ISHS Acta Horticulturae 486: II International Symposium on Ornamental Palms & other Monocots from the Tropics
ECOLOGY AND PROPAGATION OF SOME RARE PACIFIC PALMS |
| Author: | M. Dumas |
| Keywords: | Burretiokentia, Carpoxylon, Clinostigma, Kentiopsis, Lavoixia, Neoveitchia, Pelagodoxa, Pritchardiopsis, Satakentia, conservation |
| Abstract:
The many small and isolated islands of the Pacific Ocean hold a diverse and unique palm flora. Among the 50 genera represented, 33 are Pacific endemic with mostly narrow distributions. Most of the approximately 170 species encountered are endemic and occur in rain forests on basaltic, schistose or ultramafic rocks. In contrast, few species develop in marine littoral habitats, on raised coral limestone, or in mesic forests. Despite their great ornamental value, only 10 % of Pacific palms are widely cultivated; apart from species with narrow ecological requierements or slow growth rate, many more could be commonly used in horticulture. Also, cultivation can be a conservation measure for the most threatened species. Ecology, propagation and horticultural uses of 9 endangered Pacific palms of great horticultural value but rarely cultivated are discussed: Pelagodoxa henryana in Polynesia; Carpoxylon macrospermum in Vanuatu; Neoveitchia storckii in Fiji; Pritchardiopsis jeanneneyi, Lavoixia macrocarpa, Kentiopsis sp. nov. and Burretiokentia sp. nov. in New Caledonia and Clinostigma savoryanum and Satakentia liukiuensis in southern Japanese islands. Cultivation of critically endangered species such as Pritchardiopsis and Lavoixia is presently restricted to conservation purposes while other species such as Pelagodoxa, Carpoxylon, Neoveitchia and Satakentia are increasingly used as ornamental in their native archipelagos and elsewhere. New species of Kentiopsis and Burretiokentia might be valuable additions to horticulture. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
