Dransfieldia micrantha

Dransfieldia micrantha grows in scattered populations throughout the dense rainforest of northwestern New Guinea, in the Indonesian province of Papua. It is found up to 180 m above sea level.

The male flowers are small in size, a feature that is reflected in the epithet “micrantha” (“small-flowered”) (Image: William J. Baker)

Dransfieldia micrantha is an elegant palm with pinnate fronds and numerous slender cane-like stems. It grows up to 10 m high, with a stem diameter of 2-5 cm and has a crownshaft (smooth column at the stem tip composed of tightly rolled tubular leaf sheaths). D. micrantha is monoecious (both male and female flowers are borne on the same plant) and bears small purple flowers, followed by olive-shaped black fruits. The inflorescences are borne on the stem below the leaves and are 34-60 cm long with spreading branches. The flowers are in triads (groups of three with a central female and two lateral male flowers) throughout the length of the rachillae (the branches of the inflorescence that carry the flowers).

Dransfieldia micrantha in the foothills of the Wondiwoi Mountains (Image: William J. Baker)

New Guinea, the world's largest tropical island, is a poorly explored biodiversity hotspot and an area of high priority for palm research and conservation. A recent expedition to the remote Foja Mountains by an international team attracted worldwide media attention, making astounding discoveries of new species of frogs, birds and palms. Palms are tremendously important for subsistence communities and ecosystems throughout the island. However, many New Guinean palms are so poorly known that efforts to study and conserve them are hampered by our inability to identify the various species. While large areas of primary forest still exist in New Guinea, the rapid expansion of logging, mining and other major economic developments constitute a real and urgent threat to its habitats and biodiversity.

In the past five years, a team of experts from Kew, the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and botanists from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia and Denmark have described more than 20 new species of palm from New Guinea, and these institutions are collaborating in writing a comprehensive book that will describe all the palms of the island. Many more species new to science have been discovered, but are yet to be formally described. A preliminary Field Guide to the Palms of New Guinea has been published, both in English and Indonesian language versions, and is an important tool in the conservation of these species. Land managers and conservationists can use the guide to identify palm species of conservation concern and geographic areas rich in palm diversity. 

The stems of this palm are used to make harpoons and the leaves are used for thatching.

Kew's Millennium Seed Bank Partnership aims to save plant life world wide, focusing on plants under threat and those of most use in the future. Seeds are dried, packaged and stored at a sub-zero temperature in our seed bank vault.

Description of seeds: Ovoid with a flattened base.
Number of seed collections stored in the Millennium Seed Bank: None.

This newly discovered palm is not in cultivation at Kew at present. It is occasionally cultivated by specialist palm growers in tropical countries and can be seen in the palm collection at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

Both dried and alcohol-preserved specimens of Dransfieldia micrantha are held in the Herbarium, one of the behind-the-scenes areas of Kew. The details of some of these specimens can be seen in the Herbarium Catalogue, and the specimens themselves are made available to bona fide researchers from around the world by appointment.

Press release - New palm genus discovered

Plants & Fungi - Palms

Palmweb - Palms of the World On-line

Palms at Kew

Palms of New Guinea

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden