Exploring for Palms in Fiji - International Palm Society

PALMS Hodel: Fijian Palms Vol. 55(4) 2011 

Exploring 

for Palms 

in Fiji 

DONALD R. HODEL 

University of California 

Cooperative Extension 

4800 E. Cesar Chavez Ave. 

Los Angeles, CA 90022 USA 

drhodel@ucdavis.edu 

1. Large, mostly undivided 

leaves characterize 

Cyphosperma tanga. 

I traveled to Fiji in October, 2008 as part of a larger, long-term project to document 

and photograph palms on Pacific islands. Somewhat apprehensive as I departed 

Los Angeles on the non-stop, late-night flight to Nadi, Fiji, I had visited these 

delightful islands several times in the middle 1970s and was now profoundly 

curious about the changes that the more than 30 intervening years had brought. 

PALMS 55(4): 161–175 

161


Sakiusa Masitoqui, employed at the University 

of the South Pacific in Suva, the capital of Fiji, 

and who goes by the nickname Masi, met me 

at the Nadi International Airport early in the 

morning on October 1 and, over a quick 

introduction and breakfast, we briefly 

discussed plans for the next 18 days. We 

planned to spend several days based on the 

main Fijian island, Viti Levu, and then move 

on to the two other large islands, Vanua Levu 

and Taveuni, before finishing up with a trip to 

the Southern Lau group of islands to see the 

elusive Pritchardia thurstonii on mushroomshaped, 

limestone islets in its lagoon habitat. 

Masi has great knowledge of Fijian palms, 

places and people and had assisted others in 

their quest to see Fiji’s palms. 

I rented a 4-wheel drive pick-up truck in Nadi, 

and we began what I thought would be a 

rather leisurely, several-hour, circular drive 

along the north coast to Suva on the other 

side of Viti Levu. Under threatening skies in Ba, 

north of Nadi, we stopped briefly to eat lunch 

and purchase a machete, rope, and a few other 

supplies. After lunch, Masi surprised me and 

said that his plan was for us to traverse the 

mountainous center of Viti Levu via 

Nadarivatu and Monasavu Dam to reach Suva, 

rather than follow the coastal route. Traversing 

the center of Viti Levu would enable us to see 

several striking palms, some of which are 

found nowhere else in Fiji, including 

Cyphosperma tanga (affectionately known as 

“Big Leaf”) and Physokentia petiolata. Although 

I was exhausted from the all night flight, Masi’s 

plan excited me because it had been 30 years 

since I had last seen Big Leaf in 1978 in the 

company of the late Dick Phillips, long-time 

champion of Fijian palms, and the late Ken 

Foster, palm enthusiast and former president 

of the International Palm Society. The 

excitement of seeing Big Leaf just a few hours 

after stepping off the plane in Fiji helped to 

keep me awake as I drove the vehicle off the 

main highway and headed up a smaller, 

mountain road to Nadarivatu in a steady rain. 

After 30 years the road up the western 

escarpment of Viti Levu to Nadarivatu was still 

familiar and, feeling confident, I thought I 

could nearly drive right to Big Leaf. After 

passing through Nadarivatu under threatening 

skies, we left the road and drove up a muddy 

track that I was sure I had walked 30 years 

before. I was thinking that this little trek was 

going to be easy. Unfortunately, the road 

seemed to end abruptly and unexpectedly, and 

the much disturbed vegetation no longer 

looked familiar to me. Even Masi, who had 

2 (left). Cyphosperma tanga has an open, few branched inflorescence. 3 (right). Staminate flowers of 

Cyphosperma tanga are white. 

162


4 (above, left). Veitchia vitiensis is a moderate to tall, very slender palm with gracefully spreading, pinnate 

leaves . 5 (above, right). Neoveitchia storckii is a large palm with long, spreading, pinnate leaves. 6 (below). 

The whitish inflorescences of N. storckii contrast nicely with the poorly developed but black crownshaft. 

visited Big Leaf just the previous year, was 

unable to find the trail. We retreated to a small 

farm we had just passed where, after partaking 

in a brief kava ceremony and donating a gift, 

the Fijian farmer and his two sons agreed to 

guide us to Big Leaf. 

With much anticipation and under a heavy 

drizzle, I followed Masi and the other Fijians 

up a rocky slope and into wet, undisturbed, 

mountain forest. Big Leaf had not lost its 

grandeur and with its large, undivided leaves 

looked every bit as imposing as 30 years ago 

(Fig. 1). Big Leaf has a slender, solitary trunk 

three to five meters feet tall and large, elongate, 

undivided or few-divided leaves three meters 

long with short petioles. The inflorescence, 

about one to two meters long, is loosely 

branched (Fig. 2) and at the moment was 

carrying small, white staminate flowers (Fig. 3). 

