Iguanura remotiflora Wendland (1859: 63)

Henderson, Andrew, 2025, A revision of Iguanura (Arecaceae, Arecoideae, Areceae), Phytotaxa 690 (2), pp. 135-188 : 176

26. Iguanura remotiflora Wendland (1859: 63) . Type:— MALAYSIA. Without locality, no date, T. Lobb s.n. (holotype K-000207978!, K-000207977!).

Iguanura myochodoides Kiew (1976: 210) . Type:— MALAYSIA. Sarawak, Kuching and vicinity, Gunung Tieng, 1929, J. & M. Clemens

20541 (holotype SARF n.v., isotypes K-000208055!, NY-02326116!, SAR!).

Stems length not recorded, 0.9(0.6–1.4) cm diameter, solitary or clustered. Leaf sheaths 9.5(7.0–12.0) cm long, tubular, mostly closed opposite the petiole, cleanly falling, covered with a thin layer of indumentum; ocreas scarcely developed; petioles 11.6(8.5–15.0) cm long; rachises 32.6(22.4–43.5) cm long; leaf blades divided, not rounded at the apex, with a deep split; leaf veins parallel; adaxial leaf veins prominent, rectangular in cross-section; pinnae 2–3 per side of rachis; middle pinna 20.7(10.0–26.0) cm long, 5.2(2.1–6.8) cm wide. Inflorescences branched to 1 or 2 orders; prophylls and peduncular bracts inserted some distance apart, more or less persistent; peduncles 23.1(11.0–31.5) cm long, not wooly tomentose; rachises 9.3(0.0–20.0) cm long; rachillae 6(2–11), 16.1(9.0–32.0) cm long, 0.9(0.7–1.1) mm diameter, widely diverging from the rachis, proximal part of rachillae with markedly distantly spaced triads, glabrous or sparsely tomentose, filiform with superficial, distantly spaced triads; rachilla bracts not elongate; distal triad bracteoles well-developed; distal part of flower pits glabrous; staminate flowers 2.0– 2.5 mm long with blunt apices; anther margins undulate; fruits 11.6(11.5–11.8) mm long, 7.4(6.5–8.2) mm diameter, ellipsoid, ridged, the surfaces drying smooth, white, orange, or reddish-orange; endocarp polygonal in cross-section; endosperm homogeneous.

Distribution and habitat:— Malaysia ( Sarawak) in limestone forest at 273(40–750) m elevation (Fig. 13).

Taxonomic notes:— Preliminary species Iguanura remotiflora was polymorphic for two variables (stem branching, orders of inflorescence branching). These were treated as traits, and then preliminary species I. remotiflora had a unique combination of character states and is recognized as a phylogenetic species. It is characterized by its scarcely developed ocreas, filiform rachillae, and ellipsoid fruits with the surfaces drying smooth. Another specimen, the type of I. myochodoides , had the same combination of character states as I. remotiflora and is here included as a synonym.

Iguanura remotiflora occurs just to the north of the following species, I. sarawakensis , but their ranges do not overlap. The two species appear similar, the only differences being the filiform rachillae with markedly distantly spaced triads proximally of I. remotiflora . However, whether the rachillae are filiform or not is sometimes difficult to judge, and the two species, I. remotiflora and I. sarawakensis , are doubtfully distinct. Iguanura remotiflora has shorter peduncules, longer rachises, and thinner rachillae, and occurs at lower elevations (40–750 m). Iguanura sarawakensis occurs at higher elevations (730–1,200 m).

Two specimens (M. Jacobs 5024, Yii Puan Ching S. 61307) have ocreas that are larger than the others, and could almost be scored as well-developed.