Metroxylon
Encyclopedia
Metroxylon is a genus
of monoecious flowering plant
s in the Arecaceae
(palm) family, consisting of seven species
. They are native to Western Samoa, New Guinea
, the Solomon Islands
, the Moluccas, the Carolines and Fiji
in a variety of habitats, and cultivated westward to Thailand
and Malaya
.
The name is formed from the combination of two Greek words, metra - "womb", commonly translated as "heart" in this context and xylon - "wood".
of Metroxylon species are solitary or clumped and large to massive in size, and usually sprout aerial roots at leaf-scar rings. All but one is monocarpic
(hapaxanthic), foliage is pinnate
with over-sized petioles
and leaf sheaths. The petioles are distinguished by "groups of small black spines resembling the record made by a seismograph as it registers a mild tremor". All species have spines on the rachis and petiole. The monocarpic species present a Christmas-tree shaped inflorescence
, or instead, upward-reaching branches spreading horizontally. The fruit
, covered in tough scales, are relatively large for palms and contain one seed
.
It contains the following species
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of monoecious flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the Arecaceae
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
(palm) family, consisting of seven species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. They are native to Western Samoa, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, the Moluccas, the Carolines and Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
in a variety of habitats, and cultivated westward to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Malaya
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
.
The name is formed from the combination of two Greek words, metra - "womb", commonly translated as "heart" in this context and xylon - "wood".
Description
The trunksTrunks
Trunks may refer to:In male clothing:*Trunks , short swimsuitsIn popular culture:*Trunks , a character in Dragon Ball media*Trunks , by The Brothers CreegganPeople:...
of Metroxylon species are solitary or clumped and large to massive in size, and usually sprout aerial roots at leaf-scar rings. All but one is monocarpic
Monocarpic
Monocarpic plants are those that flower, set seeds and then die. Other terms with the same meaning are hapaxanth and semelparous. The term was first used by Alphonse de Candolle....
(hapaxanthic), foliage is pinnate
Pinnate
Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
with over-sized petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
and leaf sheaths. The petioles are distinguished by "groups of small black spines resembling the record made by a seismograph as it registers a mild tremor". All species have spines on the rachis and petiole. The monocarpic species present a Christmas-tree shaped inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
, or instead, upward-reaching branches spreading horizontally. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, covered in tough scales, are relatively large for palms and contain one seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
.
It contains the following species
- Metroxylon amicarumMetroxylon amicarumMetroxylon amicarum is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family, endemic to the Caroline Islands. It was named for the Friendly Islands, now Tonga, from where it was first thought to have descended...
(H.Wendl.) Hook.f. - Metroxylon paulcoxii McClatchey
- Metroxylon saguMetroxylon saguMetroxylon sagu is a species of palm in the genus Metroxylon, native to tropical southeastern Asia in Indonesia , Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and possibly also the Philippines .It is a monocarpic palm growing to 10 m tall or more, with pinnate leaves up to 7 m...
Rottb. – Sago Palm - Metroxylon salomonense (Warb.) Becc. – Salomon Palm
- Metroxylon upoluense Becc.
- Metroxylon vitiense (H.Wendl.) Hook.f. – Viti Palm
- Metroxylon warburgiiMetroxylon warburgiiMetroxylon warburgii is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.In Vanuatu, where it is known by the Bislama name natanggura, it is widely used as a material for thatching houses.-References:...
(Heimerl) Becc.