Rhapis L. f. ex Aiton, Hortus Kew. 3: 473. 1789; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 23: 146; Malik, Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 26.

Small, dioecious, 1.5 m or occasionally 3 m tall palms. Stems slender, clustered, spreading by rhizomes to form small to large clumps, covered especially in upper part with fibrous persistent leaf bases, otherwise green. Leaves up to 22, palmate, spaced along stem; leaf sheaths fibrous, consisting of 2 layers of fibres, forming a square or diagonal mesh, with fibrous ligules at apices; hastula present; segments or leaflets few to many, split to 1/2 or more their length, leaflets induplicate (V-shaped in T. S.), blunt-tipped, several-ribbed, margin toothed. Inflorescences borne among leaves, axillary, small, branched to 3 orders, covered with persistent bracts, these closely or loosely sheathing, bearing either all male or all female flowers, occasionally bisexual. Flowers borne singly, small. Calyx trilobed. Petals 3, connate. Male flowers with 6 stamens, epipetalous. Female flowers with 3, free carpels. Fruits 1-3 per flower, small, globose, ellipsoid or ovoid, 1-seeded berries. Seeds thin, stony.

11 species

Rhapis excelsa (Thunb.) A. Henry in Rehder, J. Arnold Arbor. 11: 153. 1930; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 23: 146; Malik, Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 27; Chamaerops excelsa Thunb. in Murray, Syst. Veg., ed. 14 984. 1784; Rhapis flabelliformis L.’ Her. in W. Aiton, Hort. Kew. 3: 473. 1789.

Stems clustered, rhizomatous, forming large loose colonies, 1-3 m tall, ca. 2 cm diameter (including sheath); covered with persistent fibrous leaf sheaths with coarse black fibres producing a square mesh. Leaves up to 48 cm across, green on both surfaces, palmately split almost to the bases into 2-7(-9) segments, segments with +/- straight sides and jagged apices, up to 26 cm x 8.2 cm, hastula present at apex of petiole, fibrous; petiole up to 21 cm long; base of petiole provided with a sheath, sheath fibrous, dark chocolate in colour, covering the stem. Inflorescences axillary, borne among leaves, branched to 2 or 3 orders; bracts tubular, sheathing; peduncle up to 15 cm long; rachis to 18 cm long and rachillae to 9 cm, nearly glabrous. Flowers yellowish, sessile, unisexual. Male Flowers: ca. 2 mm long. Sepals united into a tubular 3-lobed calyx, ca. 1.5 mm long. Petals 3, united into a tubular corolla, ca. 2 mm long, with a 3-lobed valvate apex. Stamens 6, borne in 2 series; filaments small, keeled adaxially; anthers ovate or obovoid, ca. 0.7 mm x 0.7 mm. Pistillode present.

Female Flowers: Calyx and corolla same as in male flowers but calyx stalked. Carpels 3, free; style short. Fruit develops from 1 carpel; fruit 1-seeded berry, yellow, globose to ellipsoid, to 1 mm x 0.8 cm. (Female flowers and Fruits not observed)

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