Dypsis ankirindro

A beautiful new species of palm discovered by Kew botanists in Madagascar’s newest protected area.

Dypsis ankirindro
Dypsis ankirindro (Image: William Baker, RBG Kew)

Species information

  • Scientific name: Dypsis ankirindro W.J.Baker, Rakotoarin. & M.S.Trudgen
  • Common name(s): None known.
  • Conservation status: Vulnerable (provisional IUCNassessment).
  • Habitat: Mountain summit vegetation, elfin forest and mountain thicket on quartzite, 650–950 m.
  • Known hazards: None known.

Taxonomy

  • Class: Equisetopsida
  • Subclass: Magnoliidae
  • Superorder: Lilianae
  • Order: Arecales
  • Family: Arecaceae
  • Genus: Dypsis

About this Species

Dypsis ankirindro is a beautiful new species of slender palm discovered during collaborative fieldwork by botanists from Kew and Madagascar in 2007. It was officially named and described in 2009 along with four other new species from the vicinity of Madagascar’s newest protected area, Makira, in the north-east of the island. It occurs most abundantly on the summits of mountains within the reserve. Over 20 new species of palm from Madagascar have been described by Kew botanists in 2009.

Geography & Distribution

This species occurs in northeast Madagascar, and is known from two mountains in the eastern central part of the Makira protected area.

Description

Dypsis ankirindro

Dypsis ankirindro (Image: William Baker, RBG Kew)

This slender palm forms clumps of stems, each up to 5 m in height and 3 cm in diameter. Each stem bears up to seven leaves in a shuttlecock-like crown. The leaves are almost 1 m in length and bear 20 to 40 elliptical leaflets with drip tips.

The flowers are crowded on stout inflorescences; these are attached directly to the stem below the crown of leaves and are up to 20 cm long.

The fruits and seeds have not yet been observed.

Threats & Conservation

Populations of this palm are restricted to the summits of mountains in the central eastern part of Makira (Ankirindro and Beanivona). There are relatively low numbers of individuals, but isolation and difficult access currently decrease the risk of extinction of this species. These populations also occur within the Makira protected area, the largest protected area in Madagascar. There appear to be no specific human uses that might lead to pressure on existing populations. The impacts of climate change on the species and the forests in which it occurs are hard to assess at this time.
 

Where to see this at Kew

Scientific specimens of this new species are stored in Kew’s herbarium (where they are accessible by appointment to bona fide researchers).

View the online Herbarium Catalogue

Useful Links

Find out more about Dypsis ankirindro and the work being done in Madagascar at the following sites:

Madagascar Threatened Plants Project

World Checklist of Monocotyledons

PALMweb

Wildlife Conservation Society

Search Kew's science databases for more information on this species

References & Credits

Rakotoarinivo, M., Trudgen, M.S. & Baker, W.J. (2009). The Palms of the Makira Protected Area, Madagascar. Palms. 53: 125-146.

Kew Science Editor: William Baker
Kew contributors: Mijoro Rakotoarinivo, Melinda Trudgen
Copy editing: Emma Tredwell
Kew would like to thank the following contributors: Christopher Holmes and Rina Ralison of the Wildlife Conservation Society

While every effort has been taken to ensure that the information contained in these pages is reliable and complete, the notes on hazards, edibility and suchlike included here are recorded information and do not constitute recommendations. No responsibility will be taken for readers’ own actions. Full website terms and conditions.

 

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Fact Box


Artemisia annua

Artemisia annua
sweet wormwood

A sweetly aromatic herb with small, yellow flower heads, sweet wormwood contains the chemical artemisinin and its aerial parts are used in making anti-malarial drugs.

Find out more about this species

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