Growing nearby were the highly variable, 

mostly understory Balaka longirostris and 

Veitchia vitiensis, which we would encounter 

later on Viti Levu. (For a complete, fully 

illustrated account of B. longirostris and all 

other Balaka in Fiji and Samoa, see Hodel 

2010). 

163


7 (above). Hydriastele vitiensis, which covered valleys, 

slopes, and ridges, thrusts its spectacular canopy of 

arching, slightly recurved, pinnate leaves well above 

the forest trees. 8 (below). Heterospathe phillipsii is a 

slender, moderate, pinnate-leaved palm. 

After saying thanks and goodbye to our Fijian 

guides, Masi and I returned to the road and 

headed east from Nadarivatu toward 

Monasavu Dam into what was for me 

uncharted territory. In the middle 1970s the 

road ended not too far east of Nadarivatu, and 

only a foot track continued across the center 

of Viti Levu. The construction of Monasavu 

Dam in the 1980s pushed a road through to 

the dam site and then down the eastern 

escarpment of Viti Levu to Suva. The unpaved 

road was of poor quality, muddy, with standing 

pools of water and deep ruts, but with careful 

driving we were able to negotiate its 

treacherous meanderings. Our goals at 

Monasavu Dam were Clinostigma exorrhizum 

and Physokentia petiolata, which Masi knew 

were along an access road to the dam. 

When we arrived at the dam late in the 

afternoon, again under threatening skies, the 

work and guard stations were deserted, and, 

unfortunately, we needed a key to access the 

road to the dam. Under a heavy drizzle we 

waited in the car, chatting, reading, and 

snacking until dusk approached. With much 

disappointment we finally gave up and 

decided to continue on to Suva. Just as we 

were departing some workers arrived and 

unlocked the gate for us. However, because it 

was so late, darkness was fast approaching, and 

we still had several hours of rough travel 

remaining, we made arrangements to return to 

164


Monasavu Dam in several weeks at the end of 

my Fijian sojourn. 

The remaining drive down the eastern 

escarpment to Suva was an unforgettable 

experience. Somewhat disappointed from our 

temporary failure at the dam, and cold, wet, 

hungry, and with only the weak lights of our 

vehicle showing the way, we continued on in 

what seemed like a never-ending, bone-jarring, 

downward spiral into darkness. Finally, after 

what seemed like weeks but was really only 

four hours, the welcoming lights of Suva 

appeared in the distance. I dropped Masi off 

at his home, drove to my hotel, showered, ate 

and then collapsed into bed after 20 hours of 

no sleep but with contented visions of Big Leaf 

in my mind. 

Masi and I spent the next three days on trips 

around the greater Suva area looking for palms. 

On October 2 in the morning we visited Coloi-Suva 

Forest Park, a well known, traditional 

and long-popular locale for palms just a few 

minutes outside of Suva, where we observed 

and photographed Balaka microcarpa and 

Veitchia vitiensis. The latter is a moderate to 

tall, very slender palm with gracefully 

spreading, pinnate leaves (Fig. 4), a well 

developed and conspicuously mottled 

crownshaft, and small, bright red fruits. 

After lunch we headed to Naquali in the Rewa 

River valley to see Neoveitchia storckii, 

9 (above). Metroxylon vitiense typically grows in low, 

wet, sometimes swampy land. 10 (below). Veitchia 

filifera is a slender, moderately tall, mostly understory 

palm with distinctly ascending, pinnate leaves. 

165


11 (left). The dark green, nearly black crownshaft of Veitchia filifera complements the whitish trunk. 12 (right). 

Physokentia thurstonii is a small to moderate, understory, stilt-root palm with a bright green, prominently and 

closely ringed trunk, and conspicuous, swollen, grayish crownshaft. 

Metroxylon vitiense and Calamus vitiensis. 

Although we would see the last two species 

elsewhere in Fiji, it was our only opportunity 

to see N. storckii because of its restricted 

distribution, so we allocated several hours to 

explore wet, muddy, highly disturbed forest 

in search of this handsome palm. With long, 

spreading, pinnate leaves, N. storckii is a large 

palm (Fig. 5) and has whitish inflorescences 

that contrast nicely with the poorly developed 

but black crownshaft (Fig. 6). The bright red 

fruits are large and showy, adding to the palm’s 

handsome nature. Unfortunately, there is little 

regeneration in this disturbed site, which is 

much the same in the other, highly restricted 

sites where Neoveitchia storckii occurs, and thus 

making it an endangered species. Later in the 

afternoon on the return to Suva we stopped 

along the road to Mt. Nakabalevu, where we 

again saw Balaka microcarpa and Veitchia 

vitiensis. 

