Allagoptera arenaria Kuntze, 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:  Cocos arenaria Gomes

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "Plant 1.5-2 m tall, stem to 1.5 m long, 10 cm in diameter, subterranean, rhizomatose. Leaves 6-10; sheath not tubular, fibrous; peliole 45-60 cm long, ca. 1 cm in diameter, covered with woolly indumentum mostly on basal portion; rachis 50-55 cm long, smooth and glabrous or with scarce white glands or with woolly hairs; pinnae 35-53 per side, broad and long-lanceolate, with acute tips, regularly inserted in groups of (1-) 2-3 (-4), 2-3 cm apart, inserted to rachis and spreading at different angles, glabrous at base or with ramenta to 3 mm long, the transverse veinlets evident adaxially, lemon-green and lustrous waxy adaxially, brown-glaucous and waxy abaxially, obtuse apex asymmetrically split for 0.3-0.5 cm, with midrib prominent adaxially and depressed abaxially; basal pinnae 25-35 x 0.8-1.1 cm; middle pinnae 20-45 x 1.1-2 cm; apical pinnae 6-24 x 0.1-0.6 cm. Inflorescences 65-100 cm long; peduncle 55-85 cm long, 0.4-0.6 cm in diameter, robust, muricate, scarcely to densely covered with floccose hairs; rachilla 10-15 cm long, bearing scarious bracteoles; prophyll 20-30 cm, tubular, scarious, covered with woolly indumentum in base; peduncular bract 60-80 cm long, 3-6 cm in diameter, apiculate, woody, sulcate, beige externally, brown-violet and glabrous internally; peduncular bracts 1 or 2, 0.5-2.5 cm long, brown, scarious, revolute or apiculate, inserted 2 cm from apex of peduncle. Staminate flowers 9-11 mm long, the pedicel 3-5 mm, inserted perpendicular to rachilla; sepals free, glabrous, coriaceous, 2 ca. 5 x 1.5 mm, one larger ca. 7 x 1.5 mm; petals valvate, free, glabrous, coriaceous, ca. 6.5 x 3 mm; stamens (12-) 14-18 proximally, sometimes 10 stamens distally, ca. 2.5 mm long, the filaments columnar, the anthers sagittate at both ends; pistillode simple. Pistillate flowers sessile on proximal 4-11 cm of rachilla; sepals free, trapezoid, ca. 5 x 6 mm, imbricate to the right, apiculate with papillose hairs on superior rim; petals free, triangular, ca. 5 x 4 mm, imbricate to the right, apiculate with papillose hairs on lateral to basal margins; staminodial ring to 1.5 mm with 6 short teeth; pistil conical, 3-4 mm; stigma trifid, glabrous. Fruit ovoid to turbinate, with orange to yellowish floccose hairs or tomentose from base of stigmas to middle, 1.2-2 cm long, 1- 1.3 cm in diameter, perpendicular to rachilla, the stigmatic remnants erect with stigmas to 3 mm long, the persistent perianth longer than 1/2 of fruit; seed 1-2"  (Palmweb).

Habitat/ecology:  "In Brazil (native), "heliophilous, dominant in restinga and low coastal dunes. It occurs on white sandy soils from sea level to 100m"  (Palmweb).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Brazil (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1997) (voucher ID: BISH 655122) Taxon name on voucher: Allagoptera arenaria

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced	Randall, R. P. (2007) (p. 30)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Allagoptera arenaria, please let us know.