Loulu, The Hawaiian Pritchardia

The Island of Oahu at one time had more endemic species of loulu than the five that are now listed:  Pritchardia ka’alae, P. kahukuensis, P. lowreyana which has recently been rediscovered on Oahu, P. martii,  and most recently P. bakeri.  Most of the species that were formerly listed were absorbed into the species Pritchardia martii.

Pritchardia ka'alae, Foster Garden, Honolulu

Pritchardia ka’alae is a rare and endangered species endemic to western Oahu where it grows at natural springs in the dry forested mountains at elevations of 1500 to 3100 feet.  The epithet is Latin for “of Ka’ala” a mountain in the Waianae Mountain range, the species native habitat.  Pritchardia ka’alae is known from scattered  populations in the central and north central  Waianae Mountains.  Five populations  are currently known to exist between Waianae Kai Haleauau summit divide and the Makua-Kea’au Ridge.  At last count, 130 individuals were noted.  These populations are located  on state and federal lands, including  Mount Ka’ala and land leased to the Department of Defense for the Makua Military Reservation.  And on Schofield Barracks Military Reservation.

This slow growing smaller species has a trunk that attains a height of 25 feet or more and a diameter of 1 foot.  The leaf crown is hemispherical or slightly more, and the leaves are semicircular, deep green on both sides with long-tipped  segments whose apices are pendulous.  A distinguishing character of the leaves are their waxy hairless or scaly surface and the thin and papery or thick and leathery physique.  This is one of the few species whose inflorescences extend beyond the leaf crown.

Pritchardia kahukuensis is endemic to the northwest end of the Ko’olau Range in the area known as Kahuku for which it is named.  It is known by its tall trunks, large spherical and full crown of leaves with drooping segment tips and infructescences with small fruit approximating the length of the leaf blades.  This species of loulu has glossy green upper leaf surfaces; the bottoms of the leaves are covered completely with a thin layer of lepidia, giving a grayish appearance.  The segments penetrate 1/3 to 1/2 of the leaf blade and sport drooping tips.  The inflorescences are composed  of a single panicle, shorter than the leaf blade and erect; the fruit cause arching and lengthening to equal or exceed the leaf blade.  The panicle branches to 2 or 3 orders and the rachillae are clothed in short, dense reddish brown hairs.  The mature fruit are 1/2 inch by 3/4 inch ellipsoid to ovoid in shape.

This loulu grows in the wet forest at an elevation of 1700 to 2000 feet.  It was once considered synonymous  with Pritchardia martii.

Pritchardia lowreyana is endemic to both the Islands of Molokai and Oahu.  Once thought to be extinct on Oahu, this species has recently been rediscovered by hikers Joel Lau and Kenji Suzuki growing on a steep north facing slope of the Ko’olau mountain range a few hundred feet below  the summit of Pu’u Ohulehule.

When first recorded in his monograph of Pritchardia in 1921, Odoardo Beccari wrote that a little known species Pritchardia macrocarpa lived in the Ko’olau Mountains on Oahu.  However, Don Hodel showed, in 2007, that Pritchardia macrocarpa was not an appropriate application of the name and suggested it be dropped.  He stated that the appropriate name for this species is Pritchardia lowreyana, which until then was known only to exist on Molokai.  More details on the species are found in the account written for the Island of Molokai.

Pritchardia martii, Foster Garden, Honolulu

Pritchardia martii is endemic to the Island of Oahu where it grows in mountainous rain forests to 3000 feet elevation.  The epithet honors the 19th Century German plant explorer Carl F.P. von Martius.  Hawaiians call this tree Loulu hiwa (dark loulu).

This palm is slow growing, short and stocky with a trunk that attains a height of 12 feet and a diameter of 1 foot (a dwarf).  The leaf crown is open and nearly spherical because of the 3 to 4 foot long, stout, felt-covered petioles.  The leaves are 3 to 4 feet wide, semicircular, broad and flat with shallow and broad, stiff segments.  Leaf color is deep olive to nearly bluish green above but silvery bronze beneath because of a dense covering of felty scales.  The fruit are small and ellipsoidal about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long by 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide narrowing at both ends.  The flower stalk grows past the ends of the leaves.  (Note the flower stalk in the photo above is shorter than the leaves; this specimen is not at the habitat elevation, though on the native  island).  Seedlings will tolerate sun from an early age and small plants are great candidates for container specimens.

Pritchardia martii, Muolea, Hana, Maui

Pritchardia martii (hastula detail), Muolea, Hana, Maui

Pritchardia martii (underleaf showing tomentum), Muolea, Hana, Maui

Pritchardia bakeri is endemic to the Island of Oahu where it is found in the Ko’olauloa District in Kahuku growing at an elevation of 1700 to 1800 feet.  This species of loulu was recently distinguished as a separate species.  The trunk grows to a height of 25 to 30 feet with a diameter of 8 to 10 inches, is mostly grayish, brownish if protected from the sun,  sports longitudinal grooves and faint leaf base scar rings.  The infructescences extend up to twice the length of the leaves, hold fruit approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter that are dark brown to black when ripe.

