| Caryota kiriwongensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Caryota |
| Species: | C. kiriwongensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Caryota kiriwongensis Hodel | |
Caryota kiriwongensis is a palm of peninsular Thailand. It belongs to the palm family Palmae or Arecaceae.
It is a recent discovery, first seen in 1992 by palmophile Aow Panya and described in 1998 by Dr. Donald Hodel. It is a very large palm; up to 36 metres (118 ft) height and 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in) DBH (diameter at breast height). It is perhaps most notable for its very large, bipinnate fronds, up to 11 m (36 ft) total length, of which 8 m (26 ft) is the blade or lamina, 50 cm (20 in) the petiole, and 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) the crownshaft sheath. There are 2,500 fan-shaped or wedge-shaped leaflets. [1] [2]