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Livistona chinensis

(Jacq.) R.Br. ex Mart. (1838)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Monocots Order: Arecales Family: Arecaceae Genus: Livistona

Chinese fan palm, fountain palm

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees.

Stems: Trunk up to 15 m or more tall.

Roots: Fibrous root system.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate, spiral. Blades with a prominent undivided central area and numerous deeply bifid segments, their tips pendulous, up to 1.5 m long. Surfaces pale green. Petioles armed with stout prickles. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in clusters of up to 6, inflorescences up to 1 m or more long, of several branches along a single main rachis, each 2–3 times divided into rachillae, bracts brown tomentose. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx of 3 sepals. Corolla of 3 petals. Stamens 6. Ovary superior; carpels 3, distinct, but usually only 1 maturing; ovules 1 per carpel; styles connate in a 3-angled cone briefly 3-lobed at apex.

Fruit: Fruit bluish green to bright green; darker with age; ellipsoid to subglobose or pyriform; 1.5–2.6 cm long; 0.9–1.8 cm in diameter. Seeds with small basal hilum and elongate raphe; endosperm homogeneous except for a deep intrusion of seed coat below the raphe; embryo lateral near the middle on the antirapheal side.

Ploidy: 2n = 36

Habitat:

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Maui Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Water/Ocean

Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Hist. Nat. Palm. 3: 240 (1838)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:1364 (O); Oppenheimer 2003:5 (WM); Staples & Herbst 2005:623 (KEY, DESCR); Daehler & Baker 2006:12 (O); Oppenheimer 2011:6 (K)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Livistona chinensis Honolulu, 3759 Round Top Dr. wet forest, roadside Preserved_Specimen to 15 m tree; leaves 1.5 m long; petiole prickled Ray, G. 40 Oahu BISH 1997-08-25
2 Livistona chinensis Hanalei District, Kilauea Stream Locally naturalized. Randomly scattered on steep to near vertical slopes. Preserved_Specimen Solitary palms, all size classes observed. Portion of lower petiole with thorns, blade, terminal division of panicle, and seeds retrieved from ground submitted. Frond tips drooping, petiole much longer than blade, inflorescence shorter to about as long as frond (petiole + blade). Oppenheimer, H.L. 110819 Kauai BISH 2008-11-12
3 Livistona chinensis Olohena Clumped closely with Spathodea. Preserved_Specimen Tree about 12 ft tall. Most petioles have straight, stout spines. OED 2010031602 Kauai BISH 2010-03-16
4 Livistona chinensis Hanalei District, Kilauea Stream Locally naturalized. Randomly scattered on steep to near vertical slopes. Preserved_Specimen Solitary palms, all size classes observed. Portion of lower petiole with thorns, blade, terminal division of panicle, and seeds retrieved from ground submitted. Frond tips drooping, petiole much longer than blade, inflorescence shorter to about as long as frond (petiole + blade). Oppenheimer, H.L. 110819 Kauai BISH 2008-11-12
5 Livistona chinensis Honolulu - Capitol grounds - front of Armory taro vine climbing on it Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1953-05-01
6 Livistona chinensis Honolulu: Manoa Valley; University of Hawaii Manoa Campus Preserved_Specimen 80 ft. a.s. Krajina, V.J. 6288 Oahu BISH 1962-02-10
7 Livistona chinensis Hanalei District, Kilauea Stream Locally naturalized. Randomly scattered on steep to near vertical slopes. Preserved_Specimen Solitary palms, all size classes observed. Portion of lower petiole with thorns, blade, terminal division of panicle, and seeds retrieved from ground submitted. Frond tips drooping, petiole much longer than blade, inflorescence shorter to about as long as frond (petiole + blade). Oppenheimer, H.L. 110819 Kauai BISH 2008-11-12
8 Livistona chinensis Olohena Clumped closely with Spathodea. Preserved_Specimen Tree about 12 ft tall. Most petioles have straight, stout spines. OED 2010031602 Kauai BISH 2010-03-16
9 Livistona chinensis W Maui, Wailuku District, Iao Valley, above road near Kepaniwai Park Preserved_Specimen Solitary trunks to 8m tall, old leaves not persisting, trunk with scars from petioles, these also not persisting; leaves orbicular, sections divided about 1/2 way; inflorescence (not collected) shorter than the leaves, panicles branched. Oppenheimer, H.L. 10139 Maui BISH 2001-01-27
10 Livistona chinensis Honolulu: Kamehameha School grounds Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 6288 Oahu BISH 1919-03-01
11 Livistona chinensis Foster Gardens Preserved_Specimen fruit blue-green skin, pulp orange - thick, rather dry & mealy, eaten by birds Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1952-04-05
12 Livistona chinensis W Maui, Wailuku District, Iao Valley, above road near Kepaniwai Park Preserved_Specimen Solitary trunks to 8m tall, old leaves not persisting, trunk with scars from petioles, these also not persisting; leaves orbicular, sections divided about 1/2 way; inflorescence (not collected) shorter than the leaves, panicles branched. Oppenheimer, H.L. 10139 Maui BISH 2001-01-27
13 Livistona chinensis W Maui, Wailuku District, Iao Valley, above road near Kepaniwai Park Preserved_Specimen Solitary trunks to 8m tall, old leaves not persisting, trunk with scars from petioles, these also not persisting; leaves orbicular, sections divided about 1/2 way; inflorescence (not collected) shorter than the leaves, panicles branched. Oppenheimer, H.L. 10139 Maui BISH 2001-01-27
14 Livistona chinensis W Maui, Wailuku District, Iao Valley, above road near Kepaniwai Park Preserved_Specimen Solitary trunks to 8m tall, old leaves not persisting, trunk with scars from petioles, these also not persisting; leaves orbicular, sections divided about 1/2 way; inflorescence (not collected) shorter than the leaves, panicles branched. Oppenheimer, H.L. 10139 Maui BISH 2001-01-27
15 Livistona chinensis Honolulu, Capitol grounds, opposite Armory Preserved_Specimen Cinese Fan Palm. seeds 16 x 13 mm, fruits blue-green, 3/4 x 1/8, nerly globose, palm-12' tall with fan shaped leaves, split (not cler) petioles spiny, just above base-below middle. Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1951-05-31
16 Livistona chinensis Honolulu; Bishop Museum grounds Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1937-04-01
17 Livistona chinensis Honolulu, UH Manoa Preserved_Specimen Krajina, V.J. 6288 Oahu BISH 1962-02-10
18 Livistona chinensis Honolulu; Old Naval Station Preserved_Specimen Garber, D.W. 24 Oahu BISH 1919-10-30
19 Livistona chinensis Honolulu; Old Naval Station Preserved_Specimen Garber, D.W. 24 Oahu BISH 1919-10-30
20 Livistona chinensis Honolulu, Bishop Museum, Kamehameha School grounds Preserved_Specimen fruit nearly ripe, green Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1951-10-16
21 Livistona chinensis Honolulu - Kam School grounds, near Ewa gate to Bishop Museum Preserved_Specimen Green fruit Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1951-05-02
22 Livistona chinensis Foster Gardens Preserved_Specimen dark blue green fruit and flowers Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1951-02-21
23 Livistona chinensis Honolulu - opposite the Armory Preserved_Specimen Fan leaf palm Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1949-07-01
24 Livistona chinensis Honolulu, Bishop Museum grounds Preserved_Specimen fruit brown or green Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1943-09-06
25 Livistona chinensis Iolani Palace Grounds, near Archives bldg. by fence Preserved_Specimen fruit - ovoid, blue-green Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1952-04-15
26 Livistona chinensis Oahu Preserved_Specimen leaf stems spiny; fruit 10x8 mm, juvenile Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH
27 Livistona chinensis W Maui, Wailuku District, Iao Valley, above road near Kepaniwai Park Preserved_Specimen Solitary trunks to 8m tall, old leaves not persisting, trunk with scars from petioles, these also not persisting; leaves orbicular, sections divided about 1/2 way; inflorescence (not collected) shorter than the leaves, panicles branched. Oppenheimer, H.L. 10139 Maui BISH 2001-01-27
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