Pritchardia affinis

Pritchardia affinis, the Hawai'i pritchardia,[3] is a species of palm tree that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Wild populations currently exist on the leeward side of the Island of Hawaiʻi. It was most likely cultivated by Native Hawaiians, so its exact native range is uncertain. P. affinis reaches a height of 10–25 m (33–82 ft).[4] It is threatened by rats and pigs, which damage the trees and eat the seeds before they can grow. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. Its fruit was reportedly the preferred food of the now-extinct ula-ai-hawane—a niche that has been seemingly filled by the introduced lavender waxbill.

Sample shown in the US Botanic Garden.

Pritchardia affinis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Pritchardia
Species:
P. affinis
Binomial name
Pritchardia affinis

References
  1. Gemmill, C. 1998. Pritchardia affinis. 2011 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 9 July 2011.
  2. "Pritchardia affinis". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  3. "Pritchardia affinis". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  4. "Pritchardia affinis". CPC National Collection Plant Profiles. Center for Plant Conservation. Archived from the original on 2010-12-15. Retrieved 2011-03-02.


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