''Corypha lecomtei'' is a species of plant in the family

Arecaceae The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...

. It is only growing in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. ''Corypha lecomtei'' (Common name Cay la buong ) is one of the species used to make

palm-leaf manuscripts Palm-leaf manuscripts are manuscripts made out of dried palm leaves. Palm leaves were used as writing materials in the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia reportedly dating back to the 5th century BCE. Their use began in South Asia and sp ...

Description

This palm species has a trunk high and up to a full meter (40 inches) thick, and the leaves are even larger, with petioles up to long (exceeded only by

Musa ingens The plant species ''Musa ingens'', also known as the giant highland banana or Oem, is the physically largest member of the family Musaceae and the only member of the section ''Ingentimusa''. Growing in the tropical montane forests of New Guine ...

and

Lodoicea ''Lodoicea'', commonly known as the sea coconut, coco de mer, or double coconut, is a monotypic genus in the palm family. The sole species, ''Lodoicea maldivica'', is endemic to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles. It has t ...

) and " canaliculate" (round in cross-section with a deep groove on the upper surface) and the leaf blade of in length. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

, a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

, is very large, up to in height, of which the peduncle is with the remainder being the panicle ''per se''. The width is about . The plant flowers and fruits only once (

monocarpy Monocarpic plants are those that flower and set seeds only once, and then die. The term is derived from Greek (''mono'', "single" + ''karpos'', "fruit" or "grain"), and was first used by Alphonse de Candolle. Other terms with the same meaning are ...

), at between 15 and 30 years of age, and then dies. The fruit is brownish and about 3 inches (7 to 8 cm) long and almost as wide.

References

*https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Corypha_lecomtei&action=edit * ''Corypha lecomtei''

Corypha, lecomtei Flora of Indo-China Vulnerable flora of Asia Taxa named by Odoardo Beccari {{Corypheae-stubà https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Corypha_lecomtei&action=edit