Calyptrocalyx

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Arecales

Familia: Arecaceae
Subfamilia: Arecoideae
Tribus: Areceae
Subtribus: Linospadicinae
Genus: Calyptrocalyx
Species: C. albertisianus – C. amoenus – C. arfakianus – C. awa – C. caudiculatus – C. doxanthus – C. elegans – C. flabellatus – C. forbesii – C. geonomiformis – C. hollrungii – C. julianettii – C. lauterbachianus – C. laxiflorus – C. lepidotus – C. leptostachys – C. merrillianus – C. micholitzii – C. multifidus – C. pachystachys – C. pauciflorus – C. polyphyllus – C. pusillus – C. sessiliflorus – C. spicatus – C. yamutumene
Source(s) of checklist:
Name

Calyptrocalyx Blume, Rumphia 2: 103 (1843).

Type species: Calyptrocalyx spicatus (Lam.) Blume

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Linospadix Becc. ex Hook.f. in G.Bentham & J.D.Hooker, Gen. Pl. 3: 903 (1883), nom. illeg.
Paralinospadix Burret, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 12: 331 (1935).

References

Blume, C.L., 1843, Rumphia 2: 103.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Calyptrocalyx in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2019 Jun 06. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Calyptrocalyx. Published online. Accessed: Jun 06 2019.
The Plant List 2013. Calyptrocalyx in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published online. Accessed: 2019 Jun 06.
Tropicos.org 2019. Calyptrocalyx. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 06 Jun 2019.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Calyptrocalyx in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Vernacular names

Calyptrocalyx is a monoecious genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in Papua New Guinea and the nearby Maluku Islands. Ranging from small to large, the palms in this genus are increasingly found in cultivation owing largely to their purple, red, and orange colored, new foliage. At least 26 species have been described while others, known only by local names, have not yet received a taxonomic account. Palms formerly classified within Paralinospadix have been incorporated into this genus. It is named from 2 Greek words meaning 'covered' and 'calyx'.[2]

Description

Most Calyptrocalyx species are clustering while a few grow from solitary trunks, all being conspicuously ringed by leaf scars. Trunk diameters range from 1 cm in C. arfakiensis to 25 cm in C. spicatus, spanning heights of 1 to 12 m. The leaves may be pinnate, bifid, or undivided on adaxially channeled, abaxially rounded petioles. While the foliage of these palms matures to various shades of green it is often brightly colored when emergent.

The inflorescence is usually an unbranched, interfoliar spike with unisexual flowers of both sexes; both pistillate and staminate flowers have three sepals and three petals. The fruit produced by Calyptrocalyx species is usually orange or red in color when mature, each containing one seed.[3]
Distribution and habitat

All of these palms are found in Papua New Guinea except C. spicatus which grows in the Moluccas. They are all undergrowth inhabitants of rain forests from sea level up to 1000 m, often on montane slopes and occasionally alongside streams and in swamps.
Cultivation
Commonly cultivated for their colorful new leaves, these palms are not hardy to cold and require protection from freezing temperatures. They prefer a quickly draining, humus-rich soil and shade or filtered light when young, though some will adapt to full sun as they mature. They also require protection from cold, dry winds which easily damage or kill them.

References

Blume, Bulletin des Sciences Physiques et Naturelles en Neérlande 1:66. 1838. Type:C. spicatus
Riffle, Robert L. and Craft, Paul (2003) An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Portland: Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-558-6 / ISBN 978-0-88192-558-6
Uhl, Natalie W. and Dransfield, John (1987) Genera Palmarum - A classification of palms based on the work of Harold E. Moore. Lawrence, Kansas: Allen Press. ISBN 0-935868-30-5 / ISBN 978-0-935868-30-2