Laccospadix australasica H. Wendl. & Drude, 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)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Atherton palm, black palm, mountain mist palm

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Small to moderate, solitary or clustering, unarmed, pleonanthic, monoecious palm.  Stem erect, becoming bare, conspicuously ringed with leaf scars.  Leaves pinnate, marcescent; sheaths soon splitting opposite the petiole, bearing scattered scales, the margins becoming fibrous; petiole long, adaxially channeled, abaxially rounded, bearing scattered scales; rachis curved, scaly like the petiole; leaflets numerous, single-fold, conspicuously plicate, acute or acuminate, adaxially and abaxially with minute scattered scales, abaxially with conspicuous ramenta along the main ribs, transverse veinlets not visible.  Inflorescences solitary, interfoliar, protandrous, unbranched; peduncle winged at the base, erect, elongate, bearing scattered caducous scales; prophyll inserted at the base of the peduncle, flattened, tubular, 2-winged, ± included within the leaf sheaths, tending to disintegrate into fibers apically; peduncular bract 1, inserted near the tip of the peduncle, enclosing the spike in bud, splitting longitudinally, deciduous at anthesis; rachis ± equaling the peduncle, pendulous, bearing a slightly spiraled series of prominent, rounded bracts forming the lower lips of the floral pits; floral pits enclosing triads except at the apex where enclosing paired or solitary staminate flowers only, flowers exserted one at a time; floral bracteoles 3, ± sepal-like.  Staminate flowers borne on very short flattened pedicels, ± symmetrical; sepals 3, distinct, keeled, ± chaffy, with irregular margins; petals 3, ± twice as long as the sepals, distinct, triangular-ovate, valvate, marked within by anther impressions; stamens 9-12, erect, filaments very short, anthers ± elongate, basifixed, latrorse; pollen elliptic, monosulcate, with finely reticulate, tectate exine; pistillode minute, trifid.  Pistillate flowers ± globular; sepals 3, distinct, ± chaffy, with irregular margins; petals similar to but longer than sepals, distinct, broadly imbricate except at the valvate, triangular tip; staminodes 3, small, ± triangular; gynoecium unilocular, uniovulate, ovoid-ellipsoidal, tipped with 3, short, recurved stigmas, ovule attached laterally near the base, campylotropous.  Fruit ellipsoidal when fresh, red at maturity, perianth whorls persistent, the stigmatic scar apical; epicarp smooth, mesocarp thin, fleshy, overlying stout longitudinal fibers, endocarp thin, adherent to seed.  Seed laterally attached with short oblong hilum, the raphe ± extending the length of the seed, the raphe branches anastomosing, endosperm deeply ruminate; embryo basal.  Germination adjacent-ligular; eophyll bifid"  (Uhl & Dransfield, 1987; p. 384).

Habitat/ecology:  In its native habitat, "occurs in shaded, humid rain forest on mountain ranges and tablelands at altitudes of 800-1400 m above sea level"  (Uhl & Dransfield, 1987; p. 384).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Northeastern Queensland, Australia (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	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1989) (voucher ID: BISH 615476) Taxon name on voucher: Laccospadix australasica (single trunk)

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)	Queensland	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. 53) Cultivated only

Control:  If you know of control methods for Laccospadix australasica, please let us know.