Pritchardia hillebrandii - Meet the Plants - National Tropical Botanical Garden Plant Database

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Pritchardia hillebrandii - flower and fruit detail

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Taxonomy:

Pritchardia hillebrandi (Arecaceae)

Alternative Botanical Name:
Eupritchardia hilebrandii

Common Names:
Hawaiian Name: Loulou-Lelo Palm
English Names:
Palm of Hillebrand
Blue Dwarf Palm

Classification:

Pritchardia hillebrandii (Kuntze) Becc.
Kingdom: Plantae-Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta-Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta-Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta-Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida-Monocotyledons
Subclass: Arecidae
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae - Palm family
Genus: Pritchardia Seem. & H. Wendl. - Pritchardia
Species: Pritchardia hillebrandii (Kuntze) Becc. - Lo'ulu lelo
(Wagner,W.L.,Herbst,D.R.,Sohmer,S.H. 1990. Manual of Flowering Plants of Hawai'i.)
(National Plant Database.2003.)

Description:

Pritchardias are single trunked palm trees with fan-shaped leaves. The Hawaiian Pritchardia are generally medium to large sized palms growing from 25 to 60 feet tall.

The color and hairiness of the leaves, the length of the flowering stems, and the size and color of the fruit vary by species.
Pritchardia hillebrandii grows to about 20 feet tall. It has leaves that are silvery underneath, flower stalks that do not extend beyond the leaves, and round fruit that is up to 1 inch in diameter and blue to black when ripe. It is multiplied by seeds, that germinate in about 2 months. Pritchardia hillebrandii is a resistant palm that tolerates the sun, the average shade and the proximity to the sea.
(Wagner,W.L.,Herbst,D.R.,Sohmer,S.H. 1990. Manual of Flowering Plants of Hawai'i.)
(Bornhorst.1996; Chapin.1990; NTBG.)

Geographic Distribution:

The genus Pritchardia consists of 26 species of palms native to the tropical Pacific Islands. There are as many as 23 endemic species of Pritchardia in the Hawaiian islands including species categorized as either endangered, rare or vulnerable.

Each Hawaiian island has at least one distinct Pritchardia species with some islands having distinct species or forms restricted to individual valleys or mountains.
Pritchardia hillebrandii is from the windward coast of Moloka'i and grows in moist to wet forests from 100 to 1,900 feet.
(Wagner,W.L.,Herbst,D.R.,Sohmer,S.H. 1990. Manual of Flowering Plants of Hawai'i. Hodel, D.R. 2007. A Review of the Genus Pritchardia. Palms 51(supplement): S1-S52.

Native Legends and Names:

Pritchardia name is dedicated to W.T.Pritchard, British official stationed in Fiji in the 19th Century.

Hillebrandii name honors the botanist W.F.Hillebrand (1853-1925).
(Antonio Lopez Lillo, Jose Manuel Sanchez de Lorenzo Ciceres. 2001. Trees in Spain. Manual of Identification.)

Indigenous Practices:

Pritchardia hillebrandii is suitable for a wide range of climates and will even tolerate cool conditions and a little frost.

This species is excellent for landscape design and as an indoor specimen.
(Wagner,W.L.,Herbst,D.R.,Sohmer,S.H. 1990. Manual of Flowering Plants of Hawai'i.)

(Information for this species compiled and recorded by Camelia Cirnaru, NTBG Consultant.)

NTBG Herbarium Data:

Click to view an example from our herbarium

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