Exact numbers are not known, but an estimate states that there are fewer than 250 plants occurring in the Koolau Mountains.  It is more than likely endangered and the threats are the same faced by most of the other Pritchardia species, rats, pigs and weeds, but its location in a forest reserve has the potential for protective management.

The epithet honors Ray Baker of Lyon Arboretum of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, where he served for over 30 years.

There is only one species of loulu endemic to the Island of Lanai:

Pritchardia glabrata, Kahanu Garden, Honomaele, Hana, Maui

Pritchardia glabrata.  Prior to December, 2007, the species native to this island was called Pritchardia lanaiensis, after the habitat, but in his latest review of the genus Pritchardia, Don Hodel found that the Lanai native was really Pritchardia glabrata, which is also native to the west end of the Island of Maui.  The presentation on this species was included in the Chapter on the Island of Maui. Lanai is the third and last island comprising the County of Maui to be presented.  The Island of Kaho’olawe is not known to have any loulu population.  I have found no written accounts of whether or not there were any loulu there that are now extinct.

Pritchardia hillebrandii (seedling), Wakiu, Hana, Maui

Four species of loulu are endemic to Molokai: Pritchardia forbesiana, P. hillebrandii, P. lowreyana, and P. munroi.  Two, P. forbesiana and P. munroi are also endemic to the west end of Maui and have been presented with the other loulu native to Maui.

Pritchardia hillebrandii or Loulu lelo (yellowish loulu), is endemic to the Island of Molokai where it grows along the northeastern coastline at elevations of 100 to 1900 feet.  Today, the habitat is limited mainly to the tops of islets Huelo and Mokapa located off the north coast of Molokai.

P. hillebrandii is a medium sized palm with trunks that grow to 25 feet.  The fan shaped leaves’ lower surfaces are ashy-silvery along the petioles and ridges of segment folds.  They are waxy glaucous, sometimes to the point of appearing silvery as in the case of a specimen growing in the Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden on Oahu. The fruit are small yellowish or reddish brown globose shaped becoming intensely bluish or nearly black when ripe.  They are 3/4 inch in diameter, sometimes a little larger but less than 1 inch.

Pritchardia hillebrandii (hastula/petiole detail), Wakiu, Hana, Maui

The petiole and hastula details seen on this young specimen may not reflect the character seen on mature trees.  However, a noticeable trait that catches the attention here is the clean symmetry of the converging segment ridges as they come together at the hastula.  The hastula itself shows no prominent lip.

Pritchardia lowreyana, Foster Garden, Honolulu

Pritchardia lowreyana is endemic to the Island of Molokai, and in 2007 considered to be the appropriate name for what was formerly called Pritchardia macrocarpa on Oahu.  Its natural habitat on Molokai is at approximately 3000 feet elevation near Waialeia.  P. lowreyana is a short robust palm with thick leathery leaves and large black fruit with some 2000 specimens in habitat, it is not reproducing in the wild and faces threats and endangerment.

This species, when grown at or near sea level, seems to be affected by the change in elevation with character changes.  Through personal observation, differences in the size of the fruit and form of the leaves have been noticed.

Pritchardia lowreyana, Maui Nui Botanical Garden, Kahului, Maui

The size of the fruit on the specimen at both Foster Garden in Honolulu and the Maui Nui Botanical Garden in Kahului are not large as those described in the habitat by the Palm & Cycad Societies of Australia’s The Palms of Hawaii II article on their website.

There are five species of loulu endemic to the Island of Maui:  Pritchardia arecina, P. forbesiana, P. glabrata, P. munroi, and P. woodii.  Three of the species are also endemic to other islands.  Pritchardia munroi and P. forbesiana are also endemic to the Island of Molokai, as is P. glabrata to the Island of Lanai.

Pritchardia arecina, Nahiku, Hana, Maui

Pritchardia arecina is endemic to the slopes of Haleakala on the eastern end of the Island of Maui where it grows in the rain forest at an elevation of 2000 to 4000 feet.  The epithet is Latin for “little Areca”.

The trunk reaches heights of 40 feet or more with a diameter of 1 foot or less.  The leaf crown is hemispherical, with large, stiff, wedge shaped, 3 foot long leaves on 4 foot long petioles.  The young leaves are yellowish and the mature leaves retain a layer of golden, fringed scales on the under surfaces.  P. arecina has large round to ovoid fruit 2 inches across are dark brown to black and shiny when ripe.

As with other flora, Hawaii‘s geographic isolation has had a dramatic impact on the evolution of the genus Pritchardia.  “Pritchardia is a phenomenon of Pacific insular distribution with 2 species in Tonga and the Fijian Islands, P. pacifica and P. thurstonii, 2 species in the Tuamotu Islands of French Polynesia, P. pericularium and P. vuylstekeana, and 1 species of unknown Polynesian origin, P. maideniana, yet nowhere has the genus proliferated as in the Hawaiian Islands.   To date, the names of 33 species and 6 varieties of Pritchardia have been validly published for Hawaii, making Hawaii the richest palm area in terms of species in the United States.” (Hodel, 1980)

In respect to the proliferation into many taxa or the adaptive radiation of the genus Pritchardia, and given that the specimen in Nahiku, shown in the photograph above, closely follows the description of the species, variations in the physical character of different specimen of the species arecina are apparent in the following cases:

Pritchardia arecina, Piilanihale Heiau, Kahanu Garden, Honomaele, Hana, Maui

This mature specimen stands at the foot of Piilanihale Heiau in Honomaele at the Kahanu Garden.  The segments are somewhat longer and slightly pendent.  The seeds are significantly smaller that the 2 inches attributed to the species; the seeds from this tree are approximately 3/4 inch in diameter.