On the morning of October 3 Masi and I 

headed west from Suva along the southern 

coastal route to Nadi. At the small settlement 

at Naboutini we turned north or inland into 

the mountains along a dirt road to Nabukelevu 

to visit the unnamed and highly endangered, 

pinnate-leaved species of Cyphosperma, 

heretofore known only from and by its 

location, Naboutini. (For a complete and 

illustrated account of this new species see 

Hodel and Marcus, in this issue). In some ways 

it was like a pinnate-leaved version of Big Leaf 

but differed in its larger habit and lower, 

somewhat drier habitat. In the area we also 

saw scattered individuals of Veitchia joannis 

poking their canopies high above the 

surrounding vegetation. 

We returned to the main southern coastal road 

around Viti Levu and drove to Galoa, where 

once again we turned inland or north into the 

mountains, this time on the road to Waibogi. 

In a short while we encountered vast stands of 

the splendid Hydriastele vitiensis, which covered 

valleys, slopes, and ridges, thrusting its 

spectacular canopy of arching, slightly 

recurved, pinnate leaves well above the forest 

trees (Fig. 7). A tall palm, H. vitiensis has a well 

developed, brownish white, slightly swollen 

crownshaft and broom-like inflorescences. 

Strangely, this abundant, conspicuous, and 

relatively easy-to-access palm was only 

166


13 (above left). Calamus vitiensis is a climbing rattan. 14 (above right). Leaf bases of C. vitiensis are densely 

spiny. 15 (below). The handsome fruits of C. vitiensis are small, white, and densely covered with scales. 

discovered in the late 1970s and named in 

1982 as Gulubia vitiensis. Balaka longirostris and 

Veitchia vitiensis grew nearby in the forest 

understory, completing our palm adventures 

for the day. 

October 4 found Masi and me again along the 

southern coastal route to Nadi, this time 

turning north or inland into the mountains at 

Nabukavesi on a well maintained but dirt road 

to Namosi. Veitchia vitiensis was again common 

in this wet and intriguing forest, and we also 

encountered an unusual, and at that time, 

unnamed species of Balaka, commonly but 

erroneously referred to as B. macrocarpa. In my 

synopsis of Balaka, which I referred to earlier, 

I named this species B. diffusa. 

Returning to the southern coastal route, we 

drove to Navua, where we once again turned 

off the main road to the north into the low 

hills on a poorly maintained dirt road to 

Nakavu Village. Here we found, in highly 

disturbed forest thick with invasive vines, 

Heterospathe phillipsii, named in 1997 in honor 

of the late Dick Phillips. A slender, moderate, 

pinnate-leaved palm (Fig. 8), H. phillipsii lacks 

a crownshaft and typically carries many, much 

167


branched infructescences arising from among 

the leaf bases and holding the small, bright 

red fruits. 

With several hours of daylight remaining, we 

returned to Suva and visited the nearby Rewa 

River delta area, where we photographed nice 

stands of Metroxylon vitiense (Fig. 9) and Veitchia 

joannis growing in low, wet, sometimes 

swampy land. Both are tall palms with pinnate 

leaves, and the robust M. vitiense, upon 

reaching maturity, sends forth inflorescences 

from the top and center of the canopy, thus 

signaling the end of the life of the palm. Like 

all Metroxylon, the large, handsome fruits of 

this species are covered with attractive, shiny 

scales. Veitchia joannis, which unlike 

Metroxylon, has a distinct and well developed 

crownshaft below which are the dense, much 

branched infructescences with large, red fruits, 

has a slender trunk and arching pinnate leaves. 

On the morning of October 5 Masi and I flew 

to Vanua Levu Island and landed near 

Savusavu, where we met up with Jim 

Valentine, an Australian who has a nursery 

and landscape business in an idyllic setting 

overlooking picturesque Savusavu Bay. Jim 

would accompany us in our palm exploration 

on Vanua Levu and Taveuni and generously 

provided the use of his 4-wheel drive pick up 

truck. We drove straight to Lambasa on the 

north side of Vanua Levu, and after settling 

into our hotel, we ate lunch and planned our 

activities for the next several days. 

The morning of October 6 dawned overcast 

with the threat of rain but, nonetheless, we 

drove south from Lambasa, navigating a 

labyrinth of confusing dirt roads, toward 

Matani Creek and the track up Mt. Sorolevu, 

an exciting area for palms with no fewer than 

five genera and seven species present, 

including the mostly understory Veitchia filifera 

and Balaka “Bulitavu,” B. seemannii and B. 

streptostachys at lower elevations and the larger 

Clinostigma exorrhizum, Heterospathe longipes 

and Hydriastele vitiensis higher up. 

The main objective on Mt. Sorolevu was to see 

Balaka “Bulitavu” and determine its proper 

taxonomic status and correct name. In a steady 

rain we drove as far as we could up the Mt. 

Sorolevu track before an immense, ugly 

16 (left). Cyphosperma trichospadix is a small to moderate, mostly understory palm with a slender, closely and 

conspicuously ringed trunk and pinnate leaves. 17 (right). A tall, emergent species, Clinostigma exorrhizum has 

a stunning canopy of long, pinnate leaves with numerous, slender, elegantly pendulous pinnae. 

