Pritchardia viscosa
Encyclopedia
Pritchardia viscosa is an extremely rare endangered species
of Pritchardia
palm
that is endemic to the Hawaii
an island of Kauai
.
It inhabits open wet forests in the Kalihiwai Valley, where it grows at altitudes of 500–700 m (1,640.4–2,296.6 ft). Associated plants include aiea (Ilex anomala
), ahakea (Bobea
spp.), hame, (Antidesma
spp.), hāpuu pulu (Cibotium
glacum), and kōpiko (Psychotria
hexandra).
It is a medium-sized palm from 6–8 m (19.7–26.2 ft) tall, with palmate (fan-shaped) leaves about 1 m (3.3 ft) long. The fruit
is produced in dense clusters, each fruit green, pear-shaped, 4 cm (1.6 in) long and 2.5 cm (0.984251968503937 in) in diameter.
Like the related Nihoa Fan Palm (P. remota
), it is susceptible to extinction by a single catastrophic event because of its wild population of four individuals. It is threatened by introduced rat
s, which eat the seed
s. It has been cultivated to a moderate extent, but is exceptionally limited in its habitat.
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
of Pritchardia
Pritchardia
The genus Pritchardia consists of between 24-40 species of fan palms found on tropical Pacific Ocean islands in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuamotus, and Hawaii. The generic name honours William Thomas Pritchard , a British consul at Fiji.-Description:These palms vary in height, ranging from...
palm
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...
that is endemic to the Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an island of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
.
It inhabits open wet forests in the Kalihiwai Valley, where it grows at altitudes of 500–700 m (1,640.4–2,296.6 ft). Associated plants include aiea (Ilex anomala
Ilex anomala
Ilex anomala, commonly known as Kāwau or Aiea, is a species of holly that is endemic to Hawaii. It inhabits mixed mesic and wet forests at elevations of on all main islands....
), ahakea (Bobea
Bobea
Bobea is a genus of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. All species in this genus are endemic to Hawaii. . Bobea was named for Jean-Baptiste Bobe-Moreau by Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré in 1830 in his book Voyage de l'Uranie.The wood of Bobea is hard, wearable, and yellow. It was used...
spp.), hame, (Antidesma
Antidesma
Antidesma is a species of tropical plant in the Phyllanthaceae. This is a variable plant which may be short and shrubby or tall and erect, approaching 30 meters in height.It has large oval shaped leathery evergreen leaves up to about 20 centimeters long and seven wide. The flowers have a strong,...
spp.), hāpuu pulu (Cibotium
Cibotium
Cibotium is a genus of eleven species of tropical tree fern—subject to much confusion and revision—distributed fairly narrowly in Hawaii , Southeast Asia , and the cloud forests of Central America and Mexico...
glacum), and kōpiko (Psychotria
Psychotria
Psychotria is a plant genus of 1900 species in the family Rubiaceae. Members of the genus are low trees in tropical forests. The distinction between Psychotria and the genus Cephaelis are not well known and many species were formerly placed there....
hexandra).
It is a medium-sized palm from 6–8 m (19.7–26.2 ft) tall, with palmate (fan-shaped) leaves about 1 m (3.3 ft) long. 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,...
is produced in dense clusters, each fruit green, pear-shaped, 4 cm (1.6 in) long and 2.5 cm (0.984251968503937 in) in diameter.
Like the related Nihoa Fan Palm (P. remota
Pritchardia remota
Pritchardia remota is a species of palm endemic on the island of Nihoa, Hawaii, and later transplanted to the island of Laysan. It is a smaller tree than most other species of Pritchardia, typically reaching only tall and with a trunk diameter of . It is the only type of tree on the island and...
), it is susceptible to extinction by a single catastrophic event because of its wild population of four individuals. It is threatened by introduced rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s, which eat the 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...
s. It has been cultivated to a moderate extent, but is exceptionally limited in its habitat.