Young Pritchardia arecina, Kahanu Garden, Honomaele, Hana, Maui

Young Pritchardia arecina, Kahanu Garden, Honomaele, Hana, Maui

Young Pritchardia arecina, Kahanu Garden, Honomaele, Hana, Maui

At Kahanu Garden, many young trees have been planted on the grounds in recent years.  Even though the seeds originated from the same source, the seedlings are beginning to show some character differences as they mature.  In the juvenite plants above differences in coloration, as well as leaf and petiole details are apparent.

Pritchardia arecina, Private Garden, Muolea, Hana, Maui

The specimen pictured above shows significantly pendent segments.  The seeds on this tree have been different sizes over the years.  In 1990, when I first saw this tree, the seeds were only 3/4 inch in diameter, however, in 2006, the seeds were approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter, twice the previous size.

Young Pritchardia arecina, Wakiu, Hana, Maui

This young specimen above growing in my garden at Wakiu shows little or no tomentum on the underleaf, it has long slightly pendent segments, and long narrow petioles.  The seed for this young tree came from the tree in Nahiku.  It resembles the specimen that grows in the Hawaiian garden at the former Maui Zoo (now the Maui Nui Botanical Garden).  The seeds on that mature specimen were 3/4 inch in diameter.  The caretaker Rene Silva said that that tree was from a seed gathered by a state forest ranger from the Kailua area of East Maui.

Mature Pritchardia arecina, Wakiu, Hana, Maui

This mature specimen growing in my Wakiu garden is another descendant of the first tree pictured in this Maui chapter.  The seeds produced by this tree range from 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter.  The undersides of the leaves show the distinct gold tomentum around the hastula area on older leaves and a more silvery-white tomentum on the younger leaves.   This specimen is approximately 10 years old.

The parent tree grows at an elevation of approximately 1000 feet.  The ovoid seeds off the parent tree are 2 inches in diameter and are dark brown to black and shiny when ripe.  Seeds collected from a stand of Pritchardia arecina growing in a native habitat in the rain forest of Kuhiwa at an elevation of approximately 3000 feet are identical to the ones off the tree in Nahiku.  The lone tree in Nahiku was planted as part of an arboretum by Marion Cabral more than 50 years ago.  Due to rats, pigs and worms in the area devouring the fallen seeds, no volunteers have ever established themselves under or near the parent tree.

Tomentum on underleaf is golden on older leaves (Pritchardia arecina)

Tomentum on underleaf is silvery-white on younger leaves of the same tree.

Pritchardia arecina, Kahanu Garden (near awa garden), Honomaele, Hana, Maui

This mature specimen of Pritchardia arecina growing in Kahanu Garden exhibits segments that are long and slightly pendent; it produces medium size seeds approximately 3/4 inch in diameter.  This tree is quite similar to the specimen growing at the foot of Piilanihale Heiau.

Pritchardia arecina seeds from Nahiku tree

The seeds pictured above came from the Pritchardia arecina specimen growing in Nahiku.  They are identical in shape and size to the seeds that come from trees in the native habitat 2000 feet higher up the slope of Haleakala in the rain forest of Kuhiwa.

Pritchardia arecina (Wakiu) seeds

The second photo is of Pritchardia arecina seeds from the mature tree that grows in my Wakiu garden.  I believe the size difference is directly related to the elevation difference.  Although the Nahiku tree is approximately 2000 feet lower in elevation than the Kuhiwa habitat, the climate is similar.  Wakiu is about 120 feet in elevation, but it is also a drier climate and does not have as low temperatures in the winter as Nahiku and Kuhiwa.

Pritchardia forbesiana, Keanae Arboretum, Keanae, Maui

Pritchardia forbesiana is endemic to West Maui and East Molokai.  This species was reported by Beccari and Rock (1921) growing near Mauna E’eke north of Pu’u Kukui (West Maui Mountains) at about 4000 feet elevation.  In 1976, Pritchardia forbesiana was collected near the beginning of the trail to the summit of Pu’u Kukui at 3000 feet elevation (Hodel, “Notes on Pritchardia in Hawaii“, 1980; “A Review of the Genus Pritchardia“, 2007).

Through visual examination of the specimen growing at the Keanae Arboretum, I am able to describe Pritchardia forbesiana as growing to a height of 60 feet or more with a trunk diameter of approximately 10 to 12 inches.  The leaves are a waxy dark green on both sides; the segments run approximately 1/3 the way to the hastula of the leaf and are stiff to apices.  The leaves appear to be approximately 3 to 4 feet in diameter with stout petioles approximately 4 feet long.  The inflorescences are shorter than the leaves and produce globose fruit approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter that are purple to black when ripe.

