''Balaka streptostachys'' is a
critically endangered species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the family
Arecaceae
The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...
. It is found only in
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
. It grows to a height of and in diameter. It is distinct from the other ''Balaka'' species because of the twists in its
rachilla Rachilla may refer to the following topics in botany:
* Rachilla (floral axis)
A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots.
Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikele ...
.
The only known population of this palm is in a stand of approximately 50 trees, on the northern foothills of
Mt. Sorolevu on
Vanau Levu.
It was first described by D. Fuller & John Leslie Dowe in 1999.
References
streptostachys
Endemic flora of Fiji
Critically endangered plants
Taxa named by John Leslie Dowe
{{Areceae-stub