Pritchardia lowreyana

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Figure 1. P. lowreyana

Synonymy:

P. brevicalyx,
P. macrocarpa,
P. donata

Distribution & Habitat:

On Molokai, on inland valleys and cliffs

Description:

Rather short palms, 2-4 metres tall (Fig. 1). The leaves are very thick, almost leathery and smooth on the top surface, but very lightly covered with tiny elliptical scales on the lower side. The dense inflorescences are up to 1 metre long (Fig. 2,3). The fruits are very large, ovoid, approximately 60x40mm and the seed is ovate approx 30x20 (Fig. 4).

General:

On Molokai, P. hillebrandii grows near the coast, while P. lowreyana grows inland. But in some parts of the range both grow in close proximity. It was in this area that Beccari noted possible hybridization between P. lowreyana and P. hillebrandii. The original description contained a number of errors. These have been clarified by Wagner, Herbst, & Sohmer.

Culture:

Sunny, moist, but well drained position. It can be grown in warm sub-tropical climates.

Figure 2. P. lowreyana infructescence

Figure 3. P. lowreyana inflorescence

Figure 4. P. lowreyana seeds

References:

Wagner, W.L., Herbst, D.R. & Sohmer, S.H. (1990) Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii Vol. 1-2.
Beccari and Rock, Pritchardia 1921

Contributed by:

Chris King (Text)
Greg Roulinavage (Figure 1,2)
Melany Chapin (Figure 3)

External Links:

Kew, PalmWeb, IUCN, JSTOR, Trebrown

Google, GoogleImages, Flickr, PalmTalk