Palmeria arfakiana Becc.

Woody liana, young branches hirsute or puberulous. Leaves usually oblong-elliptic or obovate, sometimes narrower or subrotund, (2.5-)12-20 by 1-9.5 cm, chartaceous to coriaceous, apex attenuat-ed to a short or long apiculum, base rounded, trun-cate, or cuneate, upper surface of mature leaves with remnants of minute stellate hairs, especially at the base of the midrib, or glabrous, undersurface with minute stellate hairs forming a dense or open indu-mentum or virtually absent from the mature blade, persisting, if at all, on the midrib or near the base of the leaf, longer simple hairs may be present along the midrib; petiole 3-15 mm long, either densely covered with minute stellate hairs or these may be sparse (almost absent) at maturity, longer simple hairs sometimes also present and abundant. Inflorescence axillary and terminal, paniculate, 7-20 cm long (rarely shorter), lower branches 1.5—3(—5) cm with few flowers or with tertiary branches, the rachis and branches usually with a greyish or cream tomentum or with sparse stellate hairs, rarely more or less gla-brous at anthesis. Male receptacle bowl-shaped becoming a flat disk at anthesis c. 6-8 mm ø, with c. 5 irregular tepals, outer surface with a short dense indumentum or with fewer minute stellate hairs, inner surface with short simple hairs; stamens c. 25, sessile c. 0.75-1.25 mm long. Female receptacle urceolate, c. 2-2.5 mm high, outer surface with indumentum as in male, inner surface with long simple hairs; carpels c. 5—8(—16), with filiform styles. Immature fruit subspherical, beaked, splitting irregu-larly at maturity to reveal the red inner surface and black drupes.

Liana, often strongly growing in primary rain-forest, mostly in the lower and upper montane zones, ascending to 3200 m, but occasionally as low as 100 m. Also in second growth and climbing over shrubs near the forest margin.

Uses. The leaves are burnt to make salt.