Pritchardia arecina, habit changes with habitat

[hanapalms]

This native to the eastern slopes of Haleakala on Maui tends to alter its appearance in lower elevations and dryer climates. I noticed this first when I was shown a specimen of Pritchardia arecina growing in the Maui Zoo's native Hawaiian garden. Renee Silva, the caretaker of the garden told me the tree growing there was from a seed collected by Bob Hobdy of the state forestry division. The tree in the garden there looked so unlike a tree I saw in Nahiku along the Hana Highway. I'm not sure which tree is the arecina in the now Maui Nui Botanical Garden, formerly the native Hawaiian garden of the Maui Zoo. But the one in Nahiku, I have a photograph of which I am attaching:

This specimen grows at approximately 1000 ft. elevation in Nahiku

One of these is the tree Renee Silva said was an arecina, I believe it's the one on the right.

Another striking difference is the change in the size of the fruit. The fruit off the trees in the native habitat and the one in Nahiku are approximately two inches in diameter and ovoidal in shape. The seeds off the tree growing at Maui Nui Botanical Garden are approximately 3/4 inch in diameter as are the seeds off the trees at Kahanu Garden in Honomaele.

The young trees (pre-trunk age) at Kahanu Garden show differences in coloration and leaf form even though they are all from the same seed source.

Bob Hodel's last write up on the genus points to Pritchardia pacifica and Pritchardia thurstonii probably being the ancestor species of all the Hawaiian species. If you look closely at the different Hawaiian species, you can tell which of the two they descend from.

Has anyone else's observations turned up something of interest? :unsure:

Edited May 24, 2010 by hanapalms

[chris.oz]

Hi William,

One of the early botanists Beccari together with Rock described number of species of palm in the hawaian islands early last century.

As botanists they were rather less well prepared or resourced than todays who have pollen and molecular techniques to help them.

One big mistake they and others including St John made was to over describe, based on the appearance of the palm or the fruit size and

it has since transpired that many palms originally described as separate species have now been reduced to just P. martii.

However, modern botanists are still finding what they believe are new species, with 2 or 3 described by Gemmill, et al and more recently more described by

Don Hodel.

If indeed the 2 palms you talk about are the same species ..... then maybe its an example of the traps that led earlier palm botanists to overdescribe.

I am almost tempted to think that the early native Hawaian people liked Pritchardias and collected and dispersed the seed around the islands also,

possibly leading to the general confusion.

I will dig out my copy of Beccari and Rock and check the description for P. arecina.

[richnorm]

I have noticed that fruit size can vary hugely from plant to plant in the same species. Just a few weeks ago I got a few P. minor seeds from two different sources. One was roughly 12mm long whilst the other was maybe 25mm. Both are germinating.

cheers

Richard

[peachy]

Pelagodoxa henryana has 2 different types of seeds. One has very big seeds and the southern variety, although identical to the northern variety, has very much smaller seeds and the palms from them are hardier to cold as well. I love Pritchardias and have a few here but it always amazes me how some species grow very quickly and others seem to take forever to do anything. P. beccariana and P.hillebrandtii grow at an amazing pace here, while martii, remota and thurstonii only put up one or 2 new leaves per year.

Peachy

[hanapalms]

Hi William,

One of the early botanists Beccari together with Rock described number of species of palm in the hawaian islands early last century.

As botanists they were rather less well prepared or resourced than todays who have pollen and molecular techniques to help them.

One big mistake they and others including St John made was to over describe, based on the appearance of the palm or the fruit size and

it has since transpired that many palms originally described as separate species have now been reduced to just P. martii.

However, modern botanists are still finding what they believe are new species, with 2 or 3 described by Gemmill, et al and more recently more described by

Don Hodel.

If indeed the 2 palms you talk about are the same species ..... then maybe its an example of the traps that led earlier palm botanists to overdescribe.

I am almost tempted to think that the early native Hawaian people liked Pritchardias and collected and dispersed the seed around the islands also,

possibly leading to the general confusion.

I will dig out my copy of Beccari and Rock and check the description for P. arecina.

Hi Chris

Yes, the native Hawaiians did indeed like the Pritchardia. They are collectively called Loulu. The leaves were and are used for thatch on traditional huts and the immature fruit are considered a delicacy; they taste similar to coconut, but chewy.

With Hodel's most recent article in the Palms, journal of the IPS, Pritchardia bakeri has been added to the ranks of native Hawaiian Pritchardias, now totalling twenty four species. In the Dec. 2007 issue, Hodel alludes to a suspicion that all the Hawaiian species descend from possibly P. pacifica and P.

thurstonii.

I have been trying to collect specimens from each of the Hawaiian species to grow in my garden. Of course, these palms hybridize readily, so it seems there is flux in determining the species. Names come and go every time there is a review of the genus.