Juvenile Pritchardia forbesiana, Wakiu, Hana, Maui

This young tree is growing in a clay soil that is solid when dry and mush when soaked over a period of several days of constant rain.  It has a definite yellow-golden hue in the petioles and the ribs of the leaves both the upper and lower surfaces.

The Hawaiians called the yellow hued Pritchardia,   Loulu lelo literally meaning yellow loulu.  Though the name is tied more specifically  to Pritchardia hillebrandii, Loulu lelo would be an appropriate name for P. forbesiana and P. arecina as well; possibly others too.

Pritchardia forbesiana (crown detail) Keanae Arboretum, Keanae, Maui

The fruit clusters are seen in the crown of this tree at the arboretum in Keanae.  The crown is rather loose and airy, possibly due to its location which is shady most of the day.

P. forbesiana fruit

The fruit of Pritchardia forbesiana are approximately half the size of Pritchardia arecina.  The coloration when ripe is about the same, but P. arecina is tannish gray before it turns black.

Pritchardia glabrata, Kahanu Garden, Honomaele, Hana, Maui

Pritchardia glabrata is endemic to the Island of Maui, it grows at elevations of 1500 to 2000 feet in the valleys of the West Maui Mountains near the Iao Needle and on the Island of Lanai. It is little known and not widely cultivated.  The epithet is Latin for “glabrous”.

An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms by Robert Lee Riffle and Paul Craft, published by Timber Press in 2003 classifies this species as Pritchardia remota var. glabrata.  The specimen at Kahanu Garden produces seeds of approximately 1/2 inch in diameter as does the specimen growing in a private garden in Muolea.

Pritchardia glabrata with fruit, Kahanu Garden, Honomaele, Hana, Maui

Pritchardia glabrata, Private Garden, Muolea, Hana, Maui

This specimen growing in a private garden in Muolea is more than 30 years old; the trunk is approximately 3 feet in height and has a diameter of 6 inches.

Pritchardia munroi, Maui Nui Botanical Garden (formerly Maui Zoo), Kahului, Maui

Pritchardia munroi is a rare and critically endangered species endemic to the islands of Maui and Molokai.  Their native habitats are a dry, evergreen scrub forest in two gulches at an elevation of 2500 feet above Kamalo near Puakoolau on Molokai and south of Pu’u Kukui on Maui.  The epithet honors George Munro, an early 20th Century New Zealand naturalist on Molokai.

The trunk of this species grows to 20 feet in height and 1 foot in diameter.  It is light brown and covered with dense, brown leaf sheath fibers in its younger parts.  The leaf crown is nearly spherical and is open because of the 4 foot long stout petioles.  Individual leaves are deep green, 3 feet long, semicircular to wedge shaped, and deeply costapalmate.  The segments are shallow and are stiff in younger leaves, with slightly pendent apices in older leaves.

Pritchardia munroi, Wakiu, Hana, Maui

Pritchardia munroi (hastula detail), Wakiu, Hana, Maui

Pritchardia munroi (underleaf), Wakiu, Hana,Maui

The two Pritchardia munroi trees shown in photographs above, one located in Maui Nui Botanical Garden and one in my Wakiu garden, are closely related.  The tree growing in Wakiu is an offspring of the tree growing in Kahului.  The seed for the Wakiu tree was collected in the mid 1980s when Maui Nui Botanical Garden had not yet existed, the tree was part of the Hawaiian Garden in the old Maui Zoo.

These trees show a dramatic example of environmental impact on the growth pattern of loulu.  These photographs were both taken in the year 2006.  The Kahului environment is one of fairly low rainfall, sandy soil and mostly sunny days.  In Hana, the rainfall is considerably greater, the soil is clay with more humus on the surface layer and sunshine is less intense throughout the year.

The age of the parent tree is unknown; it appears not to have gained significantly in height since the seed was collected.  The tree in Hana was a seedling yet in 1990 when it was planted in its present location in Wakiu.  The size difference between parent and offspring is remarkable.  Both trees produce medium size fruit, approximately 3/4 inch in diameter.  I have not come across any written account of fruit size for Pritchardia munroi in its native habitat.

Pritchardia munroi (fruit), Wakiu, Hana, Maui

Finally, we add what was formerly thought to be stands of Pritchardia arecina growing in Waihoi and Kipahulu Valleys, Pritchardia woodii is now considered a new species.  These newly named palms grow in groups of 5 to 10 trees scattered in their habitat areas in East Maui.

Pritchardia woodii are endemic to the valleys of Waihoi and Kipahulu on the eastern end of the Island of Maui.  They grow at an elevation of 2000 to 3000 feet.  This species has stems (trunks) with a diameter of 8 to 10 inches, are grayish, longitudinally grooved, and grow to a height of 40 feet or more.  The crown consists  of some 15 to 20 leaves that are nearly circular with a diameter of 3 1/2 to 4 feet held on petioles 2 to 3 feet long.  The fruit are large; ovoid to spherical with diameters of 1 1/2 to 2 inches.

