Difference between revisions of "Metroxylon salomonense"

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Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Santa Cruz Is., Solomon Is., and Vanuatu. [[File:post-4111-0-16947300-1421783895.jpg|thumb|left|500px|Las Marias, Puerto Rico. Photo by Cinday Adair.]]Lowland forest and freshwater swamps, usually near sea level but also found at elevations up to 700 metres. Metroxylon palms usually occur in lowland swamps, but occasionally also on hillsides.; - Metroxylon amicarum. Thrives inland on hill slopes, and in dry conditions.; - Metroxylon salomonense; Is often cultivated well away from swampy areas, sometimes on high ridges.; - Metroxylon vitiense, On Viti Levu Island (Fiji) it is very abundant on lowland gley soil, and occurs occasionally in dryland forest. In one of the major wetland sites, the Vunimoli wetlands, there are almost pure stands on the wet gley soils on the colluvium and alluvium in the valleys upstream of the coastal plain. This is the only extensive wetland forest (262 ha) in Fiji and includes most of the Metroxylon vitiense population. On wet gley soils, Metroxylon vitiense forms a distinctive vegetation type. It also occurs on adjacent hillsides in association with a variety of trees. (proseanet.org)
 
Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Santa Cruz Is., Solomon Is., and Vanuatu. [[File:post-4111-0-16947300-1421783895.jpg|thumb|left|500px|Las Marias, Puerto Rico. Photo by Cinday Adair.]]Lowland forest and freshwater swamps, usually near sea level but also found at elevations up to 700 metres. Metroxylon palms usually occur in lowland swamps, but occasionally also on hillsides.; - Metroxylon amicarum. Thrives inland on hill slopes, and in dry conditions.; - Metroxylon salomonense; Is often cultivated well away from swampy areas, sometimes on high ridges.; - Metroxylon vitiense, On Viti Levu Island (Fiji) it is very abundant on lowland gley soil, and occurs occasionally in dryland forest. In one of the major wetland sites, the Vunimoli wetlands, there are almost pure stands on the wet gley soils on the colluvium and alluvium in the valleys upstream of the coastal plain. This is the only extensive wetland forest (262 ha) in Fiji and includes most of the Metroxylon vitiense population. On wet gley soils, Metroxylon vitiense forms a distinctive vegetation type. It also occurs on adjacent hillsides in association with a variety of trees. (proseanet.org)
 
==Description==
 
==Description==
Metroxylon salomonense is a solitary-stemmed, evergreen palm tree growing up to 25 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 25 - 55 cm in diameter, topped by a rosette of leaves that can each be 7 metres or more long. A very important tree for the local economy of native people, providing them with food, medicines and a wide range of other materials. The hard seeds are exported to Alaska, where the Inuit carve them in place of sea-mammal ivory.
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Metroxylon salomonense is a solitary-stemmed palm, growing up to 25 metres tall. The un-branched stem can be 25 - 55 cm in diameter, topped by a rosette of leaves that can each be 7 metres or more long. A very important tree for the local economy of native people, providing them with food, medicines and a wide range of other materials. The hard seeds are exported to Alaska, where the Inuit carve them in place of sea-mammal ivory.
  
 
Metroxylon salomonense; Solitary, hapaxanthic ([[monocarpic]]); stem 9-20 m tall, up to 55 cm in diameter; leaves 9-11 m long, bearing spines in transverse series; inflorescence suprafoliar, first-order branches erecto-patent, 3-4 m long, second-order branches spreading, rachillae (here third-order branches) pendulous and about 20 cm long; fruit 5.5-6.5 cm long, 7-9 cm wide, with 24-27 rows of yellowish scales, depressed at base and apex. Metroxylon warburgii; Solitary, hapaxanthic ([[monocarpic]]); stem 6-7 m tall, up to 30 cm in diameter; leaves up to 3 m long, bearing spines in transverse ridges or series; inflorescence suprafoliar, branched to 3 orders, all branches erecto-patent, first order branches 1-1.5 m long; flowers large, corolla up to 1 cm long; fruit inversely pear-shaped, (4-) 7-12 cm long, (3.5-)6-9 cm wide, with 24 rows of red-brown scales; seed in upper, wider part. Metroxylon vitiense; Solitary, hapaxanthic ([[monocarpic]]); stem 5-10 (-15) m tall, up to 50 cm in diameter; leaves up to 5 m long, with brown spines, leaflets in one plane, petiole short (long in seedling leaves); inflorescence suprafoliar, first-order branches erecto-patent, 2-2.5 m long, second-order branches pendulous, 20 cm long, each with 8-9 rachillae (third-order branches); fruit conical, 7 cm long, 5 cm wide, with 27-28 rows of yellow-brown scales. (proseanet.org) Editing by edric.
 
