Pritchardia beccariana
| Pritchardia beccariana | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Tribe: | Corypheae |
| Genus: | Pritchardia |
| Species: | P. beccariana |
| Binomial name | |
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Pritchardia beccariana Rock |
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Pritchardia beccariana, the Kilauea pritchardia, or Beccari's loulu, is a species of palm tree in the genus Pritchardia that is endemic to wet forests on the eastern part of the island of Hawaiʻi, near Hilo.
This species reaches a height of 65 feet (20 m), with a smooth, grayish trunk between 8–10 inches (0.20–0.25 m) in diameter. The 25–30 leaves are 6 feet (1.8 m) wide and equally long, held on petioles 6 feet (1.8 m) in length which are moderately covered along both edges at the base in medium tan fibers. The large, flat and rounded leaves are divided 1/5-1/4 into many stiff-tipped segments, with the abaxial surface incompletely covered with scattered fuzz. The inflorescences are composed of 2-4 panicles, shorter than or equalling the petioles in length. The panicles are branched to 3 orders, with scruffy indumentum in flower and glabrous in fruit. The flowers are followed by large, black oval to spherical fruits about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) long and 1.25–1.5 inches (3.2–3.8 cm) wide when mature. It grows at elevations of 1,000–4,200 feet (300–1,280 m) where it receives greater than 100 inches (2,500 mm) of rainfall per year. It was historically present at lower elevation, likely as low as sea level, but urbanization and farming have destroyed all of the forest at lower elevations. It is threatened by habitat loss, weed invasion, and prevention of seedling recruitment by rats and pigs.
Joseph Rock found Pritchardia beccariana in December 1914 by Glenwood near Kīlauea at about 3,500 feet (1,100 m) elevation and formally named and described it in 1916, honoring his friend and coworker Odoardo Beccari. Rock informed Beccari that the palm "is a beautiful palm of fine symmetry... a very distinct species and very different from any other Pritchardia known to me. The leaves resemble more those of Pritchardia pacifica than any other Hawaiian species."
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Wikipedia