''Pritchardia minor'', the Alakai Swamp pritchardia or loulu, is a palm native to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. It grows in wet forests in the centre of

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

at an elevation of about .

Description

The Alakai Swamp pritchardia grows up to high, and forms a trunk with a diameter of approximately . The leaves are yellowish when they emerge, and this color is sometimes maintained on the undersides of mature leaves. The leaves are leathery and smooth above, but the undersides are waxy and have a covering of greyish to yellowish tomentum (felt) beneath. The shiny black

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

s of this palm are ovoid, about 2 cm by 13 mm, and contain a

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

up to 15 mm in diameter.

Cultivation

This palm prefers a sunny, well drained, and moist location.

Common names

*Alakaʻi Swamp pritchardia *Alakaʻi loulu

Synonyms

*''Pritchardia eriophora''

References

* Palm and Cycad Society of Australi
''Pritchardia minor''
accessed 28 April 2008. * Jones, David L, 1995. ''Palms Throughout the World''. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC.

minor Minor may refer to: * Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities. ** A person who has not reached the age of majority * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Music theory *Minor chord ** Barb ...

Trees of Hawaii Endemic flora of Hawaii Biota of Kauai Taxa named by Odoardo Beccari Plants described in 1910 {{tree-stub