These trees are considered endangered due to the low numbers growing in habitat.  They are known to be cultivated at the Wahiawa and Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens on Oahu.  Pritchardia woodii is said to be very similar to Pritchardia lanigera growing on the Big Island, however, it lacks the woolly indumentum on the rachillae and rachis found on that species.  P. woodii is similar to P. arecina which grows to the north and northeast on the slopes of Haleakala in slightly wetter areas.  But P. arecina has leaf blades  which are completely covered abaxially with lepidia and the petioles are covered with fibers at their base.

The epithet honors Ken Wood, a field botanist for the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kauai.  He is an avid collector of loulu, the Hawaiian Pritchardia.

There are five species of loulu considered to be endemic to the Big Island:  Pritchardia beccariana, P. gordonii, P. lanigera, P. schattaueri, and P. maideniana (which is found cultivated in the Kona region, but its native habitat is not known).

Pritchardia beccariana, Wakiu, Hana, Maui

Pritchardia beccariana is endemic to the windward mountainous rainforests of the island where it grows at an elevation of four thousand feet or so.  The epithet honors the Italian palm taxonomist Odoardo Beccari (1843-1920).

The mature trunks grow to sixty feet; more commonly to forty feet with a diameter of one foot.  Deep brown with closely set leaf scar rings, the trunk shows off narrow vertical fissures.  The leaf crown is spherical because of the persistent dead leaves; it attains a spread of fifteen feet.  The leaves are three to four feet wide and semi to almost circular.  The leaf segments  extend to one third of the leaf blade, and the stout petioles extend into the blades, forming a distant midrib.  The leaf blade is slightly folded and cup shaped when young.  They are bright clear green on both sides; the segments are slightly pendent at their apices.  The petiole is stout, five feet long, light brownish, and covered in a chalky, light brown to almost white felt when young.  The inflorescences are five feet long and many branched, they bear small yellowish bisexual flowers.  The fruit are one inch wide, round and glossy black when ripe.

These threes thrive in partial shade to full sun except in the hottest climates where it needs protection from the midday sun.  Pritchardia beccariana loves water and must not suffer drought conditions.  It also needs humus rich soil that is well drained.   The species is one of the tallest growing of the genus.  Younger plants are incredibly attractive up close because of the near perfection of the heavy leaves.

Of the five loulu species native to the Island of Hawaii, Pritchardia beccariana is found in ‘Ola’a, a forest in the Volcanoes National Park, and can be easily seen from Wright Road (Highway 148).  Mature trees emerge far above the canopy of ‘Ohi’a (Metrosideros polymorpha), tree ferns and other common rain forest  trees.  This species of loulu is also distributed over uncleared forest outside the National Park and is not considered rare; however, the threats to reproduction from rats, feral pigs and insects should be considered for close observation.

Pritchardia beccariana (hastula/leaf detail), Wakiu, Hana, Maui

The hastula on Pritchardia beccariana is more pointed that it is on most other loulu species.

Pritchardia beccariana (hastula detail), Wakiu, Hana, Maui

Pritchardia gordonii honors Rick Gordon of the Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Forestry and Wildlife Division.  Rick has been aware of these loulu since the 1960s, and has looked after their conservation and protection.  He brought them to the attention of others.

P. gordonii is represented by about twenty three mature palms in two populations about a hundred yards apart in the Kohala Mountains at an elevation of 1350 to 1700 feet.  These trees grow a stem (trunk) to 65 feet or more in height with a diameter of approximately 10 inches.  The trunks are longitudinally grooved and faintly ringed by leaf base scars.  The fruit are oblate, dark brown to black and 1 1/2 to 2 inches across.  The leaf blades are glossy light green, deeply divided, with pendulous segment tips.  It is very similar to Pritchardia schattaueri which is endemic to the South Kona area of the island.

The threats facing these palms: rats, invasive exotic weeds; stawberry guava (Bidium cattleianum), Indian fleabane (Pluchea indica) and assorted grasses.  The species is considered endangered.

Although cultivated specimens of this palm are known to be growing at the Wahiawa Botanical Garden on Oahu, I was not able to locate them for photographing.

Pritchardia lanigera has its habitats in the wet f0rest of the Kohala Mountains, the northern and eastern slopes of Mauna Kea, and the southern slopes of Mauna Loa.  This species grows at elevations of 1600 to 5000 feet.  The stems attain a height of 50 feet.  The petioles are covered with felt, from which the Latin epithet lanigera is derived.  It means  “wool-bearing”.  The species sports large leaves which are 4 or more feet wide, perfectly semi-circular, emerald green and supported by long, stout petioles.  The segments are short and stiff in new leaves, turning pendent at the apices with age.

Pritchardia maideniana, which was formerly known as Pritchardia affinis until late 2007, is probably endemic to the western coast of the Island of Hawaii.  It is thought to be extinct as a naturally occurring  species.  It is known to grow from sea level to an elevation of 2000 feet in mesic forests, where it is probably an escape from cultivation.  Specimens of this species are growing in areas of East Maui from Kaupo to Ha’o’u and elsewhere on the island.  I would speculate that seeds or seedlings were brought to Maui from the Kona area of the Big Island in the days of old for cultivation where the leaves were subsequently used  for thatching.  The species native to East Maui, Pritchardia arecina and Pritchardia woodii, grow in more inaccessible locales in the rain forests of Haleakala at elevations of 2000 to 4000 feet.  In pre-contact Hawaii, there was considerable interaction between the residents of West Hawaii and East Maui; travel between the two locales was by canoe.  The East Maui coast was prized  by the warrior chiefs of ancient Hawaii for its natural resources and fertile farming lands.  The epithet honors Joseph H. Maiden, a 19th-century Australian botanist.  It has unknown origins.  The former name carries the epithet that is Latin for “similar to”; probably on account of early identification not being certain of this species belonging in the genus Pritchardia; its affinities differ from most of the other members of the genus, i.e., it is somewhat salt tolerant and grows at low elevations.

