Eremospatha wendlandiana
Eremospatha wendlandiana is a rattan-like climbing plant in the palm family, native to West Africa. It can reach very long heights, with stems up to 60 meters. The stems are round, about 12–20 mm across without leaf sheaths and 15–30 mm with them, with internodes up to 30 cm long. The surface is lightly grooved and may have sparse to moderate black hairs.
The leaves are large and compound (once-pinnate), up to about 2 meters long. The central stalk of the leaf bears up to 20 leaflets on each side; leaflets are rhomboid or trapezoid in shape and arranged regularly. The leaflets have black-tipped spines along their edges; the tips are slightly curved back and may have tiny hairs.
The plant produces long inflorescences up to 80 cm, which are curved. Flowers grow in pairs along the axis. The calyx is about 2 mm long and 4 mm wide; the corolla is about 8 mm long. Stamens form a short ring around the style. The ovary is small.
The fruit is oval to cylindrical, 2.5–3.5 cm long and 1.8–2.4 cm wide, with 15–19 vertical rows of scales. Seeds are flattened on one side, about 1.8–2.8 cm long and 1.2–1.8 cm wide, with a lateral embryo and a raised surface opposite the flattened side.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:48 (CET).