Dypsis humilis

A highly threatened new species of stemless palm discovered by Kew botanists on the edge of Madagascar’s newest protected area.

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

Species information

  • Scientific name: Dypsis humilis M.S.Trudgen, Rakotoarin. & W.J.Baker
  • Common name(s): None known
  • Conservation status: Critically Endangered (provisional IUCNassessment).
  • Habitat: Disturbed rain forest on granitic ridge top, 100-200 m.
  • Known hazards: None known.

Taxonomy

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

About this Species

Dypsis humilis is an unusual new species of stemless 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 is an extremely rare plant; fewer than ten plants were seen by the expedition team in an unprotected locality just outside the park boundary.

Over 20 species of palm from Madagascar have been formally described as new to science by Kew botanists in 2009.

Geography & Distribution

This species occurs in northeast Madagascar, and is known from a single site above the Antainambalana River, west-northwest of Maroantsetra.

Description

Dypsis humilis in situ

Dypsis humilis in situ (Image: William Baker, RBG Kew)

This low-growing, shrub-like palm has no visible stem. Its leaves, around 8 per plant, sprout like a shuttlecock directly from the ground. Each leaf is about 80 cm long and has around 16 leathery leaflets. The flowers develop on insignificant inflorescences that appear among the leaves at the base of the plant. The fruits are sickle-shaped, about 2 cm in length.

Threats & Conservation

Dypsis humilis is known from only one locality where fewer than ten individuals were observed. Unfortunately the site is just outside the boundary of the Makira protected area and the forest is degraded, with much evidence of human activity (for example timber extraction). Unless new localities exist, the future for the species is far from secure. The impacts of climate change on the species and the forests in which it occurs are hard to assess at this time.

Finding this species at Kew

Dried and alcohol-preserved specimens are held in the Herbarium, where they are made available to bona fide researchers by appointment. Details of these can be seen in the online Herbarium Catalogue

Useful Links

Find out more about Dypsis humilis 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.

Follow Kew

Keep up to date with events and news from Kew

Sign up to Kew News
 

Related Species

 

This species belongs to...

Fact Box


Dionaea muscipula

Dionaea muscipula
Venus flytrap

The Venus flytrap “eats” insects and sometimes even small frogs that become trapped in its modified, toothed leaves; if the prey struggles, the trap will close even tighter.

Find out more about this species

Related Tags

  1. edible
  2. medicinal
  3. clever
  4. extraordinary
  5. healing
  6. valuable
  7. collectable
  8. newly discovered
  9. unusual
  10. scarce
  11. rare
  12. discovered
  13. old
  14. around the world
  15. adventurous
  16. ancient
  17. historical
  18. interesting
  19. agriculture
  20. ancient
  21. amazing
  22. beautiful
  23. inspiring
  24. landscapes
  25. ornamental
  26. new
  27. flowering
  28. of use
  29. wild
  30. passionate
  31. tasty
  32. big
  33. weed
  34. common
  35. mysterious
  36. fruity
  37. pretty
  38. endangered
  39. irreplaceable
  40. massive
  41. ground breaking
  42. creative
  43. fun
  44. imaginative
  45. popular
  46. exotic
  47. dangerous
  48. poisonous
  49. fragrant
  50. vibrant
  51. spiky
  52. essential
  53. english garden
  54. garden plants

Plants & Fungi blogs from Kew

RSS Feed for the blog GIS team blog

Mapping Coffee in Ethiopia part two

by: Paul Little, GIS team blog
08 May 2013
Kew photographer Paul Little has just returned from accompanying a field trip to the Highlands of Ethiopia to research the impact of climate change on the vital coffee crop. Read part two of his diary of the trip.
RSS Feed for the blog Millennium Seed Bank blog

Seed collecting on Mount Kilimanjaro

by: Emma Williams, Millennium Seed Bank blog
18 Apr 2013
Kew Gardens botanist Emma Williams recounts her experiences on a recent seed collecting expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
RSS Feed for the blog GIS team blog

Mapping Coffee in Ethiopia part one

by: Paul Little, GIS team blog
16 Apr 2013
Kew photographer Paul Little has just returned from accompanying a field trip to the Highlands of Ethiopia to research the impact of climate change on the vital coffee crop. Read part one of his diary of the trip.

Kew News Alert

All Kew News

See your favourite reasons to visit