Caryota mitis Loureiro, 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)

Other Latin names:  Caryota griffithii Becc.; Caryota sobolifera Wall. ex Mart.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: duan sui yu wei kui

English: Burmese fishtail palm, clumping fishtail palm, clustered fishtail palm, clustering fishtail palm, fish tail palm, lesser fish tail palm, tufted fishtail palm, winepalm

French: caryote doux

Habit:  tree

Description: 

Genus: "Solitary or cespitose, dwarf to large, hepaxanthic, monoecious palms; leaf blades bipinnate, the pinnules cuneate, toothed on the truncate apex; inflorescences solitary at nodes, with prophyll and several tubular peduncular bracts; flowers in triads of 2 staminate and a pistillate, at least basally on rachillae; staminate flowers with 3 imbricate sepals, 3 valvate petals, and (6-) 9-100 or more stamens; pistillate flowers with 3 imbricate sepals, 3 petals connate in basal third and valvate above, minute (or absent) staminodes, and trilocular ovary with 1 or 2 locules fertile; fruit red to blackish, 1- or 2-seeded; seeds with ruminate endosperm."

Species: "Stems cespitose, to 13 m high and 12.5 cm in diameter; leaves to about 3 m long; inflorescence short, with rachillae about 30 cm long; staminate flowers with about 17 stamens; fruit blackish, about 12 mm in diameter" (Smith, 1979; p. 408).

"A multi-stemmed palm tree with crowded trunks of greatly mixed height, forming a clump usually less than 1.5 m across at the base.  Trunks grow to about 10 m (usually much less) and are 5-15 cm in diameter, with well-spaced rings.  Leaves bipinnate with the crowns having few leaves but collectively appearing dense.  The ascending leaves have long midribs and are about 2-4 m long.  The spreading leaflets are broadly to narrowly triangular, very asymmetrical.  Inflorescences are 25-50 cm long with crowded pale cream flowers.  Fruits are yellowish-green turning orange, dark red to almost black, 7-15 mm in diameter, 1-seeded."   (Smith, 2002; p.17).

Habitat/ecology:  "Commonly cultivated in tropical areas from where it appears to be spreading into rainforests, vine thickets and drainage lines" (Smith, 2002; p. 17).

Propagation:  "Produces a prolific number of viable seeds that germinate around the parent plant.  Seeds also spread when ingested and expelled by birds and animals.  Also spread as ornamental plantings."  (Smith, 2002; p. 17).

Native range:  India, Indonesia, Philippines, naturalized elsewhere (GRIN). Burma and Malaysia (Bodkin, 1986 cited in Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 98). "Burma to southeastern Asia and Indonesia; cultivated elsewhere" (Smith, 1979; p. 408).

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. 81)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 81)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced cultivated	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 35)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Fiji Islands	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (p. 408)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (p. 408)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 81)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Daehler, Curtis C./Baker, Raymond F. (2006) (p. 5) Voucher cited: C. Daehler 1202 (BISH)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. (1999) (p. 104)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 110) Voucher cited: MacKee 21266
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Koror (Oreor) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 81)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Palau Islands (main island group)		Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (2010) (p. 7)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native cultivated	Merrill, Elmer D. (1925) (p. 159) In forests near streams at low altitudes; cultivated for ornamental purposes.
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands	Wallis (‘Uvea) Island	introduced cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2007) (p. 28)

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)	Northern Territory	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Nicholas M. (2002) (p. 17)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 98) Potential weed species.
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Lowland rain forests, secondary forests, disturbed areas, and often cultivated; below 1000 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan.
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 294)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (p. 408)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 98)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	native	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 24) Common

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Caryota mitis, please let us know.