Editing Pritchardia Overview

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===PRITCHARDIA  Seem & Wendl  1862===
===The Genus:===
A genus of 27 species of fan palms originating in Pacific Islands.
The type is ''P. pacifica'', [Fiji] and the genus was named in honour of
W. T Pritchard, a British Consul in Fiji in the 19th Century.
The first comprehensive work covering the genus was the monograph
Pritchardia, Beccari and Rock, 1921, but a lack of precision and
ignorance of the degree of variation within the species in this and
other early work lead to over description. A subsequent treatment in
'''The Plants of Hawaii''' rationalises some of the species,
particularly ''P. martii'' and ''P. remota''.
However, new Pritchardia species are still being found and
described as recently as 2004
(''P. flynii'') and 1998 (''P. perlmannii'') both from Kauai.

===Genus Description:===
Pritchardia are erect, solitary medium sized unarmed monoecious fan palms
up to 40 metres tall, (such as ''P. schattaueri'') with trunks up to
200mm thick (''P. waialealeana'' ) Leaves are costapalmate,
with blades regularly divided into bifid ended reduplicate segments.
The leaves are variously covered with lepidia or felty scales on the
underside of the leaves and extending onto the petiole.
These felty scales may appear tan, yellow or white and the distribution
of the scales varies with species and this characteristic is a
significant indicator of the species.
The inflorescences are intrafoliar in most species,
but notably extend well beyond the canopy in a number of species
(''P. thurstonii'', ''P. kaalae'' and ''P. hardyi'' ).
The fruit vary from 7mm spherical shape (''P. thurstonii'')
to 50x 40 mm ovoid shape (''P. loweryana'').

===Species Identification Problems:===
A palm may be easily recognisable as a Pritchardia but the species
are variable and also prone to hybridisation when grown in company
with cogeners and for this reason identification of any given plant
away from its original habitat may be difficult.
Care should be exercised when seed is collected.  In the interests of
species purity, seed should not be collected from arboreta.

===Endangered Species:===
Of the 22 Hawaiian species, the following 8 are on the Federal Endangered
species list: ''P. affinis, aylmer-robinsonii, kaalae, munroi, napaliensis, remota, schattaueri, viscosa''.

===Non Hawaian Species:===
Of the currently recognised species, the following 5 occur outside
the Hawaiian islands, they are
''P. pacifica, thurstonii, mitiaroana, pericularum, vuylstekeana''.

===Reduction Of Beccari & Rock Species:===
33 species were included in Beccari and Rock 1921. As of 2004,
the following species included in Beccari and Rock have been described
as synonymous as follows:

''P. loweryana'' == ''P. brevicalyx'' == ''P. macrocarpa'' == ''P. donata''<br/>
''P. lanigera'' == ''P. montis-kea'' == ''P. eriostachya''<br/>
''P. minor'' == ''P. eriophora''<br/>
''P. martii'' == ''P. kahanae'' == ''P. martiodes'' == ''P. gaudichaudii''
== ''P. rockiana'' == ''P. kahukuensis'' == ''P. kamapuaana''
== ''P. mcdanielsii''<br/>
''P. hillebrandii'' == ''P. insignis''<br/>
''P. vuylstekeana'' == ''P. moensi''<br/>
''P. wrightii'' has been transferred to ''Colpothrinax wrightii''<br/>
''P. Hardyi'' == ''P. weissichiana''<br/>
''P. aurea'' and ''P. elliptica'' remain unsubstantiated.

===Descriptions After Beccario And Rock:===
Since Beccari and Rock was published in 1921  14 descriptions have been published&#160;:

''P. donata'' Rock, 1930. Since merged with ''P. loweryana''.<br/>
''P. elliptica'' Rock & Caum, 1930. Unplaced name.<br/>
''P. kahukuensis'' Caum, 1930. Since merged with ''P. martii''.<br/>
''P. kamapuaana'' Caum, 1930. Since merged with ''P. martii''.<br/>
''P. mcdanielsii'' Caum, 1930. Since merged with ''P. martii''.<br/>
''P. aylmer-robinsonii'', H. St John, 1959, Niihau,
said to be part of the ''P. remota'' complex.<br/>
''P. weissichiana'' Rock, 1962. Since merged with ''P. hardyi''.<br/>
''P. mitiaroana'' J. Dransfield & Y Ehrh, 1995,
from plants found on Mitiaro island in the Cook Islands.<br/>
''P. napaliensis'' H. St John, 1981, Kauai.
Said to be part of the ''P. remota'' complex.<br/>
''P.schattaueri'' Hodel, 1985 Hawaii.<br/>
''P. waialealeana'' Read 1988 Kauai.<br/>
''P. limahuliensis'' H. St John, 1988, Kauai.<br/>
''P. perlmanii'' Gemmill, 1998 Kauai.<br/>
''P. flynii'' Lorence & Gemmill, 2004 Kauai.

===Plants Of Hawaii:===
In '''The Plants of Hawaii''', a number of species have been tentatively included
in "the Pritchardia remota complex" they are:
''P. remota, napaliensis, aylmer-robinsonii , napaliensis, glabrata''.

===Unplaced Names:===
''P. aurea'' has not been placed.
Type material in Berlin has presumably been lost.<br/>
''P. maideniana'' appears to be a distinct species,
but the original habitat is unknown.<br/>
''P. elliptica'' has not been placed.<br/>
''P. woodfordiana'' is said to be a naturalised stand of ''P. pacifica''
growing in the Solomon islands. It is not a unique species.<br/>
''Chris King, January 2005.''

[[Category:Pritchardia|Overview]]
[[Category:Palm|Pritchardia_Overview]]