Acoelorrhaphe wrightii (Griseb. & H.Wendl.) H.Wendl. ex Becc., Arecaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 2 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Paurotis wrightii (Griseb. & H. Wendl.) Britton

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Everglades palm, paurotis palm, saw cabbage palm, silver saw palm

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Sex: Monoecious.  Trunk:  Several to many in clump; to 40 ft. tall, usually much less; slender; wrapped in handsome matting, which is red-brown when new, fading to gray.  Petiole: Long; to 3 ft.; slender; orange-colored saw teeth on edges.  Leaf: Palmate; 2-3 ft. or more in diameter; nearly round in outline; divided more than halfway.  Segments: Pointed, stiff, split at apex; light green above, silvery underneath.  Flowerstalk: From among leaves; slender, long and branched; projecting beyond leaves.  Fruit: Size of garden pea; handsome, orange, finally ripening to a shiny, jet black.  Seed: Smooth, round, hard.  Oddities: Young plants have simple, entire, pinnately veined leaves for several years before the palmate character leaves appear" (McCurrach, 1960; pp. 156-157).

Habitat/ecology:  "Plants...grow readily in moist low soil.  Plants will survive in dry land but grow slowly there" (McCurrach, 1960; pp. 156-157).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Southern Florida, West Indies, and Central America" (McCurrach, 1960; pp. 156-157).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 80)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 293) Ornamental.
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	Palmweb (2012)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 9) Cultivated only

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Acoelorrhaphe wrightii is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Acoelorrhaphe wrightii as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Acoelorrhaphe wrightii may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1987. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian monocotyledonae. Micronesica 20:1-126.

McCurrach, J. C. 1960. Palms of the world. Harper, New York.

Palmweb. 2012. Palmweb: Palms of the World Online.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.