Neoveitchia brunnea

Neoveitchia (neh-oh-vih-KEE-ah) brunnea (broon-NEH-ah)
Photo-Rare Palm Seeds.com
Scientific Classification
Genus: Neoveitchia (neh-oh-vih-KEE-ah) Species: brunnea (broon-NEH-ah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Oceania
Morphology
Habit: Solitary Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Devil Palm, Niu Niu, Tatou

Habitat and Distribution

Vanuatu. Neoveitchia brunnea is native to the north of Pentecost Island

Petecost Island, Vanuatu.

(center-east of the Vanuatu archipelago, Pacific Ocean).

Description

Medium sized palm, maximum height 8–10 meters, the stem is smooth, 30–40 cm. in diameter at breast height, enlarged at the base. The leaves are pinnate, 4–5 meters in length and fully formed in young plants. Leaflets are broad and linear. The inflorescences are large, and the elliptical fruit are ca. 8 cm long and 4 cm in diameter, red at full maturity. Editing by edric.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b

Comments and Curiosities

This beautiful, fairly large and extremely rare palm grows only on Pentecost Island in the Vanuatu archipelago in the southwest Pacific. It produces a sturdy, smooth trunk to about 10 m tall and 40 cm in diameter that holds a thick, green crownshaft and a spreading crown of flat, regularly pinnate leaves. It is still virtually unknown in cultivation. (RPS.com)

History: This palm is among those species that form the legends of Pentecost. Known also as the"Devil Palm," Neoveitchia brunnea was reputed to pass on a deadly stomach illness to anyone that touched it. Many of the elders maintain that evil spirits fed on its fruits, and it was also believed that a poison could be concocted from its bark which could make women sterile and kill a man.

Conservation: Threatened; (IUCN Redlist) Palm threatened by the expansion of cultivated land and the disrespect of traditional taboos relating to it. There are currently no specific conservation areas for this species. Like all other native Arecaceae, it is protected by law in Vanuatu. The Vanuatu Environment Unit have classed Neoveitchia brunnea as high priority in terms of conservation. In addition to an extensive survey of natural stands to assess the status of this species, ex situ collections in public parks and gardens in the archipelago should be established as was done for Carpoxylon macrospermum (Port-Vila and Luganville). The villagers of Pentecost Island should be encouraged to cultivate it, and protocols for reintroduction or population supplementation should be investigated. The creation of ex situ collections in botanical gardens worldwide is advisable.