Editing Howea LordHowe

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[[File:Howea_LordHowe02.jpg|frame|Figure 1. ''H. forsteriana'', Lord Howe Island.]]
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Lord Howe Island was discovered by Lt.
Henry Lidgbird Ball in 1788 en route from
Sydney to Norfolk Island in the HMS Supply.
Situated 480 miles north-east of Sydney,
Lord Howe is some 11 kilometres long
and 2.8 kilometres wide, forming a
boomerang-like shape. It was not until the late
1830's to 1840's that the first settlers inhabited
the Island to service the passing
American whaling ships with fresh fruit
and vegetables. These whalers, already
replenishing their water supplies on the
Island, formed the basis of a small but
flourishing clientele and thus the
population slowly grew to take advantage of the
new enterprise.

Seeds of ''Howea forsteriana'' were first collected in
1870 by eminent Victorian botanist Baron Ferdinand von Mueller who
mistakenly placed the new species in the genus Kentia,
a name which has stuck as a common name throughout the years. In
1877 however, Odoardo Beccari, a
leading palm authority of that time, re-classified it
within Howea as a distinct genus
endemic to Lord Howe Island.
Lord Howe Islanders paid little attention
to the Kentia for many years other than to
utilise its strong fibrous leaves as thatching
for their homes. Not until the decline
in the whaling industry in the 1880's and
the Islanders' subsequent loss of livelihood
in providing services to the whalers did
the seed industry evolve.
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Originally, seed was collected under a cooperative
share arrangement whereby each
Islander was granted a number of shares
determined by age, sex and marital status
This resulted in a reasonably equitable distribution
of profits amongst the Islanders,
and for many years formed the basis of
Lord Howe Island economy. However, with
the advent of World War I and a decline
in world market demand, the seed trade
plummeted. Further disaster struck the
Island with the escape of rats from a
grounded vessel on Ned's Beach. Consequently,
the share system disintegrated, and
instead, seed collectors were paid by the
bushel for seed now in limited demand. All
other profits from seed sales thereafter were
applied to Island administration.

Access to Lord Howe Island was initially
by trading vessel at five-weekly intervals,
followed by the introduction of a flying
boat service based in Rosebay which departed
Sydney Harbour. This service
proved to be the last scheduled flying boat
service in the world until the opening of
the current airstrip in 1974 introduced a
conventional aircraft service. Interestingly,
it was around this time that renewed interest
was shown in the Kentia Palm seed
industry. The Lord Howe Island Board,
now controls the exports of Kentia and it
consists of three Islanders and two National
Parks representatives. It was quick to establish
its own nursery to promote island
economy. In the early 1980's, the Board
ceased the export of seed and set up its own
germination unit guaranteeing quality
seedlings and sprouts. Further, the Board
was quick to protect its major source of
income by banning the import of any palm
or palm product onto the Island, effectively
protecting the colony from alien pathogens
and pests.

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[[File:Howea_LordHowe.jpg|frame|Figure 2. ''H. forsteriana'' with seeds.]]
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The Kentia Palm needs full sunlight to
produce flowers and can attain seeding
maturity in as little as ten years when
grown under such conditions. However,
shade grown or understorey plants may
take up to 40 years to reach the flowering
stage, only producing inflorescences when
they reach the top of the canopy and full
sunlight. If plants are removed from a full
sun situation and replaced in a shady position,
further flowering ceases until favourable
light conditions are once again
reinstated. Flowering occurs each year,
usually during November and December.
Inflorescences are initiated at the leaf bases
producing both male and female flowers.
Male flowers, which are a creamy brown
colour, outnumber the green female flowers
two to one. During the first year of
flowering, make flowers only are produced
and consequently no pollination taken
place. Female flowers appear on this inflorescence
during the second year and are
fertilised by the new flower spike above it,
bearing, once again, male flowers only.
This cycle continues during the life of the
Kentia.

Seeds take three to four years to ripen
and the Kentia carries two or three crops at
various stages of maturity. Collection of
the seeds is still carried out by hand. Using
a strap which is looped through the
feet, the seed collector bunny-hops his way
to the top of the palm to disengage the seed
bunches which can weigh up to six to seven
kilos each.

===Contributed by: ===
Jane Walkley (Text and Figure 1&2).<br/>


===External Links:===
<p>
[[Category:Howea|LordHowe]]
[[Category:Palm|Howea_LordHowe]]