Arecaceae FAMILY Vulnerable

Saribus merrillii

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Saribus merrillii is a solitary-stemmed evergreen palm with an unbranched trunk that can be up to 25 metres tall and 40cm in diameter; the trunk is topped by a globose crown of 40 - 50 fan-shaped leaves with petioles 90 - 200cm long and leaf blades 100 - 150cm wide[ 1970 Title A Taxonomic Account of Livistona R.Br. (Arecaceae) Publication A Taxonomic Account of Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore 60(2): 185-344. 2009 Author Dowe J.L. Publisher Year 2009 ISBN Description An excellent, detailed work, though it is a shame it does not include information on traditional and other uses. ]. The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of materials. Although Saribus merrillii has a large population it is facing a wide range of threats and almost 70,000 hectates of range were lost in the period from 2001 - 2018. The threats include both small-scale and large-scale forest degradation such as logging, industrial mining and agricultural land conversion. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2020)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeSoutheast Asia - Philippines (Luzon)

HabitatForests and thickets, usually forming groves along the dipterocarp (Shorea) forests and on the rocky limestone hills near the seashore; at elevations from 60 - 200 metres[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].