Pronunciation: prih-CHAR-dee-uh MAR-tee-eye
Common Name: Martius's Loulu Palm
Pritchardia martii is a very popular Pritchardia due to its exceptionally elegant, wide, large leaves with a nice coppery underside, and its relatively compact size. Palms grown in California have produced many viable seeds and have even been used as a seed source for growers in Hawaii.
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: solitary with a crown of 12-20 fan leaves
- Height: 9'
- Trunk: single; 6"-8" in diameter; smooth and grey
- Crownshaft: none
- Spread: 12'-14'
- Leaf Description: palmate; markedly pleated; drooping leaflet tips; 6'-8' long; semicircular to 2/5 of a circle; up to 4' wide; glossy green above and silvery to coppery white below
- Petiole/Leaf bases: 4' long; bright green centers with copper to pink edges; unarmed; un-split leaf bases
- Reproduction: monoecious
- Inflorescence: 2'-3' long; from within leaves; drooping
- Fruit: spherical to oblong; 2" in diameter; black when ripe
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 30F
- Drought Tolerance: low
- Dry Heat Tolerance: moderate
- Cool Tolerance: low
- Wind Tolerance: low
- Salt Tolerance: unknown
- Growth Rate: very slow to slow
- Soil Preference: adaptable
- Light Requirement: filtered sun to full sun near coast
- Human Hazards: none
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: none
- Transplants?: unknown
- Indoor?: unknown
- Availability: rare
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Ventura, California, photo by Matt Bradford
San Diego county, Photo by Matt Bradford
Bradford garden in San Diego county
Fosters botanical garden, Oahu, Hawaii
San Diego botanical garden, Encinitas, California
leaves in California, garden of Matt Bradford
flower on California palm
