Tropical Plant Database - Plant Details

Wai‘oli Valley Pritchardia, known by the scientific name Pritchardia perlmanii, grows in forest vegetation with a solitary trunk that can reach 10 m in height and 30 cm in diameter. The palm leaves, that are often reffered to as fronds, are fan-shaped. The leaves grow up to 1 m long and are supported by an even longer stalk, or petiole, that can be up to 1.7 m long. This petiole and the base of the leaf blade is covered with dense, rust colored hairs that are distinctive to this species and allow it to be distinguished from other Loulu species. Pritchardia perlmanii produces many flowers in clusters that do not extend beyond the leaves. The individual flowers are only 1.5 cm long and fruits are black and pear-shaped, growing up to 4 cm long. (Gemmill, C. E., 1998. A new narrow, endemic species of Pritchardia (Arecaceae) from Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands. Novon 8(1):18-22)

The narrow geographic distribution of this species makes it vulnerable to natural disturbance such as the loss of plants that occurred during Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992. Seed predation by rats and herbivory of seedlings by goats and pigs negatively affect the regeneration of these populations. Trampling and herbivory results in ground cover removal that provides opportunities for alien plant species to establish, which then compete for resources with the native species. (Gemmill, C. E., 1998. A new narrow, endemic species of Pritchardia (Arecaceae) from Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands. Novon 8(1):18-22)

Pritchardia perlmanii is one of the endemic Hawaiian species that has a very narrow geographic distribution and is found only in Wai‘oli Valley, on Kaua’i. The Wai‘ole Valley contains lowland, mesic forest dominated by O‘hia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) and extends from 420-850m in elevation. This species was collected for the first time by botanists from the National Tropical Botanical Gardens and the first full species description was completed in 1998. The difficult access to the Wai‘oli Valley which has steep sidewalls and many hanging valleys may explain why this species was not identified and described until fairly recently. (Gemmill, C. E., 1998. A new narrow, endemic species of Pritchardia (Arecaceae) from Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands. Novon 8(1):18-22) (Hodel, D.R. 2007. A Review of the Genus Pritchardia. Palms 51(supplement): S1-S52.)

The genus name Pritchardia honors W. T. Pritchard who was a diplomat in Fiji during the nineteenth century. The specific epithet, perlmanii, honors Steven Perlman, a botanist at the National Tropical Botanical Garden who first noticed the unique features of this species.

Pritchardia perlmanii is represented by about 500 individuals in three populations. (Chapin, M.H., K.R. Wood, S.P. Perlman, and M. Maunder. 2004. A review of the conservation status of the endemic Pritchardia palms of Hawai‘i. Oryx 38(3): 273-281.) (Gemmill, C. E., 1998. A new narrow, endemic species of Pritchardia (Arecaceae) from Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands. Novon 8(1):18-22) (Hodel, D.R. 2007. A Review of the Genus Pritchardia. Palms 51(supplement): S1-S52.)

Rønsted, N., Nyberg, D. & Wood, K. (2021). Pritchardia perlmanii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T38742A83787962. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T38742A83787962.en.

Study of the germination requirements of Wai‘oli Valley pritchardia are underway and successful germination of seeds has allowed for the establishment of ex situ individuals in cultivation at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. (Gemmill, C. E., 1998. A new narrow, endemic species of Pritchardia (Arecaceae) from Kaua’i, Hawaiian Islands. Novon 8(1):18-22)

We currently have 19 herbarium specimens for Pritchardia perlmanii in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.

• Unassigned - collected by Tommy Taylor in 1990
• T026192 - collected by K. R. Wood in 1991
• 026065 - collected by K. R. Wood in 1992
• 026066 - collected by Steve Perlman in 1992
• Unassigned - collected by Steve Perlman in 1998
• 042998 - collected by K. R. Wood in 1998
• 042417 - collected by K. R. Wood in 1998
• Unassigned - collected by Steve Perlman in 1998
• Unassigned - collected by Steve Perlman in 1998
• Unassigned - collected by Steve Perlman in 1998
• 071722 - collected by K. R. Wood in 1999
• 046162 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2006
• 058160 - collected by Natalia Tangalin in 2006
• 058161 - collected by Natalia Tangalin in 2006
• 072517 - collected by Natalia Tangalin in 2010
• 073287 - collected by Natalia Tangalin in 2012
• 094179 - collected by K. R. Wood in 2024
• 095679 - collected by Scott Heintzman in 2024
• Unassigned - collected by K. R. Wood in 2025