Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae - Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta - Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta - Seed plants
Division; Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida - Monocotyledons
Subclass: Aricidae
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae – Palm family
Genus: Pritchardia Seem. S.H. Wendl. – Pritchardia
Species: munroi Rock - Kamalo pritchardia

(Stevens, P. F. (2001+). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 7, May 2007 [updated 05/28/2007]. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/.)

(USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database, 7 June 2007 (http://plants.usda.gov). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.)

The leaves of this plant are fan-shaped and are up to 88 cm from the base to the tip of the leaf blade. The tips of the leaves are drooping unlike those of Pritchardia lowreyana, which is also found on Moloka’i, which has leaf tips that are erect. The stalks supporting the leaves of this species are covered in long, silky, brown or silver hairs. The flowers are borne in clusters that are inserted within the foliage, although are often visible drooping beneath the leaves. The fruits of this species are small and round reaching only 2.5 cm in length, and are black when fully ripe.

(Wagner, W. L., Herbs, D. R., and S. H. Sohmer. 1999. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai‘i. Revised Edition. Volume 2. Bishop Museum Special Publication 97. University of Hawai‘i Press, Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai‘i.)

This species is found in mesic forest at 610 m elevation in a single location on Moloka‘i. Only two individuals remain in the wild in leeward Moloka‘i near Puako’olau. This species was historically recorded from multiple populations above Kamalo in leeward East Moloka’i.

(Chapin, M.H., K.R. Wood, S.P. Perlman, and M. Maunder. 2004. A review of the conservation status of the endemic Pritchardia palms of Hawai‘i. Oryx 38(3): 273-281.)
(Wagner, W. L., Herbst, D. R., and S. H. Sohmer. 1999. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai‘i. Revised Edition. Volume 2. Bishop Museum Special Publication 97. University of Hawai‘i Press, Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai‘i.)

These plants were cultivated from seeds collected in 1975 from the sole remaining wild individual that were sent to botanical institutions for cultivation in efforts to prevent the extinction of this species.

(Gemmill, C. 1998. Pritchardia munroi. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 09 June 2007.)
(USFWS, 2002. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revised Determinations of Prudency and Proposed Designations of Critical Habitat for Plant Species From the Island of Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i. Federal Register 67(66)16491-16579.)

is vulnerable to natural disturbance including rock falls, earthquakes, or fires, that could damage the plant or destroy the habitat in which it is found. The only surviving individual of Munro pritchardia is contained within a fenced exclosure to prevent herbivory and seed damage by introduced mammals including rats, goats, and pigs.

(Gemmill, C. 1998. Pritchardia munroi. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 09 June 2007.)
(USFWS, 2002. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revised Determinations of Prudency and Proposed Designations of Critical Habitat for Plant Species From the Island of Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i. Federal Register 67(66)16491-16579.)

Following the extinction of that species in the wild these ex-situ collections preserve the genetic diversity of the species and provide a source of seed for re-introduction of this species back into natural habitat.

(Gemmill, C. 1998. Pritchardia munroi. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 09 June 2007.)
(USFWS, 2002. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revised Determinations of Prudency and Proposed Designations of Critical Habitat for Plant Species From the Island of Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i. Federal Register 67(66)16491-16579.)

of this plant in the wild and the study of material collected from individuals from Moloka‘i. The second part of the scientific name, munroi, ( the specific epithet) is a reference to the manager of the Moloka‘i Ranch during the time of these first collections, James Munro.