Editing Pelagodoxa henryana

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[[File:Pelagodoxa_henryana.jpg|frame|Figure 1. ''P. henryana'']]
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Said to be one of the world's rarest palms, it is also
considered to be exceptionally attractive, displaying a dense
crown of about 15 large undivided, pinnately veined leaves to
over 2 metres in length and 1 metre in width on short unarmed
petioles. The trunk is slender to about 10 metres in height
and 15cms in diameter. The large fruits, to about 8cms in
diameter, borne on short stout inflorescences within the
leafbases, are of unusual form: round with a corky-barnacled
appearance, light brown in colour and apparently reaching
maturity only once having fallen to the ground. Fruits taken
prior to this usually fail to germinate.
At maturity, the mesocarp is of a pasty, lightly fibrous
texture, similar to avocado pulp, with a sweet pungent odour
which some may find offensive, somewhat resembling a
combination of mild durian and custard apple flavours. The
seed is enclosed in a smooth endocarp which becomes brittle
and cracks prior to germination.
 
Taxonomically it is included within Iguanurinae, a
subtribe with numerous genera (about 26) occuring in the
SouthWest Pacific, West Pacific, South-East Asia and with
other widely distributed genera such as
''Satakentia'' from the Ryukyu Islands to the south of
Japan, ''Dictyosperma'' from the Mascarenes in the Indian
Ocean east of Madagascar and ''Bentinckia'' from South
India. ''Pelagodoxa'''s position within Iguanurinae is determined
by the endocarp possessing an operculum, a cap covering the
embryo of the seed, a feature shared only by Oncospermatinae,
and not possessing armature or spines, unlike Oncospermatinae.
The nearest relative to ''Pelagodoxa'' is
''Heterospathe'' but this affinity is tenuous as the nature of
''Pelagodoxa'' fruits isolate it somewhat within the
Arecaceae.

It is considered to be native to the Marquesas, an
isolated group of islands some 8&#176; south of the Equator in the
central Pacific Ocean, where it occurs naturally in very
moist, humid valleys as an understorey component. This
population is only small and obviously endangered as
regeneration has been restricted due to the encroachment of
agriculture in the vicinity.

Naturalisation of ''Pelagodoxa henryana'' has occured in
the Solomon Islands, where a cultivated grove near a long
abandoned settlement has regenerated.
A recent report of a ''Pelagodoxa'' sp. which has
fruits to only 2cms in diameter at maturity as occuring in
Vanuatu, has fueled speculation that there may be another
species, but a determination has yet to be completed. One may
presume at this stage that this small population in the Banks
Group may be depauperate specimens of
''Pelagodoxa henryana''. Further study is presently being
carried out.

The cultivation of ''Pelagodoxa'' appears to present
no problems within the humid tropics. Shade and abundant
moisture for seedlings and juveniles is essential in a very
well protected area if the leaves are to retain their
fullness, as they are easily split and spoiled by wind and
even mild exposure. Growth can be fast, with the formation of
a trunk commencing after about 6 years.
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[[File:Pelagodoxa_henryana03.jpg|frame|Figure 2. ''P. henryana'' showing the large, entire leaves.]]
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[[File:Pelagodoxa_henryana04.jpg|frame|Figure 3. ''P. henryana'' in Fiji.]]
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[[File:Pelagodoxa_henryana05.jpg|frame|Figure 4. ''P. henryana'' seeds.]]
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[[File:Pelagodoxa_henryana02.jpg|frame|showing the corky appearance.]]
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===Contributed by: ===
'''''Palms & Cycads''''' No 19, April-June 1988. (Text)<br/>
'''Palms of the South-West Pacific''', by John L. Dowe (Figure 1.)


===External Links:===
[https://powo.science.kew.org/results?q=Pelagodoxa%20henryana Kew], 
[https://www.palmweb.org//?q=cdm_dataportal/taxon/0b05897f-5d02-4b00-be52-a347f8a046e6 PalmWeb],
[https://www.iucnredlist.org/details/full/38627/0 IUCN],
[https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=Pelagodoxa+henryana JSTOR],
[https://www.trebrown.com/plant_info.php?species=Pelagodoxa+henryana Trebrown]
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[https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Pelagodoxa+henryana%22&amp;num=10&amp;sa=Google+Search Google],
[https://images.google.com/images?q=%22Pelagodoxa+henryana%22&amp;hl=en&amp;btnG=Google+Search GoogleImages],
[https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Pelagodoxa+henryana Flickr],
[https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Pelagodoxa+henryana%22%20site:https://www.palmtalk.org/&amp;sa=Google+Search PalmTalk]
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[[Category:Pelagodoxa|henryana]]
[[Category:Palm|Pelagodoxa_henryana]]