Pritchardia viscosa

From Palmpedia - Palm Grower's Guide
Revision as of 04:52, 5 February 2014 by Edric_blocked_old (Talk | contribs)

Jump to: navigation, search

<google>CH02</google>

Floribunda Palms, Hawaii, photo by BGL, edric.
Pritchardia viscosa
Pviscosa.jpg
Scientific Classification
Genus: Pritchardia
Species: viscosa
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Oceania
Oceania.gif
Morphology
Habit: Solitary
Leaf type: Palmate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
lo`ulu


Habitat and Distribution

Hawaii. Wet forest on the northeastern slope of the Waialeale massif and the Makaleha Mountains, Kauai, 600-800 m elevation. This species is very rare; only a few plants are known. It inhabits open wet forests in the Kalihiwai Valley, where it grows at altitudes of 1,600–2,300 ft.

Description

It is a medium-sized palm from 6–8 m (20–26 ft) tall, with palmate (fan-shaped) leaves about 1 m (3.3 ft) long. The fruit is produced in dense clusters, each fruit green, pear-shaped, 4 cm (1.6 in) long and 2.5 cm (0.98 in) in diameter. May reach 10 m tall; proximal margins of petiole with only a few fibers; leaf blade flat, divided 1/3, abaxial surface completely covered with lepidia, appearing silvery grayish white, segment tips stiff; inflorescences composed of 1-5 panicles, shorter than petioles in flower and fruit, panicle branched to 2 orders, rachillae clothed with scurfy indumentum in flower, glabrous or nearly so in fruit, rachillae and flowers viscous; fruits 19-40 x 12-21 mm, ellipsoid to obovoid.

Its leaf blades completely covered abaxially with lepidia, inflorescences shorter than the petioles, and especially the viscous panicles and flowers, which alone are diagnostic, readily distinguish Pritchardia viscosa.

Culture

"this is an extremely rare palm- only 4 individuals left in the wild on Hawaii, and also extremely rare in cultivation. It has large, wedge-shaped flat perfect leaves only barely split at the tips and the undersides are a luminscent coppery silver. Very ornamental if you can find the seed ... someday seedlings may be for sale if they can get the plants to reproduce". (Geoff Stein).

Comments and Curiosities

Etymology: Pritchardia name is dedicated to William Thomas Pritchard (1829-1907), British official stationed in Fiji in the 19th Century, British counsul in Fiji, adventurer, and author of Polynesian Reminiscences in 1866.

Pritchardia viscosa (Loʻulu or Stickybud Pritchardia) is an extremely rare endangered species of Pritchardia palm that is endemic to the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi.

Like the related Nihoa Fan Palm (P. remota), it is susceptible to extinction by a single catastrophic event because of its wild population of four individuals. It is threatened by introduced rats, which eat the seeds. It has been cultivated to a moderate extent, but is exceptionally limited in its habitat.

External Links

References

Special thanks to Geoff Stein, (Palmbob) for his hundreds of photos, edric.

Special thanks to palmweb.org, Dr. John Dransfield, Dr. Bill Baker & team, for their volumes of information and photos, edric.


Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.

Banner1B
Back to Palm Encyclopedia