Pinang unipa or unipa palm (Areca unipa) is a plant species in Arecaceae, palm slender and solitary, up to 12 meters high, stem diameter up to 7.5 cm, internodes 3-16 cm long, leaf scars 1-1.5 cm wide, green on the near the crown and dark gray to brownish near the base.
A. unipa has about 7 leaves on the crown, pinnate, 119 cm long (including petiole). The casing tube is 54 cm long, 7 cm wide, smooth, non-fibrous, shiny cream to bright green and dull green in color. The crownshaft is well defined, up to 75 cm long and up to 7 cm in diameter.
.jpg "Dlium Unipa palm (Areca unipa)")
The petiole is 16.5 cm long, slightly tuberous adaxially and abaxially rounded. Rachis slender, ascending but not arched, dorsally elongated abaxially and rounded abaxially.
Leaflets 9-10 on each side, 9-15 cm apart, basal leaflets approx. 42 x 1-4 cm,3 folds, sigmoid, middle leaf 41-44 cm long, broad at base 1.5-2.5 cm and 7.5-11 cm broad at tip, 5 folds, sigmoid, terminal leaf pairs 14 cm long, 2-4 cm broad at base and 4-7 cm broad at tip, 3-6 folds, broad wedge-shaped to slightly pointed, apex notched, second and third leaf pairs below terminal pair bisected between folds to about halfway to base, thin, colorless, darker in center than below.
Infrafoliar inflorescence, slender, 30-40 cm long, 10-15 cm wide, protandrous and branched into 2 orders. Profile elongated, slender, up to 26 x 2 cm (very young stage), double-edged, leathery, cream and light green near apex.
Stem 1-4.5 cm long, green with many stellate hairs. Rachis is cream to yellowish green with a thick rusty brown indumentum of stellate hairs. Rachis bracts caducous. Rachillae up to 21 cm long and 1–4 mm wide, slender, pale green, elongated and tortuous near base.
Distichous flower clusters on rachillae, only one complete triad including female flowers occurs at the base of each rachilla, the remaining clusters consist of very few paired and solitary male flowers.
Male flowers are small, sessile, triangular, elongated or teardrop-shaped, buds 4.5-6 x 2.1-2.5 mm and asymmetric. Sepals 3, low, 2.1-2.5 x 1.1-1.5 mm and united at base. Petals 3, triangular, elongated or spathulate, 4.2-5 x 2.1-3.5 mm and striated.
Stamens 6, small, 2.2-2.8 mm long and 1 mm wide. The filaments are thick, 0.9 mm long, 0.1-0.4 mm wide and darker than the anther. Anthers 2.2 mm long, 0.6 mm wide, sagittate and longer than filaments. Pistillode longer than stamen, 2.5-3.2 x 0.8-1 mm, trifid.
Flower pistil larger than staminate, triangular, borne on enlarged basal portions of rachillae, only one per rachillae, bud size varies greatly depending on stage of development, 1.1 x 0.9 cm (on buds) to 2 x 1 cm ( late blooming).
Sepals 3, imbricated strongly, 1.5 x 0.9 mm at anthesis at the end, triangular, asymmetrical and striated. Petals 3, imbricate, triangular, 1.3 x 0.8 mm at anthesis and striated ends. The gynoecium is 7-12 mm long and 3-5 mm long. Stigma 3 mm long, pointed with 3 lobes, 0.3 mm long. A staminodal ring surrounds the gynoecium, 2 mm high, devoid of distinct staminodes.
Fruit oval or ovoid with beak at apex, 5.5-6 x 3.5-3.8 cm (unripe fruit), 4-6 mm long and 5-6 mm in diameter. Epicarp smooth, glossy, green when young and red when old, 0.5 cm thick, 1.5 cm thick at base (below the seed). Endocarp very thin, firmly attached to the seed. Seeds oval, slightly flattened at the base and 3 x 2.2 cm (from unripe fruit). Endosperm ruminates. Bifid eophil.
