Pritchardia minor

Pritchardia minor, the Alakai Swamp pritchardia^[2] or loulu, is a palm native to Hawaiʻi. It grows in wet forests in the centre of Kauaʻi at an elevation of about 1,400 metres (4,600 ft).

Pritchardia minor
Specimen growing in Auckland, New Zealand.
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Tribe:	Trachycarpeae
Genus:	Pritchardia
Species:	P. minor
Binomial name
Pritchardia minor Becc.

Growing in native habitat on Kaua'i

Description

The Alakai Swamp pritchardia grows up to 12 metres (39 ft) high, and forms a trunk with a diameter of approximately 100 millimetres (3.9 in). The leaves are yellowish when they emerge, and this color is sometimes maintained on the undersides of mature leaves. The leaves are leathery and smooth above, but the undersides are waxy and have a covering of greyish to yellowish tomentum (felt) beneath. The shiny black fruits of this palm are ovoid, about 2 cm by 13 mm, and contain a seed up to 15 mm in diameter.

Cultivation

This palm prefers a sunny, well drained, and moist location.

Common names

• Alakaʻi Swamp pritchardia
• Alakaʻi loulu

Synonyms

• Pritchardia eriophora