[hanapalms]

I have noticed that fruit size can vary hugely from plant to plant in the same species. Just a few weeks ago I got a few P. minor seeds from two different sources. One was roughly 12mm long whilst the other was maybe 25mm. Both are germinating.

cheers

Richard

Richard, I'm beginning to wonder now if seed size or even leaf form has anything to do in determining species. Good luck with your P. minor seedlings. I was not successful in germinating the P. minor seeds I acquired a couple years back. Will try again when I get more.

[hanapalms]

Pelagodoxa henryana has 2 different types of seeds. One has very big seeds and the southern variety, although identical to the northern variety, has very much smaller seeds and the palms from them are hardier to cold as well. I love Pritchardias and have a few here but it always amazes me how some species grow very quickly and others seem to take forever to do anything. P. beccariana and P.hillebrandtii grow at an amazing pace here, while martii, remota and thurstonii only put up one or 2 new leaves per year.

Peachy

Yes Peachy,

I live in Hana, on the eastern most tip of Maui. Pritchardia arecina is native to the slopes of Haleakala, the mountain that forms the east end of the island. I have more trouble growing P. arecina than almost any other species of Pritchardia. You know P. beccariana and P. hillebrandtii are from high altitude wet forest land, while P. remota and P. thurstonii are from relatively low and dryer climes. P. martii seems to do well in dryer climes too even though its native habitat is 3000 ft. elevation in rainforest.

I didn't know Pelagodoxa henryana had two sizes of seeds. I have a few seedlings coming along in the garden. The fruit have strange appearance.

[chris.oz]

Checked my copy of Beccari and Rock.

As to fruits size there is a contradiction as described below:

P. arecina was described in 1913 by Beccari in Webbia IV. It was discovered in 1911 by J Rock in swampy forest near Honomanu at about 1000m elevation.

In Pritchardia 1921, Beccari published a key, which keys out P arecina with viscosa and lanigera on the basis of the hairy floriferous branchlets and fruit size, which is given as 40 dia, x 25

In the body of the description, the palms are described as "large" but this is not a good discriminator, because it is subject to issues of growing environment. The underside of the leaves is said to be covered in light yellow / golden tomentum the fruit are described as ovoid, 45mm long and 38-40 mm through. The branchlets of the inflorescence are described as densely hairy.

As usual in this book, the description does not refer to type material and it is never clear how many palms were assessed before taking the type material as "typical"

However, from the above inconsistency, it seems the fruit size may range anywhere from 40-45 long and 25 to 38mm in diameter.

It will be interesting to see the new book!

[Wai`anae Steve]

Pelagodoxa henryana has 2 different types of seeds. One has very big seeds and the southern variety, although identical to the northern variety, has very much smaller seeds and the palms from them are hardier to cold as well. I love Pritchardias and have a few here but it always amazes me how some species grow very quickly and others seem to take forever to do anything. P. beccariana and P.hillebrandtii grow at an amazing pace here, while martii, remota and thurstonii only put up one or 2 new leaves per year.

Peachy

Yes Peachy,

I live in Hana, on the eastern most tip of Maui. Pritchardia arecina is native to the slopes of Haleakala, the mountain that forms the east end of the island. I have more trouble growing P. arecina than almost any other species of Pritchardia. You know P. beccariana and P. hillebrandtii are from high altitude wet forest land, while P. remota and P. thurstonii are from relatively low and dryer climes. P. martii seems to do well in dryer climes too even though its native habitat is 3000 ft. elevation in rainforest.

I didn't know Pelagodoxa henryana had two sizes of seeds. I have a few seedlings coming along in the garden. The fruit have strange appearance.

I have see P. martii growing as low as 600' elevation deep in windward side valleys on O`ahu. They fall, roll, wash down from the mt. tops and continue to germingate and grow all w/out the hand of man. These trees get quite tall, I've see some w/20 plus feet of trunk.

[Wai`anae Steve]

Checked my copy of Beccari and Rock.

As to fruits size there is a contradiction as described below:

P. arecina was described in 1913 by Beccari in Webbia IV. It was discovered in 1911 by J Rock in swampy forest near Honomanu at about 1000m elevation.

In Pritchardia 1921, Beccari published a key, which keys out P arecina with viscosa and lanigera on the basis of the hairy floriferous branchlets and fruit size, which is given as 40 dia, x 25

In the body of the description, the palms are described as "large" but this is not a good discriminator, because it is subject to issues of growing environment. The underside of the leaves is said to be covered in light yellow / golden tomentum the fruit are described as ovoid, 45mm long and 38-40 mm through. The branchlets of the inflorescence are described as densely hairy.

As usual in this book, the description does not refer to type material and it is never clear how many palms were assessed before taking the type material as "typical"

However, from the above inconsistency, it seems the fruit size may range anywhere from 40-45 long and 25 to 38mm in diameter.

It will be interesting to see the new book!

Yes indeed, I'm dying to see Don's new book.