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Subfamily: Arecoideae
Genus: Areca
Species: Areca unipa
A. unipa has about 7 leaves on the crown, pinnate, 119 cm long (including petiole). The casing tube is 54 cm long, 7 cm wide, smooth, non-fibrous, shiny cream to bright green and dull green in color. The crownshaft is well defined, up to 75 cm long and up to 7 cm in diameter.
.jpg "Dlium Unipa palm (Areca unipa)")
The petiole is 16.5 cm long, slightly tuberous adaxially and abaxially rounded. Rachis slender, ascending but not arched, dorsally elongated abaxially and rounded abaxially.
Leaflets 9-10 on each side, 9-15 cm apart, basal leaflets approx. 42 x 1-4 cm,3 folds, sigmoid, middle leaf 41-44 cm long, broad at base 1.5-2.5 cm and 7.5-11 cm broad at tip, 5 folds, sigmoid, terminal leaf pairs 14 cm long, 2-4 cm broad at base and 4-7 cm broad at tip, 3-6 folds, broad wedge-shaped to slightly pointed, apex notched, second and third leaf pairs below terminal pair bisected between folds to about halfway to base, thin, colorless, darker in center than below.
Infrafoliar inflorescence, slender, 30-40 cm long, 10-15 cm wide, protandrous and branched into 2 orders. Profile elongated, slender, up to 26 x 2 cm (very young stage), double-edged, leathery, cream and light green near apex.
Stem 1-4.5 cm long, green with many stellate hairs. Rachis is cream to yellowish green with a thick rusty brown indumentum of stellate hairs. Rachis bracts caducous. Rachillae up to 21 cm long and 1–4 mm wide, slender, pale green, elongated and tortuous near base.
Distichous flower clusters on rachillae, only one complete triad including female flowers occurs at the base of each rachilla, the remaining clusters consist of very few paired and solitary male flowers.
Male flowers are small, sessile, triangular, elongated or teardrop-shaped, buds 4.5-6 x 2.1-2.5 mm and asymmetric. Sepals 3, low, 2.1-2.5 x 1.1-1.5 mm and united at base. Petals 3, triangular, elongated or spathulate, 4.2-5 x 2.1-3.5 mm and striated.
Stamens 6, small, 2.2-2.8 mm long and 1 mm wide. The filaments are thick, 0.9 mm long, 0.1-0.4 mm wide and darker than the anther. Anthers 2.2 mm long, 0.6 mm wide, sagittate and longer than filaments. Pistillode longer than stamen, 2.5-3.2 x 0.8-1 mm, trifid.
Flower pistil larger than staminate, triangular, borne on enlarged basal portions of rachillae, only one per rachillae, bud size varies greatly depending on stage of development, 1.1 x 0.9 cm (on buds) to 2 x 1 cm ( late blooming).
Sepals 3, imbricated strongly, 1.5 x 0.9 mm at anthesis at the end, triangular, asymmetrical and striated. Petals 3, imbricate, triangular, 1.3 x 0.8 mm at anthesis and striated ends. The gynoecium is 7-12 mm long and 3-5 mm long. Stigma 3 mm long, pointed with 3 lobes, 0.3 mm long. A staminodal ring surrounds the gynoecium, 2 mm high, devoid of distinct staminodes.
Fruit oval or ovoid with beak at apex, 5.5-6 x 3.5-3.8 cm (unripe fruit), 4-6 mm long and 5-6 mm in diameter. Epicarp smooth, glossy, green when young and red when old, 0.5 cm thick, 1.5 cm thick at base (below the seed). Endocarp very thin, firmly attached to the seed. Seeds oval, slightly flattened at the base and 3 x 2.2 cm (from unripe fruit). Endosperm ruminates. Bifid eophil.
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Subfamily: Arecoideae
Genus: Areca
Species: Areca unipa