Livistona chinensis (Jacq.) R.Br. ex Mart., 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:  Latania chinensis Jacq.; Livistona oliviformis (Hassk.) Mart.; Livistona subglobosa (Hassk.) Mart.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: pu kui, shan ye kui

English: Chinese fan palm, Chinese fountain palm, fountain palm, serdang palm

French: palmier évantail de Chine, palmier fontaine

Japanese: biro

Spanish: livistona de China

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Hermaphroditic palm. Trunk to 15 m tall, 20-30 cm dbh, leaf scars obscure, roughened and with remnant tissue, light coloured, internodes narrow, irregular, brown to grey with age, petiole stubs not persistent, longitudinal fissures prominent. Leaves 40-60 in a globose to ovoid crown; petiole slightly arching, to 180 cm long, ca 15 cm wide in the middle, adaxially flat or slightly ridged, surface glabrous; margins with single curved spines in the proximal one-half or less or sometimes absent, distal margins otherwise sharp and slightly winged; spines 2-20 mm long, subulate, green to black; leaf-base fibre not prominent, coarse, and disintegrating; lamina costapalmate, regularly segmented, subcircular to reniform, 120-200 cm long, 120-180 cm wide, light yellowish green on both surfaces, dull to glossy, nonwaxy; lamina divided for 45-55% of its length, with 50-90 segments, depth of apical cleft ca 13% of the segment length, apical lobes pendulous; lower segments 2-5 mm wide, filamentous, parallel veins 8-9 each side of midrib; transverse veins thinner than parallel veins; hastula ca 3 cm high. Inflorescence unbranched at the base, 100-120 cm long, not extending beyond the limit of the crown, slightly curving, branched to 3 orders; 6-7 partial inflorescences; rachillae 10-18 cm long, to 9 mm diameter, glabrous; peduncular bract(s) lacking; rachis bracts tomentose or scaly, loosely tubular, disintegrating into open chartaceous fibres with age, brown, apex acute. Flowers in clusters of 4-7, subglobose in bud, 2-2.5 mm long, white to yellowish; sepals imbricate, ca 1.5 mm long, rounded, margins hyaline, inner surface striate; petals triangular, apically pointed, fleshy, ca 2.2 mm long, ca 2 mm wide; filaments united at the base, free in the upper part, connective thickish, ca 0.5 mm long; anthers ca 0.5 mm long; style sharply tapered, ca the same height as the anthers. Fruit globose, subglobose, ellipsoid or pyriform,15-26 mm long, 9-18 mm wide, glossy blue-green to bright green; epicarp ceramic-like; suture line extends for full length of fruit, marked with lip-like structures; mesocarp ca 1.5 mm wide, fleshy, slightly oily, moderately fibrous, endocarp woody, ca 0.5 mm wide; pedicel 2-3 mm long. Seed globose, subglobose to ellipsoid, variously reniform in longitudinal section, ca 14 mm long, ca 10 mm wide; endosperm intruded by the testa to ca one-half to two-thirds through to form a cavity filled with brown crystalline tissue; embryo supra-lateral to lateral. Eophyll 7-ribbed"  (Dowe in Palmweb).

"Trunk up to 15 m or more tall. Leaves numerous, pale green, up to 1.5 m long, with a prominent undivided central area and numerous deeply bifid segments, their tips pendulous, petioles armed with stout prickles. Flowers pale yellow, in clusters of up to 6, inflorescences up to 1 m or more long, of several branches along a single main rachis, each 2-3 times divided into rachillae, bracts brown tomentose. Fruit bluish green to bright green, darker with age, ellipsoid to sublobose or pyriform, 1.5-2.6 cm long, 0.9-1.8 cm in diameter" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1364).

Habitat/ecology:  "Coastal forests on various soils, often in sand, sometimes in dense monospecific colonies, otherwise in small isolated colonies, 1-100 m altitude" (Dowe in Palmweb). In Hawai‘i, "cultivated as an ornamental, persisting after cultivation, and sparingly naturalized in areas where previously cultivated"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1364). In Florida, "Disturbed hammocks and mesic woods; 0-10 m" (Flora of North America).  "On Mauritius it is widely naturalized in the secondary and the native forests and in the southeast part of La Réunion it has spread in streambeds, shady understory of disturbed secondary forests, and in coastal areas"  (Meyer, Lavergne & Hodel, 2008; p. 78).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Eastern Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan) (GRIN).  "Native to Ryukyu Islands, Bonin Islands, Volcano Islands, and islands off Kyushu, Japan, now widely cultivated in tropical areas worldwide" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1364).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 84)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy (2010) (p. 6)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced cultivated	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 37)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Fiji Islands	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (pp. 395-396)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Huka (Huahuna, Uahuka) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Pou (Huapu, Uapou, Uapu) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Moorea Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 13)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 372) Voucher cited: Moore 443
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 13)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Cultivée
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 141)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 84) also var. subglobosa (Hassk.) Becc.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank (2011) (p. 6) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H110819 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2003) (p. 5) West Maui. Oppenheimer H10139 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1364) Sparingly naturalized.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Daehler, Curtis C./Baker, Raymond F. (2006) (p. 12) Voucher cited: C. Daehler 1306 (HLA)
Japan (offshore islands) Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	native	Toyoda, Takeshi (2003) (p. 26) Var. boninensis Becc.
Japan (offshore islands) Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	native	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007) Var. boninensis Becc.
Kiribati Line Islands	Tabuaeran (Fanning) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Wester, Lyndon (1985) (p. 18) Single specimen.
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 32)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced cultivated	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (p. 46)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 111) Vouchers cited: MacKee 27989, MacKee 28130 Spontané
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Koror (Oreor) Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Lorence, David H./LaRosa, Anne Marie (2009) (p. 6)
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands	Wallis (‘Uvea) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2007) (pp. 13, 29)
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands	Wallis (‘Uvea) Island	introduced cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves/Jourdan, Hervé/Malau, Atoloto (2008) (p. 9) "Showing signs of invasion".

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Coastal forests, often on sandy soils. Guangdong, Hainan.
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 295)
Japan Japan	Japan	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Kyushu, Shikoku
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1364)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 56) Cultivated only
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Coastal forests, often on sandy soils.

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves/Lavergne, Christophe/Hodel, Donald R. (2008) (p. 76) Locally naturalized.
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced invasive	Kueffer, C./Mauremootoo, J. (2004) (p. 6)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves/Lavergne, Christophe/Hodel, Donald R. (2008) (p. 76) Widely naturalized/invasive.
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

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)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Livistona chinensis, please let us know.