Pritchardia maideniana, formerly known as Pritchardia affinis var. gracilis, Foster Garden, Honolulu, Hawaii

The trunk of this tree grows to a height of 55 feet; some even to 80 feet.  The diameter of the trunk is 12 to 15 inches and light to dark tan in color.  The leaf crown is open and hemispherical unless dead leaves persist.  Individual leaves are 3 to 4 feet long on 4 foot long petioles and are roughly wedge shaped, deeply costapalmate with stiff segments, deep green and slightly paler underneath.  The inflorescences are shorter than the leaf crown with stout hairless yellowish flower clusters.  They produce round black fruit less than 1 inch in diameter.  A distinguishing character of this species is the long, tangled, woolly hairs on the underside of the petioles and at the base of the lower leaf blade.

Pritchardia maideniana at the Piilanihale Heiau, Honomaele, Hana, Maui

Chances are these trees are decendants of trees (seeds) brought from the Kona area of the Big Island to this site so the leaves could be used for thatching of structures on the heiau and the fruit eaten by the residents of the area.  There are other specimens of this species growing along the Hana coast.

At a point back a few years, these trees were considered a separate species, Pritchardia honomaele, after the geographic area as was done with several of the Hawaiian species, e.g., Pritchardia kahukuensis, Pritchardia lanaiensis and Pritchardia waialealeana.

Pritchardia maideniana, Muolea, Hana, Maui

This specimen grows in a private garden in Muolea on the coast of East Maui just south of Hana.  There does not seem to be much variation in physical traits among the different specimens of this species that I have encountered.  This species is native to low elevation; changes in locale at low elevations does not seem to produce noticeable changes in character.

Historically found only on the Big Island in the Kohala Mountains and along the western and southeastern coasts, Pritchardia maideniana in recent times is found much dispersed.  Specimens  have been noticed scattered throughout much of the coastal range at Kiholo, Kukio, near Palani Road, on Ali’i Drive in Kailua, in Captain Cook, at Hookena, at Miloli’i, and at Punalu’u.  Most of these sightings have been in areas of human habitation as was the cases on the Island of Maui mentioned earlier.  It is highly likely that these trees were cultivated by the Hawaiians living in these areas rather than having occurred there naturally.

The species is one of five native to the Island of Hawaii, however, its place of origin is not known.  It is also found in the South Pacific, but only as cultivated specimens.  The species’s capacity to grow in low, dry elevations and its salt tolerance probably made it an ideal candidate for cultivation by the early Hawaiians and the South Pacific Polynesians.  The species appears to have more genetic affinities with the Fiji and Tonga species.  Perhaps its habits were fashioned by early cultivation of the species by the Polynesians.

As with just about all of the other loulu, the major threats to Pritchardia maideniana are predation on seeds by roof rats, feral pigs and man; loss of habitat lands due to development, stochastic extinction, reduced reproduction due to lesser numbers of existing individuals.

Pritchardia schattaueri is a rare and endangered species endemic to the southwestern coast of the Island of Hawaii, where it grows at elevations of 2000 to 2600 feet.  Donald Hodel bestowed the epthet in 1985 to honor George Schattauer of Kona, Hawaii, the person who discovered the species in 1960.  In 1985, only a dozen individuals were left in the wild.

This is one of the tallest species in the genus; the trunk rises to an incredible height of 130 feet, with a diameter of 1 foot.  The leaf crown is spherical and dense.  Each of the 30 leaves is 5 to 6 feet wide, semicircular, and glossy deep green on both sides.  The 6 or 7 foot-long petioles are covered in a light brown, chalky tomentum on their lower surfaces.  The fruit are globose to obovoid 1 to 2 inches long and 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide.  They are brown to black with brown spots when ripe.

The species prefers a sunny, moist but well drained location.  It is probably the fastest growing of all Pritchardias.  It is a strikingly elegant and beautiful species that is now in cultivation but still rare.

The Loulu palm is friendly.  It has no thorns to intimidate you.  It is beautiful and captures the essence of “tropical”.  I recall seeing my first loulu in 1970; an acquaintance happened to have a potted specimen with him from a plant sale when I met up with him in Central Maui.  I admired the palm so much I resolved to get one for my garden.  The fan palms I recall to that point had thorns.  They were most likely Livistona chinensis, the Chinese fan palm that is plentiful around the Hana area.

