Crops > Trees, palms & pandanus > Palms & cycads > Ptychosperma, invasive, Palau



Crops > Trees, palms & pandanus > Palms & cycads > Ptychosperma, invasive, Palau

Crops Trees, palms & pandanus Palms & cycads Ptychosperma, invasive, Palau

Ptychosperma, invasive, Palau

July 2015. Can anyone tell the name of this palm, and whether or not it could become invasive? The growth habit and number of fruits suggests that i might be. The stem diameter is less than 15 cm, and as the photo shows, there are multiple stems. These plants are about 3-4 m tall.

It was thought to be Ptychosperma sp. However, it was not possible to be confident about the species. Unfortunately, there was no advice on whether it is likely to be invasive. Most representatives of this genus hail from the New Guinea region. Two species reach northern Australia and several are regarded as native in Micronesia – which of course may include Palau.

Later, a member wrote that the images looked similar to an ornamental palm on Guam. It produced a lot of fruit but there was no indication that anything was feeding on it, but the situation in Palau may be different as bird fauna and rodents species different between the two countries. Ptyochosperma is described on the PIER website and a paper is attached.

Non-native ornamental palms

Title Owner Date Size
Non-native ornamental palms Grahame Jackson 12/7/2015 280.29 KB