Howea

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information:

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Monocots > Arecales > Arecaceae > Howea

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:         Kentia Palm

• The palm gets its common name from the capital of Lord Howe Island, Kentia

Conservation status: Vulnerable

• In the wilderness, both species of Howea are categorized as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Etymology:   

• The genus name, Howea, comes from the island's name

Flowers:                  

• The inflorescences, erect at first but later pendulous

• They appear between the leaf stems, although as a result of leaf-fall they may appear to have arisen from below the leaves

• Hybridisation between the two species is rare because H. forsteriana flowers seven weeks earlier than H. belmore

Fruit:                         

Leaves:         

• The leaves are pinnate, and the well-developed sheaths eventually disintegrate into a criss-crossed mass of fine fibres around the trunk

Stem & branches: 

• The trunk is erect, bare, and carries prominent leaf scars, with its base sometimes expanded into a knob-like shape

• There is no crownshaft

Roots:         

Habit:        

• Unarmed, monoecious palms of moderate size

Habitat:   

• H. forsteriana is common in lowland forest on Lord Howe Island, preferring sandy soils

• H. belmoreana occurs as scattered individuals with H. forsteriana, but becomes abundant at higher elevations up to 450 m

• Lord Howe Island, at approximately 31°S, has a subtropical climate

  • Summers are mild to warm with regular rain, and winters are wetter and somewhat cooler

  • Average maximum temperatures range between 17 °C and 20 °C in winter and from 24 °C to 27 °C in the summer

  • In winter, average minimum temperatures range between 12 °C and 15 °C, and 18 °C to 22 °C in summer

  • Humidity averages in the 60 to 70 per cent range all year round

Distribution:                  

• Endemic to Lord Howe Island, Australia

Species:                     

• World:           2

• Australia:     2

Additional notes:     

• Howea is a genus of two palms, H. belmoreana and H. forsteriana

• Species identification

  • The two species can be distinguished by leaf anatomy: 

    • H. forsteriana has rather flat fronds with elegantly drooping leaflets

    • H. belmoreana has curved leaves with erect leaflets giving the fronds a more angular appearance

  • More technically: 

    • If the inflorescence is a single spike and the rachis of the leaves is arcuate, the species is H. belmoreana

    • If the inflorescence consists of 3 to 5 (up to a maximum of 8) spikes arising from a single broad base, and the rachis of central and lower leaves is horizontal and drooping, the species is H. forsteriana

• Cultivation

  • H. forsteriana in particular is commonly grown as an indoor plant in the Northern Hemisphere

  • The two species form the mainstay of the island's palm seed industry and more importantly its trade in newly germinated seedlings

  • The palms are also cultivated on Norfolk Island, where seeds are produced for export

  • Howea spp. grow well in subtropical climes, and are hardy to the USDA zone 9b

  • They are widely grown in warm temperate climates, and there are also occasional healthy specimens in tropical areas such as Hawaii

  • H. belmoreana, with its erect fronds and aversion to life in a pot, is not as commonly cultivated indoors as the graceful H. forsteriana, which is often referred to as the Kentia palm

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howea (2023)