Hyophorbe amaricaulis

Hyophorbe amaricaulis
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Genus:	Hyophorbe
Species:	H. amaricaulis
Binomial name
Hyophorbe amaricaulis Mart.

Hyophorbe amaricaulis (synonym, Mascarena revaughanii L. H. Bailey) is a hurricane palm of the order Arecales, Family Arecaceae, Subfamily Arecoideae, Tribe Hyophorbeae. It is found exclusively on the island of Mauritius, and only a single surviving specimen^[1] has been documented in the Curepipe Botanic Gardens in Curepipe, which makes this as gravely threatened a species as there is, in any kingdom. It is reported to set white to cream-colored flowers, but years and years of efforts have not resulted in fertile offspring.

A close-up view of Hyophorbe amaricaulis leaves

The palm is about 12 meters high with a relatively thin gray trunk with a waxy crown shank. It is related to the bottle palm and spindle palm. It is said to resemble the green variety of H. indica.

References

1. ^ Mabberley, D.J.(1997):The Plant-Book, 2nd Ed., Cambridge University Press, UK ISBN 0-521-41421-0

• Ian Parker, "Digging for Dodos", The New Yorker, January 22, 2007, pp. 64–73.
• This article is based in part on the article in the German Wikipedia.

External links

• Zipcode Zoo
• Dave's Site, with photograph
• IUCN red list