Veitchia joannis
Veitchia (veet-KEE-ah) joannis (yoh-AHN-niss) | |||||||
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![]() Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens. Hilo, Hawaii. | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
Veitchia joannis is native to Fiji, and Tonga Islands. It is an emergent palm of the Fijian rainforests. Occasional in secondary forest.Description
Veitchia joannis is a nice looking, very tall, solitary, feather palm. It is one of the taller growing veitchias commonly cultivated and can be distinguished from the other similar veitchias by the habit of the leaves which droop much below the horizontal as they age. Trunk: Thick to about 12-35 m tall and 25-40 cm in diameter, bulging at the base, clean, grey, markedly ringed with prominent leaf scar rings. Crown: Canopy of 8-10 leaves with lower leaves hanging below horizontal level. Crownshaft: 60-120 cm long, slightly swollen at the base, whitish-green speckled with olive green, grey, black and with brown scales. Leaves: Pinnate, reduplicate, to 3 m long, with a gracefully arching rachis. Leflets about 70-80 pairs, 25-60 cm long, lanceolate, regularly arranged in a single plane, slightly pendant forming a 45° angle, with thick marginal ribs and prominent midribs, dark green above and below, with serrated tips. Flowers: Inflorescence is arching, up to 79 cm long and branched to three or four orders. Greenish to white male and female flowers are borne on the same inflorescence (monoicous). Fruit: Ovoid, beaked, cartridge shaped, bright red 4-6 cm long. (llifle.com) Editing by edric.
Stems: Solitary, slender, pale gray stems to 35 m tall and up to 40 cm in diameter, bulging at the base, with prominent leaf scar rings . Leaves: Pinnate, reduplicate, to 3 m long, with an arching rachis holding regularly arranged, drooping leaflets in a single plane. The crown shaft is 60-120 cm long, slightly swollen at the base, pale green in color, with brown scales. Leaflets are green above and below, lanceolate, with thick marginal ribs and prominent midribs. Leaflet tips are jaggedly toothed (somewhat praemorse). Flowers and fruits: Inflorescence is arching, to 75 cm long and branched to three or four orders. Greenish to white male and female flowers are borne on the same inflorescence. The ovoid, beaked, red fruits are 4-6 cm long. (idtools.org)
Field: Erect, tall, solitary palms with leaf scar rings on a pale gray stem; lower leaves hanging below horizontal level; leaflets drooping and growing in a single plane; fruit beaked. (idtools.org)
Culture
Cold Hardiness Zone: 10a. To 26 degrees F. if well established.
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This is a very popular ornamental palm throughout the tropics or warm sub-tropics. It is a bit temperamental when it is young, but is easier as it matures. The red fruits, borne in quantity over a fairly long period, are also highly ornamental. When young and placed in pots for indoor is of rare beauty. Growth Rate: Moderate to fast growing if given adequate fertilizer. Soil: It grows well in moist, rich and sandy but well drained soils and benefit from decomposing organic matter added to the soil, but is widely adaptable to many kinds of well drained soils. Fertilization: It requires little of fertilizer. Use a perfect fertilizer diet including all micro nutrients and trace elements or slow release fertilizer applied during the growing season, or according to package directions, using a fertilizer specifically formulated for palms. Water Requirements: It is tolerant of short periods of drought once established, though it prefers evenly moist but not consistently wet medium. When supplied with adequate moisture and fertilizer it is also fairly fast growing. It dislikes soggy soils. Light: Prefers shade as a youngster, but grows into full sun. Salt tolerance: It is moderately tolerant of seaside spray and if grown near the sea, best if given some protection (behind a dune, building, etc.), but does a lot better inland then it does on the coast. It does not take well to being inundated by salt or brackish water. Wind resistance: Moderate. The leaves can burn if exposed to drying winds. Maintenance: The fronds are persistent. For the healthiest and most attractive plant, keep the palm pruned. As the old fronds die, these should be trimmed off and the leaf bases allowed to dry out, but do not prune if the frond still has some green colour, and avoid removing fronds above an imaginary 180 degree horizon. Palms recycle nutrients from dead or dying fronds and use them for healthier fronds. Pest and diseases: Aphids; scales. (llifle.com)
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Comments and Curiosities
Uses: It is used massively in gardening and landscaping as specimen tree planted alone or in groups. It is used along roadways, in parking lots, yards, patios. It is also excellent in containers and urns. Food uses: Immature seeds are eaten as a snack . New leaves and buds can be eaten raw like salad. (llifle.com)
This species from rainforests on the Fiji Islands is one of the largest Veitchias and can reach a height of up to 30m (100ft). It has a slender, smooth, gray trunk; a long crownshaft; and large, arching leaves with drooping segments. The large seeds germinate readily and the resulting plants are very fast growing. Veitchia joannis is best suited to tropical and subtropical areas, but, being the most cold tolerant of the Veitchias, it will also adapt to warm temperate climates surprisingly well, as long as it does not experience any more than an occasional light frost. (RPS.com)
- IMAGE GALLERY
External Links
- Glossary of Palm Terms
- MODERN BOTANICAL LATIN
- "Just To Be Clear"
- http://idtools.org/id/palms/palmid/factsheet.php?name=Veitcha+joannis
- http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/35697-veitchia-joannis/
References
Phonetic spelling of Latin names by edric.
Special thanks to Geoff Stein, (Palmbob) for his hundreds of photos.
Special thanks to Palmweb.org, Dr. John Dransfield, Dr. Bill Baker & team, for their volumes of information and photos.
Glossary of Palm Terms; Based on the glossary in Dransfield, J., N.W. Uhl, C.B. Asmussen-Lange, W.J. Baker, M.M. Harley & C.E. Lewis. 2008. Genera Palmarum - Evolution and Classification of the Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. All images copyright of the artists and photographers (see images for credits).
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.