Cyphosperma trichospadix

Cyphosperma trichospadix
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Genus:	Cyphosperma
Species:	C. trichospadix
Binomial name
Cyphosperma trichospadix (Burret) H.E. Moore

Cyphosperma trichospadix (trichospadix being derived from the Greek words for "hair" and "spadix," an allusion to the hirsute spathe of the inflorescence) is a species of evergreen flowering plant in the Arecaceae family. It is endemic to Fiji, currently threatened by habitat loss, and thus extremely rare in cultivation.

Habitat

This understory plant thrives in rainy, cloudy mountains and forests at elevations ranging from to 2,000 to 4,000 feet (610 to 1,220 m).

Physical characteristics

A medium-size palm reaching approximately 23 feet (7.0 m) in height with 2-foot-long (0.61 m) leaflets. Its fruits are oval, no more than 2 cm long, and pale yellow when ripe.

Sources

• Lee Riffle, Robert, and Paul Craft. The Tropical Look, An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Portland: Timber Press, 2003. The Tropical Look, An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms, pages 318-319
• The Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia. 31 Oct. 2008. PACSOA. 12 July 2009.
• Fuller, D. 1998. Cyphosperma trichospadix. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 20 July 2007.