Heterospathe elata Scheff., Arecaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 5 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Heterospathe palauensis Becc.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: palma brava

English: sagisi palm

Palauan: asbo, demailéi, demailei, domaile, domailei, ebouch

Yapese: guag bbuag

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Tree to 16 m high, trunk to 20 cm diameter, thicker near the base.  Crown of arching leaves, resembling coconut leaves, but the segments more slender and numerous.  Leaves to 3.5 m long, segments distichous, about 65 pairs.  Sheaths glaucous externally, dotted with brown scales, to 75 cm long.  Petiole to about 50 cm long, sparsely scaly.   Segments up to 60 cm long, 3.5 cm wide.  Inflorescence among the leaves; a compressed, slightly curved bract 30-40 cm long at base, at first scaly and its margins woolly; inner bract attached well above outer bract, about 70-75 cm long; whole panicle to 160 cm long, very much branched; branchlets to 20 cm long; flowers in 3's, rarely in pairs, white; staminate flowers about 1.5 mm wide, with a pistillode 1.4 mm high; pistillate flowers about 3 mm long, nearly 5-6 mm wide, with 3 staminodes; ovary ovoid-oblong; fruit white at first, finally red, subglobose, about 6-7 mm thick, with thin exocarp"  (Stone, 1970; p. 140).

Habitat/ecology:  In Guam, "on limestone bluffs; also in the La Cienaga swamp"  (Stone, 1970; p. 140).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Philippines and Palau.  Also possibly native in the Moluccas (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island	possibly native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 84) var. palauensis (Becc.) Becc. Presence not confirmed.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves/Lavergne, Christophe/Hodel, Donald R. (2008) (p. 76) Locally naturalized.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	possibly native	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 140) Possibly an early introduction.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 84) var elata
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 15)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 84) var. palauensis (Becc.) Becc.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 84) var. palauensis (Becc.) Becc.
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 140)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native cultivated	Merrill, Elmer D. (1925) (p. 162) In forests at low altitudes, sometimes planted.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	possibly native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Moluccas

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

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

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

References:

Falanruw, Marjorie C./Maka, Jean E./Cole, Thomas G./Whitesell, Craig D. 1990. Common and scientific names of trees and shrubs of Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands. Pac. SW Forest and Range Expt. Stn. Resource Bulletin PSW-67. 91 pp.

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

Fosberg, F. R./Otobed, D./Sachet, M.-H./Oliver, R. L./Powell, D. A./Canfield, J. E. 1980. Vascular plants of Palau with vernacular names. Department of Botany, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 43 pp.

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

Merrill, Elmer D. 1925. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 1 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 463 pp.

Meyer, Jean-Yves/Lavergne, Christophe/Hodel, Donald R. 2008. Time Bombs in Gardens: Invasive Ornamental Palms in Tropical Islands, with Emphasis on French Polynesia (Pacific Ocean) and the Mascarenes (Indian Ocean). Palms; Journal of the International Palm Society 52: 23-35. .

Raulerson, L. 2006. Checklist of Plants of the Mariana Islands. University of Guam Herbarium Contribution 37:1-69. .

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

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