Within a year or two, I did acquire my own thornless fan palm.  I was still not aware of  loulu.  Later in the 1970s I read about these Hawaiian palms in an article in our local newspaper.  The article mentioned that there were a number of species of loulu and that they were endemic  to specific areas on each of the islands in Hawaii.  The spark of interest lit a passion in my being.  To collect and grow at least one of each of the species in my garden became a goal.  I determined that the specimen I was growing was a Pritchardia thurstonii which is native to Fiji.

Pritchardia thurstonii, my first Pritchardia acquisition

In the spring of 1980, I was walking on the grounds of a hotel in Kona on the Big Island, waiting for my flight time to return to Hana, when I came across a stand of Pritchardia palms that were not too tall and loaded with ripe fruit, some of which were on the ground.  I picked up a few fruit and brought them home with me.  Two of the seeds from these fruit germinated and grew into fine specimens.  I was sure the specimens I acquired were Pritchardia beccariana, a species native to East Hawaii (the Big Island).  The leaves of this palm were very flat and about four to five feet in diameter.  I had read that Pritchardia beccariana was the largest of the Hawaiian species; this acquisition had such large leaves it just had to be P. beccariana.     But, several years later, when I acquired a specimen of Pritchardia pacifica at a plant sale, I realized that what I had growing in my garden was also Pritchardia pacifica.  They also are native to Fiji.

Pritchardia pacifica, my second acquisition of Pritchardia palms

My quest to acquire a specimen of each of the Hawaiian Pritchardia species was off to a slow start.  The Hawaiian garden at the Maui Zoo in the early 1980s became a source of seed for several species; only one specimen (Pritchardia munroi) grew to maturity, the rest succumbed to either disease or trunk boring pests.  I discovered a specimen of Pritchardia arecina, the species endemic to the slopes of Haleakala, the mountain that forms the east end of the Island of Maui.  It is a cultivated specimen growing in a semi-wild environment at about 1000 feet elevation in Nahiku.  The native habitat is at 2000 to 4000 feet elevation along  the northeastern face of Haleakala.

Pritchardia arecina, the source of seed for my first Loulu acquisition

In 1993, I brought home three specimens of Pritchardia beccariana from Hilo on the Big Island.  Two of these trees are growing at our former residence where the P. thurstonii and P. pacifica are shown; one of these is shown in the photo below:

Pritchardia beccariana, brought to Hana from the volcano area on the Big Island

In 1990, I started a new garden some two hundred yards up the road from our old residence on our farm lot.  This is where my collection began in earnest, where the specimen of Pritchardia munroi still lives.  I have added to the loulu collection over the years; there are now specimens of Pritchardia arecina, Pritchardia beccariana, Pritchardia forbesiana, Pritchardia hillebrandii, Pritchardia maideniana,  Pritchardia martii, Pritchardi remota and others.  The latest account by Don Hodel now states that there are twenty four species native to Hawaii.  Palm collecting is addictive.  I found myself trading my loulu seeds with a seed merchant for seeds of exotic palm species from around the world.   There are some incredibly beautiful and strange looking palms.  They do not all grow for me here in Hana.

Pritchardia remota, Wakiu, Hana, Maui

Loulu

Loulu is the Hawaiian name for the palms of the genus Pritchardia.  The genus is comprised of some thirty or so species of fan palms, currently twenty four are considered endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.  These trees range from twenty five to a hundred feet in height.  They have solitary trunks or stems, are monoecious (having  both male and female flowers) with costapalmate (fan shaped with a midrib) leaves.  They inhabit all of the major islands of the Hawaiian chain as well as Nihoa Island to the northwest of Kauai.

Many of these palms are endangered and some are extinct in their native habitats.  The bulk of these beautiful palms grows in rain forests above one thousand feet in elevation.  Those species native to drier areas grow at or near surface or seeping waters  usually fed by springs.  The endangered status of many of these palms is the result of invasive species of plants and animals degrading the natural habitat and or devouring  the seeds and seedlings.

Loulu have large, stiff, pleated costapalmate  (though not obvious) leaves; most species have wide, nearly flat leaves.  The petioles (leaf stalks) are long, stout and unarmed, often covered in a dense chalklike light tomentum as are the sheaths (leaf based that attaches to the stem or trunk).  The inflorescences (cluster of flowers) sometimes extend  beyond the leaf crown; they consist of a tubular series of bracts (modified leaf below the flowers) from which the stiff and short flowering branches project  bearing white, yellow or orange bi-sexual flowers.  The fruit range from 1/4 inch to 2 inches or more in diameter; and are spherical to ovoid in shape taking on a reddish brown to black color when ripe.  The immature fruit are considered a delicacy by Hawaiians.

The young fruits and flowers  of one species of loulu in the Kohala Mountains of the Big Island were apparently an important food source for an endemic Hawaiian honeycreeper, the bright red, dramatically marked ‘ula’ai hawane, a bird last seen a century ago and now considered extinct.

Some species grow near the seashore and can withstand salt laden winds and slight salinity in the soil.  These are some of the world’s most beautiful palms and should be considered for a position in any tropical  or near-tropical garden large enough to accommodate them that is not affected by lethal yellowing.

