''Pritchardia pacifica'', the Fiji fan palm,
or piu, is a species of
palm tree
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 ...
in the genus ''
Pritchardia
The genus ''Pritchardia'' (family Arecaceae) consists of between 24 and 40 species of fan palms (subfamily Coryphoideae) found on tropical Pacific Ocean islands in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuamotus, and most diversely in Hawaii. The generic name ho ...
''
that is native to Tonga. It is also found on Fiji, Samoa, and the Marquesas however these populations are likely to be human introductions.
This species is found in tropical dry forests.
Description
This species reaches a height of , with a smooth, grayish tan trunk in diameter. The 20–30
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are wide and equally long, held on
petioles in length. The large, flat and rounded leaves are divided 1/4-1/3 into many stiff-tipped segments. The
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. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
s are composed of 1-4
panicle
A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...
s, shorter than or equalling the petioles in length. The panicles are branched to 2 orders, with
glabrous
Glabrousness (from the Latin ''glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...
rachillae. The flowers are followed by small, shiny dark brown to purplish black, spherical fruits, in diameter.
''Pritchardia pacifica'' is considered a host for a plant disease called Lethal Yellowing that is found in Florida, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
Cultivation and uses
In Fiji the leaves of Fiji fan palm were traditionally used as fans, known as Iri masei or Ai viu, that were only used by the chiefs.
A light, flexible wood was used to construct a border for the leaves. In Fijian, the term Ai viu refers to both a fan and an umbrella, as the leaves of Fiji fan palm were used for protection from both the sun and the rain. The leaf was held immediately above the head when it was raining in order and the rain rolled off the leaf behind the head. The trunk of this species was occasionally used for ridge-beams. This species was associated with the upper classes and only one or two trees were usually found in a village, as these plants provided enough leaves to meet the material needs of the village chiefs.
This species is sought after by palm enthusiasts for cultivation and is widely grown as an ornamental plant throughout the Pacific. The fresh seed germinates well in high light environments with moist but well drained soil. The plants tolerate coastal spray.
References
External links
Palmpedia
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1243278
pacifica
Trees of the Pacific
Taxa named by Berthold Carl Seemann