Reinhardtia gracilis (H.A.Wendland) Drude ex Dammer, Arecaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk (based on second screen), score: 2 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Malortiea gracilis H. Wendl.

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Stems cane-like, solitary or cespitose in dense to loose clumps, to 2.45 meters high and 1.4 cm. in diameter; sheaths 6-15 cm. long; petiole elongate, pale and narrowly wing-margined below with deciduous scales, the rachis 3.5-23 cm. long with 2 or rarely 3-4 pinnae on each side, these with narrowly elongate perforations or "windows" along the rachis between most of the 8-22 pairs of nerves, the terminal pinnae largest, with 5-16 nerves, 7.5-23 cm. long on the upper margin, the outer margin coarsely dentate, the lower pair or pairs of pinnae narrowly cuneate and mostly 3-7-nerved, 8.5-25 cm. long, 2.8-15 cm. wide, coarsely dentate on the lower margin; inflorescence long-pedunculate, with 2-11 or more mostly simple branches 2.5-29 cm. long, becoming dark red or purplish in fruit, the staminate flowers 3-6 mm. long with 8-22 stamens; fruit 12-16 mm. long, 6-8 mm. in diameter when dry, black at maturity, capped with a low to prominent umbo; seed basally attached, the endosperm homogeneous or with minute marginal intrusions"  (Standley & Steyermark, 1958; p. 281).

"Probably the cutest little palm that there is. It is a small clumping palm, with thin canes to about 1.5m high, with irregularly pinnate leaves that have have small holes, or "windows" in them at the base of the leaves"  (PACSOA).

"Tallos 0.4-2+ m y 0.3-1 cm de diám. Peciolos más aliá de la vaina 9-32.5 cm. Láminas foliares simples (muy rara vez) o paripinnado-compuestas con el raquis ca. 4-9.8 cm, por lo general prolongado apicalmente en un filamento libre y delgado hasta por lo menos 8.5 cm; si simples, ca. 21 x 17 cm, ampliamente elípticas, bífidas apicalmente en ca. 2/3 de su longitud, con 13 ó 14 venas primarias laterales por lado, los márgenes gruesa y doblemente aserrados; si compuestas, con (1) 2 (3) hojuelas por lado, (7.3-) 11-20.5 x 0.8-6.3 cm (las subterminales), estrecha a ampliamente cuneadas, fenestradas basalmente, premorsas apicalmente. Infls. racemosamente ramificadas; pedúnculo ca. 21-61 cm, la brácteaca. 7-19.5 cm; raquis ca. 0.2-5 cm; raquilas 3-7, ca. 4-14.5 cm. Fls. estaminadas ca. 4.5-5 mm, con ca. 8-11+ estambres; fls. pistiladas ca. 6 mm. Frs. maduros ca. 1.3-1.5 X 0.5-0.7 cm, estrechamente oblongo-ovoides o elipsoides,

"Reinhardtia gracilis se reconoce inmediatamente por sus láminas foliares fenestradas y el pequeño tamaño de todas sus partes (comparada con R, latisecta, la única otra palma de Costa Rica con láminas consistentemente fenestradas). Esta es una sp. excepcionalmente bella, muy cultivada como planta de adorno"  (Grayum et al., 2003; p. 286).

Habitat/ecology:  "Shady, sheltered and moist, but well drained"  (PACSOA).  In Costa Rica, "bosque muy húmedo, 0-850 m"  (Grayum et al., 2003; p. 286).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Mexico and Central America (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	Kaua‘i Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1990) (voucher ID: PTBG 3608) Taxon name on voucher: Reinhardtia gracilis
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1958) (voucher ID: BISH 116262) Taxon name on voucher: Reinhardtia gracilis (H.A.Wendl.) Drude ex Dammer

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 cultivated	Randall, R. P. (2007) (p. 405)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	Grayum, Michael Howard/Hammel, Barry Edward/Herrera, Cecilia/Zamora Villalobos, Nelson, eds. (2003) (p. 286)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. (1958) (p. 281)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. (1958) (p. 281)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 74)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Reinhardtia gracilis, please let us know.