Wedelia trilobata (L Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 13(2): 171-172, 2006 (December) - Short communication ON THE OCCURRENCE OF DIDYMOSPERMA NANUM H. WENDL. & DRUDE (ARECACEAE) IN BANGLADESH MOHAMMAD ZASHIM UDDIN1 AND MD. ABUL HASSAN Department of Botany, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh Key words: Arecaceae, Didymosperma nanum, Bangladesh During the exploration of Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary located in Tarap Hills area under Sylhet Forest Division, Bangladesh, an interesting palm specimen was collected that could not be matched with any other species so far reported from this region. Later it was identified as Didymosperma nanum H. Wendl. & Drude through consultation with the IUCN South-East Asian Palm Expert, Dr. S. K. Basu. The genus Didymosperma consists of eight species, distributed in Assam (India) to Ryukyu Islands (Japan), and West Malaysia (Airy Shaw 1966). Didymosperma nanum was earlier reported by Hooker (1892) from Assam and Khasia Hills. As this genus and species were not reported earlier in any of the relevant literature of Bangladesh territory, viz. Prain (1903), Heinig (1925), Raizada (1941), Sinclair (1955), Khan and Banu (1969), Mia and Khan (1995), Uddin et al. (1998) and Rahman (2004), it is now being reported here for the first time from Bangladesh. A detailed descriptive note, as given below, is prepared on the basis of studies on the living collection, maintained in Dhaka University Botanic Garden, and herbarium specimen preserved at the Salar Khan Herbarium at the University of Dhaka. Didymosperma nanum H. Wendl. & Drude in Kerchov. Palm.: 243 (1878) (Fig. 1) A rhizomatous, stemless palm, clothed with rusty leafsheath. Leaves pinnatisect, leaflets 5, terminal, flabelliform, lateral, opposite, obliquely trapezoid-lanceolate, acuminate, not caudate, irregularly lobed and toothed, pale beneath. Inflorescence a spadix, interfoliar, stout and simple, branched, rustily scurfy dense flowered, spathes many, sheathing the peduncle. Male flowers symmetric, calyx cupular, 3-fid, imbricate, petal coriaceous, valvate, stamens 10-30, anthers linear, erect, pistillode absent. Female flowers sub-globose, sepals rounded, coriaceous, petals thick, triangular, incurved, valvate, staminode absent, ovary depressed, 3-gonous, 2-3 celled, stigma conical, ovules basilar. Fruit a drupe, oblong, greenish-white, 1-2 celled, stigmas terminal. Seeds erect, oblong, plano-convex, albumen equable, embryo dorsal. Growing at the foothills near stream. Petiole used to make mat. Fruits are irritating to the skin. Specimen examined: Habiganj District: Kalenga Forest Beat, Chunarughat Thana under Sylhet Forest Division, 9.12.1998, Zashim Uddin 520 (Salar Khan Herbarium, University of Dhaka). 1Corresponding author. 172 UDDIN AND HASSAN Fig. 1. Didymosperma nanum H. Wendl. & Drude. A. Young plant, B. Leaf and fruits. Acknowledgement The authors are grateful to Dr. S. K. Basu (IUCN South-East Asian Palm Expert) for confirming the identity of the species. References Airy Shaw, H.K. 1966. A Dictionary of Flowering Plants and Ferns by J.C. Willis ed. 7. Cambridge University Press, England, p. 354. Heinig, R.L. 1925. List of Plants of Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Bengal Government Branch Press, Darjeeling, India. pp. 1-84. Hooker, J.D.1892. Flora of British India. 6: 420. Ind. repr. 1973. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun, India. Khan, M.S. and Banu, F. 1969. A taxonomic report on the angiospermic flora of Chittagong Hill Tracts-1. J. As. Soc. Pak. 14(2): 217-222. Mia, M.K. and Khan, B. 1995. First list of angiospermic taxa of Bangladesh not included in Hooker's 'Flora of British India' and Prain's 'Bengal Plants'. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 2(1&2): 25-45. Prain, D. 1903. Bengal Plants. 2: 663-1319. Ind. Repr. 1981. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun, India. Rahman, M.O. 2004. Second list of angiospermic taxa of Bangladesh not included in Hooker's 'Flora of British India' and Prain's 'Bengal Plants': Series 1. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 11(1): 77-82. Raizada, M.B. 1941. On the flora of Chittagong. Indian Forester 67: 245-254. Sinclair, J. 1955. Flora of Cox's Bazar, East Pakistan. Bull. Bot. Soc. Beng. 9(2): 84-116. Uddin, S.N., Khan, M.S., Hassan, M.A. and Alam, M.K. 1998. An annotated checklist of angiospermic flora of Sita Pahar at Kaptai in Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 5(1): 13-46. (Manuscript received on 20 November 2006; revised on 25 November 2006)