Plant Species

When forest lands, north of the 1926 lava flow, were being cleared in 1960, George Schattauer discovered a new species of Loulu palm. This plant was later named after him. Pritchardia schattaueri is one of the rarest palms in the genus. It is only known from 12 individuals in the wild (Wagner et al., 1999). Ten tall palms, some towering more than 100 feet tall, were discovered by Schattauer. Loulu palms are a logical addition to the canopy of the mixed mesic forest in Martine paddock. Portions of the forest canopy are composed of invasive trees which should be removed, but these areas will need to be planted with native species to reduce weed establishment. When large invasive trees are removed, canopy gaps should initially foster rapid growth of outplanted natives. Palms have rosettes of large fronds that will help shade patches of ground until they emerge above the canopy. The historic elevational range of Pritchardia schattaueri overlaps that of the mixed mesic forest fairly well, as do moisture and lava flow age parameters, so success is expected. Previous plantings of Loulu have resulted in fertile maturing plants in a broader range of conditions

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