Phoenix acaulis - Stemless Date Palm

Stemless Date Palm is a stemless palm with stem bulbous, up to 10 cm high, densely covered with persistent leaf base stumps. Leaves are 0.6-1.8 m long; leaf sheath reddish-brown, fibrous; axis 0.3-1.5 m long x 1.5-2 cm in diameter at base; acanthophylls closely arranged in more than one plane, up to 9 cm long; leaflets arranged in opposite groups of 4s - 5s in more than one plane or orientation, about 16-24 on each side of axis, linear, 8-36 x 0.5-1.4 cm, flaccid, with strong marginal nerves; blade concolorous, pale green. Inflorescences are held at ground level. Male inflorescences do not extending beyond prophyll; prophyll papery and splitting in many places, 13 x 2 cm; flower-cluster-stalk about 7 x 0.6 cm; rachillae arranged in one whorl, 10 - 15 in number, about 8 cm long. Female flowers are about 5-20 per rachilla, congested in arrangement, sepal-cup cupule 3 mm high; petals 5 - 6 x 4 mm. Fruit is obovoid, 12-18 x 8 mm, ripening from green with scarlet tips to blue-black, with mesocarp scarcely fleshy and stigmatic remains prominently pointed (1 - 2 mm long). Stemless Date Palm is found in the Himalaya to Bangladesh.