Metroxylon salomonense; Solitary, hapaxanthic ([[monocarpic]]); stem 9-20 m tall, up to 55 cm in diameter; leaves 9-11 m long, bearing spines in transverse series; inflorescence suprafoliar, first-order branches erecto-patent, 3-4 m long, second-order branches spreading, rachillae (here third-order branches) pendulous and about 20 cm long; fruit 5.5-6.5 cm long, 7-9 cm wide, with 24-27 rows of yellowish scales, depressed at base and apex. Metroxylon warburgii; Solitary, hapaxanthic ([[monocarpic]]); stem 6-7 m tall, up to 30 cm in diameter; leaves up to 3 m long, bearing spines in transverse ridges or series; inflorescence suprafoliar, branched to 3 orders, all branches erecto-patent, first order branches 1-1.5 m long; flowers large, corolla up to 1 cm long; fruit inversely pear-shaped, (4-) 7-12 cm long, (3.5-)6-9 cm wide, with 24 rows of red-brown scales; seed in upper, wider part. Metroxylon vitiense; Solitary, hapaxanthic ([[monocarpic]]); stem 5-10 (-15) m tall, up to 50 cm in diameter; leaves up to 5 m long, with brown spines, leaflets in one plane, petiole short (long in seedling leaves); inflorescence suprafoliar, first-order branches erecto-patent, 2-2.5 m long, second-order branches pendulous, 20 cm long, each with 8-9 rachillae (third-order branches); fruit conical, 7 cm long, 5 cm wide, with 27-28 rows of yellow-brown scales. (proseanet.org) Editing by edric.

Revision as of 00:01, 14 January 2016

Metroxylon (meht-ROKS-ih-lohn) salomonense
(sah-loh-moh-NEN-seh)
Ho'o15.jpg
Ho'omaluhia, Hawaii.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Metroxylon (meht-ROKS-ih-lohn)
Species: salomonense
(sah-loh-moh-NEN-seh)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Oceania
Oceania.gif
Morphology
Habit: Solitary
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Solomon Ivory Nut Palm

Habitat and Distribution

Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Santa Cruz Is., Solomon Is., and Vanuatu.
Las Marias, Puerto Rico. Photo by Cinday Adair.
Lowland forest and freshwater swamps, usually near sea level but also found at elevations up to 700 metres. Metroxylon palms usually occur in lowland swamps, but occasionally also on hillsides.; - Metroxylon amicarum. Thrives inland on hill slopes, and in dry conditions.; - Metroxylon salomonense; Is often cultivated well away from swampy areas, sometimes on high ridges.; - Metroxylon vitiense, On Viti Levu Island (Fiji) it is very abundant on lowland gley soil, and occurs occasionally in dryland forest. In one of the major wetland sites, the Vunimoli wetlands, there are almost pure stands on the wet gley soils on the colluvium and alluvium in the valleys upstream of the coastal plain. This is the only extensive wetland forest (262 ha) in Fiji and includes most of the Metroxylon vitiense population. On wet gley soils, Metroxylon vitiense forms a distinctive vegetation type. It also occurs on adjacent hillsides in association with a variety of trees. (proseanet.org)

Description

Metroxylon salomonense is a solitary-stemmed palm, growing up to 25 metres tall. The un-branched stem can be 25 - 55 cm in diameter, topped by a rosette of leaves that can each be 7 metres or more long. A very important tree for the local economy of native people, providing them with food, medicines and a wide range of other materials. The hard seeds are exported to Alaska, where the Inuit carve them in place of sea-mammal ivory.

Metroxylon salomonense; Solitary, hapaxanthic (monocarpic); stem 9-20 m tall, up to 55 cm in diameter; leaves 9-11 m long, bearing spines in transverse series; inflorescence suprafoliar, first-order branches erecto-patent, 3-4 m long, second-order branches spreading, rachillae (here third-order branches) pendulous and about 20 cm long; fruit 5.5-6.5 cm long, 7-9 cm wide, with 24-27 rows of yellowish scales, depressed at base and apex. Metroxylon warburgii; Solitary, hapaxanthic (monocarpic); stem 6-7 m tall, up to 30 cm in diameter; leaves up to 3 m long, bearing spines in transverse ridges or series; inflorescence suprafoliar, branched to 3 orders, all branches erecto-patent, first order branches 1-1.5 m long; flowers large, corolla up to 1 cm long; fruit inversely pear-shaped, (4-) 7-12 cm long, (3.5-)6-9 cm wide, with 24 rows of red-brown scales; seed in upper, wider part. Metroxylon vitiense; Solitary, hapaxanthic (monocarpic); stem 5-10 (-15) m tall, up to 50 cm in diameter; leaves up to 5 m long, with brown spines, leaflets in one plane, petiole short (long in seedling leaves); inflorescence suprafoliar, first-order branches erecto-patent, 2-2.5 m long, second-order branches pendulous, 20 cm long, each with 8-9 rachillae (third-order branches); fruit conical, 7 cm long, 5 cm wide, with 27-28 rows of yellow-brown scales. (proseanet.org) Editing by edric.

Culture

Comments and Curiosities



External Links

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.

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