Laccospadix australasica H. Wendl. & Drude, Arecaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 1 (Go to the risk assessment)

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Small to moderate, solitary or clustering, unarmed, pleonanthic, monoecious palm.  Stem erect, becoming bare, conspicuously ringed with leaf scars.  Leaves pinnate, marcescent; sheaths soon splitting opposite the petiole, bearing scattered scales, the margins becoming fibrous; petiole long, adaxially channeled, abaxially rounded, bearing scattered scales; rachis curved, scaly like the petiole; leaflets numerous, single-fold, conspicuously plicate, acute or acuminate, adaxially and abaxially with minute scattered scales, abaxially with conspicuous ramenta along the main ribs, transverse veinlets not visible.  Inflorescences solitary, interfoliar, protandrous, unbranched; peduncle winged at the base, erect, elongate, bearing scattered caducous scales; prophyll inserted at the base of the peduncle, flattened, tubular, 2-winged, ± included within the leaf sheaths, tending to disintegrate into fibers apically; peduncular bract 1, inserted near the tip of the peduncle, enclosing the spike in bud, splitting longitudinally, deciduous at anthesis; rachis ± equaling the peduncle, pendulous, bearing a slightly spiraled series of prominent, rounded bracts forming the lower lips of the floral pits; floral pits enclosing triads except at the apex where enclosing paired or solitary staminate flowers only, flowers exserted one at a time; floral bracteoles 3, ± sepal-like.  Staminate flowers borne on very short flattened pedicels, ± symmetrical; sepals 3, distinct, keeled, ± chaffy, with irregular margins; petals 3, ± twice as long as the sepals, distinct, triangular-ovate, valvate, marked within by anther impressions; stamens 9-12, erect, filaments very short, anthers ± elongate, basifixed, latrorse; pollen elliptic, monosulcate, with finely reticulate, tectate exine; pistillode minute, trifid.  Pistillate flowers ± globular; sepals 3, distinct, ± chaffy, with irregular margins; petals similar to but longer than sepals, distinct, broadly imbricate except at the valvate, triangular tip; staminodes 3, small, ± triangular; gynoecium unilocular, uniovulate, ovoid-ellipsoidal, tipped with 3, short, recurved stigmas, ovule attached laterally near the base, campylotropous.  Fruit ellipsoidal when fresh, red at maturity, perianth whorls persistent, the stigmatic scar apical; epicarp smooth, mesocarp thin, fleshy, overlying stout longitudinal fibers, endocarp thin, adherent to seed.  Seed laterally attached with short oblong hilum, the raphe ± extending the length of the seed, the raphe branches anastomosing, endosperm deeply ruminate; embryo basal.  Germination adjacent-ligular; eophyll bifid"  (Uhl & Dransfield, 1987; p. 384).

Habitat/ecology:  In its native habitat, "occurs in shaded, humid rain forest on mountain ranges and tablelands at altitudes of 800-1400 m above sea level"  (Uhl & Dransfield, 1987; p. 384).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Northeastern Queensland, Australia (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.) (1989) (voucher ID: BISH 615476) Taxon name on voucher: Laccospadix australasica (single trunk)

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)	Queensland	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. 53) Cultivated only

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

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1989. Voucher specimen #BISH615476(Baker, R. F. 89011-2).

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.

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

Uhl, Natalie W./Dransfield, John. 1987. Genera palmarum: a classification of palms based on the work of Harold E. Moore, Jr. The L. H. Bailey Hortorium and the International Palm Society. Allen Press. 610 pp.