Loulu is used medicinally by the Hawaiians to treat ‘ea, thrush disease of children evident by a coated tongue sometimes accompanied by sore throat, and pa’ao’ao, a latent childhood disease causing physical weakening in children and adults.  The leaf bud and inner flesh of the palm are combined with niu (coconut, cocos nucifera), ko kea (white sugarcane, Saccharum officiarnarum),  ‘ohi’a bark (Metrosideros sp.) and  ‘ala’alawainui pehu (Peperomia sp.).   All of the items are pounded into a liquid form and drunk three times a day.

Loulu palm leaves were erected to signify a temporary, special ‘heiau loulu’ (shrine) where gods of fishing were seasonally propitiated.  One of the most elegant fans known from the Hawaiian Islands is thought to have been made partly from loulu fronds.  In the Ethnology Collection at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu there is a hat that is likely made from these fronds as well.

The leaves were also used by the Hawaiians for thatch on their dwellings in the vicinity of the loulu stands.  Most species of loulu grow in the rainforest on mountain slopes at elevations above 1000 feet.  This being the case, loulu leaves were not always the most convenient source of thatching as most dwellings were erected  in less harsh climes.  The loulu that grow in the drier climates of the lowlands and coastal  regions such as Pritchardia maideniana and Pritchardia hillebrandii may have been cultivated  and transported to other areas for cultivation in order to have a ready source of thatching material as well as a source of the edible fruit.

In studying this genus of palms, I find variations of the physical traits of certain species when cultivating them in other than their native ground or immediate vicinity.  The most noticeable impacts I see are upon the size of fruit and the character of leaf.  These impacts are seen in specimens cultivated at lower elevations and drier climates than in the native habitats.  Loulu are suspected of readily hybridizing, so differences appearing in successive generations are not a surprise.  This is especially true if the environment in which a specimen is relocated contains specimens of other species of loulu.  In these kinds of situations, it is best that the flowers are hand pollinated to ensure the seeds produce true to the species.

The photograph below shows two specimens of Pritchardia; one of them is Pritchardia arecina I was told by the caretaker of the old Hawaiian garden that was part of the Maui Zoo.  Rene Silva said a forestry ranger gave him the seeds to plant.  Neither of these trees look like the Pritchardia arecina in the earlier photograph that is growing in Nahiku.

Pritchardia spp., Maui Nui Botanical Garden, Kahului, Maui

In 1980, Don Hodel listed in the Journal Principes thirty three species and six varieties of loulu.  Since then, groups of species with overlapping character traits have been consolidated into a single species.  The movement was most prominent on the Island of Oahu where at least seven former species  (gaudichaudii, kahanae, kahukuensis, kamapuaana, macdanielsii, martioides, and rockiana) were consolidated into the species Pritchardia martii. The species Pritchardia lowreyana absorbed brevicalyx, donata, and macrocarpa.  Pritchardia elliptica joined Pritchardia lanaiensis and Pritchardia insignis merged with Pritchardia hillebrandii. Pritchardia napaliensis has since been added to the list of loulu.

In December, 2007, Don Hodel published his A Review of the Genus Pritchardia as a supplement to the quarterly Palms of the International Palm Society.  Once again, species either disappeared, were absorbed into another species, or were separated out and added to the list as a new species.  Interestingly, the review disclosed that there are still twenty three Pritchardia species (loulu) native to Hawaii.  On Niihau, the endemic P. aylmer-robinsonii was found to be a variety of P. remota.  The endemic on Lanai, P. lanaiensis was found to be P. glabrata, which is also endemic to West Maui.  Pritchardia forbesiana which was formerly thought to be endemic only to West Maui is now found to be also endemic to East Molokai and P. munroi which was thought to be endemic only to East Molokai is now found to be endemic to West Maui as well.  In East Maui, a new species  has been identified as Pritchardia woodii; it was formerly thought to be P. arecina.  On Oahu, Pritchardia kahukuensis which was made part of P. martii in 1980 has now been pulled back out as a separate species and P. macrocarpa which is thought to be only known as cultivated specimens is more appropriately named Pritchardia lowreyana.  On the Big Island, Pritchardia affinis lost its status to Pritchardia maideniana, a name that has appeared in the past.  Pritchardia gordonii is a new species native to the Kohala Mountains also on the Island of Hawaii.   On Kauai, the species P. limahuliensis was found to be identical to P. napaliensis; specimens found at higher elevations are P. perlmanii.

In 2007, the lineup of Hawaiian species of Pritchardia was as follows:

Nihoa:  Pritchardia remota

Kauai:  Pritchardia flynnii, P. hardyi, ~P. limahuliensis, P. minor, P. napaliensis, P. perlmanii, P. viscosa, P. waialealeana

A Stand of Loulu at the edge of the Concrete Jungle, Ala Moana Beach Park, Honolulu.

Hawaii is one of the most isolated landmasses on the planet.  In its isolation a biota high in endemic species evolved.  Hawaii is said to have one of the highest levels of endemism in the world.  The fragile ecosystem that was present at the time did not withstand the onslaught of introduced plants and animals that came with human migration.  Hawaii today is known for its high rate of plant and animal extinction.  The native palms unique to Hawaii rank vulnerable to critically endangered.  In fact, at least two of the species currently cultivated are considered extinct in their native habitats.

Pritchardia arecina at the foot of Piilanihale Heiau, Honomaele, Hana, Maui