Phoenix sylvestris (L.) Roxb., Fl. Ind. 3: 787. 1832; Brandis, For. Fl. 554. 1874; Becc. & Hook. f. in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 6: 425. 1894; Bamber, Fl. Punj. 45. 1916; Parker, For. Fl. Punj. ed. 1. 528. 1918 (Reprint 1973); Kaur & Sharma, Fl. Sirmaur 618. 2004; Singh & Sharma, Fl. Chamba Dist. 698. 2006; Malik, Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 24; Elate sylvestris L., Sp. Pl. 2: 1189. 1753.

Dioecious palm tree. Trunk erect, up to 15 m tall, solitary, stout, rough from persistent bases of petioles, leaf crown dense, hemispheric. Leaves 3-4 m long, grey-green, glabrous, pinnately divided into numerous leaflets, leaflets alternate or opposite or fascicled in many planes; leaflets 15-50 cm x 0.8-2.5 cm, grey-green, rigid, almost spinous pointed, ensiform or lanceolate, longitudinally folded (or keeled) and attached with folded base to rachis, induplicate; lower leaflets transformed into strong spines (termed as acanthophylls), up to 16 cm long; petiole short, glabrous. Inflorescences axillary within the crown of leaves. Each inflorescence covered by hard, boat-like prophyll, 30-40 cm long, scurfy, separating into 2 boat-shaped valves. Female inflorescence 90-120 cm long, main peduncle flat, 45-75 cm long, glabrous, rachis ca. 30 cm long, rachillae numerous bearing sessile female flowers. Female Flowers: Rounded green, distant. Calyx ca. 4 mm long, cupulate, obsoletely 3- toothed, upper portion thin and translucent, lower one hard and greenish. Petals 3, free, rounded, convolutely imbricate, leaving a small opening at apex, ca. 2 times larger than calyx. Carpels 3, free, each carpel with one ovule, only one carpel maturing into fruit; stigmas sessile, recurved, inwardly papillose. Male inflorescence much smaller, main stalk 60-90 cm long, peduncle much compressed, glabrous, rachillae arise from and near the apex of main stalk. Male Flowers: Sessile, white, sweet-scented, much larger than female flowers, 7-9 mm long, angular, oblique. Calyx cupulate with 3 rounded teeth. Petals 3, valvate, 3-4 times longer than calyx, concave, warty externally. Stamens 6, ca. 4 mm long; anthers erect; filaments short and subulate. Pistillodes 3, minute, scale-like. Fruiting inflorescence ca. 1 m long, nodding, peduncle 2.5-4 cm. Fruit drupe, ca. 2.5 cm long, oblong-ellipsoid, terete, orange-yellow to reddish-brown, rounded at ends, sweet, edible. Seeds 1.5-1.8 cm long, rounded at ends, hard, longitudinally grooved in centre on one side, pale-brown.

×

❮ ❯