guangzhou, I Aarhus University in the summer of 2006. This thank Ms. Guo Lixiu and Mr. Zhou Lianxuan of enabled me to study the rich collections of