Family: ARECACEAE
Genus: Heterospathe
Species: elata
Species Author: Scheff.
Vernacular: Sagisi Palm
Heterospathe elata, also known by the common name Sagasi palm, is found as a solitary tree that grows up to 15 m tall. The leaves are pinnately compound meaning that the leaf is divided into many leaflets that are arranged along the length of the midvein or rachis of the leaf. The leaves arch gracefully, are 3 m long, and bear up to 65 pairs of narrow leaflets. The inflorescence typically develops within the foliage and contains groups of three unisexual staminate (pollen producing) and pistillate (ovule producing) flowers. The staminate flowers are asymmetrical and contain up to 36 stamens. The pistillate flowers contain sterile stamens that do not produce pollen. The white fruit of this species is spherical (0.75 cm in diameter) and has a thin fruit wall.
(Dranfield, J. and N.W. Uhl. 1998. Palmae, pages 306-388, in Kubitzki, K. (ed.). 2006. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants: Flowering Plants Monocotyledons. (Volume 4). Springer, Berlin, Germany.)
(Neal, M.C. 1965. In Gardens of Hawai‘i. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, HI.)
Heterospathe elata does best in partial to full shade conditions in cultivation. It is a slow growing plant initially, however, once the trunk forms it can grow quite fast. When mature it continuously produces small white fruit. It is drought tolerant but does not withstand exposure to salt spray.
(Haynes, J. A. Hunsberger, J. McLaughlin, and L. Vasquez. Drought-tolerant, low-maintenance plants for south ‘Florida Yards’ and ‘Florida Landscapes’. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences: University of Florida Extension.)
Sagasi palm is native to Micronesia, the Moluccas, and the Philippines where it is found in lowland rainforests. Heterospathe contains around 28 species with a center of diversity in Papua New Guinea and a distribution in Fiji, Indonesia, Micronesia, the Moluccas, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
(Dranfield, J. and N.W. Uhl. 1998. Palmae, pages 306-388, in Kubitzki, K. (ed.). 2006. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants: Flowering Plants Monocotyledons. (Volume 4). Springer, Berlin, Germany.)
(Fernando, E.S. 1990. The genus Heterospathe (Palmae: Arecoideae) in the Philippines. Kew Bulletin 45: 219-234.)
(Norup, M.V., J. Dransfield, M.W. Chase, A.S.Barfod, E.S. Fernando, and W.J. Baker. 2006. Homoplasious character combinations and generic delimitation: a case study from the Indo-Pacific arecoid palms (Arecaceae: Areceae). American Journal of Botany 93(7): 1065-1080.)
The seeds of Sagisi palm are used as a substitute for betel nut (Areca catechu).
The specific epithet elata is a form of the Latin word elatus meaning tall in reference to the single, tall trunk of this palm.
Heterospathe elata is either native to Micronesia or was an early human introduction there. This species spreading in ravines and slopes in central Guam. Sagasi palm is the Heterospathe species that is most widespread species in cultivation.
(Fernando, E.S. 1990. The genus Heterospathe (Palmae: Arecoideae) in the Philippines. Kew Bulletin 45: 219-234.)
(Space, J.D. and M. Falanruw. 1999. Observations on invasive plant species in Micronesia. Access online on 15 August 2007 at http://hear.org/pier/pdf/
micronesia_report.pdf.)
Recent research on the genus Heterospathe based on morphological and molecular data indicates that it is a monophyletic genus meaning that all the species in this genus have evolved from a single common ancestor. The genus Alsmithia, which contains only a single species, is nested in Heterospathe. Two clades or groups of Heterospathe species are recognized, a Pacific clade that contains Heterospathe elata in addition to species from Papua New Guinea and Fiji and a second clade that contains only species from Papua New Guinea.
(Norup, M.V., J. Dransfield, M.W. Chase, A.S.Barfod, E.S. Fernando, and W.J. Baker. 2006. Homoplasious character combinations and generic delimitation: a case study from the Indo-Pacific arecoid palms (Arecaceae: Areceae). American Journal of Botany 93(7): 1065-1080.)
We currently have 1 herbarium specimens for Heterospathe elata in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.
- Unassigned - collected by Melany H. Chapin in 1999