168


washout abruptly terminated our ascent. Jim 

and Masi, who had visited the area previously, 

had been able to drive much farther up Mt. 

Sorolevu but today our fate was to walk some 

distance in the steady rain before entering the 

forest to explore for palms. The rain increased 

to a torrential downpour, forcing me on several 

occasions to stand under an umbrella for five 

to ten minutes at a time, camera and note pad 

patiently in hand, waiting for the slightest 

break in the rain to snap a few photos. 

Fortunately, our persistence under the most 

deplorable conditions enabled me to gather 

some good photos and determine that B. 

“Bulitavu” was actually B. macrocarpa. 

Although we saw a few juvenile Heterospathe 

longipes, the deteriorating conditions and 

continued heavy rain dampened our 

enthusiasm for exploring higher up on Mt. 

Sorolevu to see Clinostigma exorrhizum and 

Hydriastele vitiensis, species that we had already 

seen or would see in other areas, so we 

returned to the truck and made our descent 

toward Lambasa. 

Farther down Mt. Sorolevu the rain let up and 

we stopped to observe the widespread and 

variable Balaka seemannii and Veitchia filifera, 

the latter a slender, moderately tall, mostly 

understory palm with a whitish to brown 

trunk, distinctly ascending, pinnate leaves (Fig. 

10), and a dark green, nearly black crownshaft 

(Fig. 11). The relatively large, spreading 

18 (above). Veitchia simulans is a moderate to tall, 

slender, mostly understory palm with a brownish, 

closely ringed trunk, a dark green, slightly mottled 

crownshaft, and canopy of spreading, pinnate 

leaves. 19 (below). In contrast to the other small, 

mostly understory Veitchia we had encountered so 

far, Veitchia simulans had unusually large fruits. 

169


20 (left). Hydriastele boumae differs from H. vitiensis in the manner in which it retains large, undivided or fewsplit 

leaves nearly to maturity, up until it begins to emerge above the forest canopy, as here with Masi, who 

provides scale. 21 (right). Heterospathe longipes is a moderate understory palm with a slender, brownish, 

closely ringed trunk and canopy of spreading, pinnate leaves. 

infructescences held the full size but not yet 

red-orange, ripe fruits. 

On October 7 Jim, Masi, and I left Lambasa 

under bright, sunny skies and returned to 

Savusavu, stopping at Waisali Rainforest 

Reserve to see Balaka seemannii and Physokentia 

thurstonii, the latter a small to moderate, 

understory, stilt-root palm with a bright green, 

prominently and closely ringed trunk, 

conspicuous, swollen, grayish crownshaft (Fig. 

12), whitish inflorescence, and curiously 

sculptured seeds. Stilt-root palms have always 

held a special fascination for me, so to see and 

photograph P. thurstonii was an exciting 

experience despite the dense vegetation 

making photography difficult. Closer to 

Savusavu we stopped briefly to observe a large 

stand of Metroxylon vitiense in low, wet, 

swampy land. 

After Masi and I settled into our hotel in 

Savusavu, we ate lunch and visited Jim’s house 

and nursery, admiring the many fine plants 

he was growing for landscaping, including 

numerous palms. Over dinner we discussed 

plans for our last day on Vanua Levu, a trip to 

Natewa Peninsula to see the unusual Balaka 

“Natewa” that carried large, nearly simple, 

undivided leaves not just in a juvenile state but 

nearly to maturity. I suspected this could be B. 

macrocarpa because this species was originally 

collected in the area. 

October 8 was a bright and sunny day as we 

headed out southeast from Savusavu onto the 

Natewa Peninsula. We stopped at several places 

to observe and photograph Veitchia filifera and 

then found a small hill abundant with what 

was popularly known as B. “Natewa” but, 

which now upon examination, I could confirm 

it was, indeed, B. macrocarpa as we had seen 

also on Mt. Sorolevu. This Natewa population, 

though, was intriguing in how it carried the 

large, mostly undivided leaves nearly to 

flowering and fruiting. 

Upon returning to Savusavu we learned the 

disturbing news that one of the two Fijian 

inter-island airlines that was to fly Masi and me 

170


from Taveuni back to Suva and then on to the 

Southern Lau group to see Pritchardia thurstonii 

had temporarily shut down service, forcing us 

hurriedly to purchase new tickets on the 

remaining interisland airline from Taveuni to 

Suva. Unfortunately, this airline did not fly to 

the Southern Lau group, putting in jeopardy 

our plans to visit those islands and see P. 

thurstonii. 

We departed Savusavu on the morning of 

October 9, again heading onto the Natewa 

Peninsula, but this time to catch the ferry to 

take us and Jim’s truck across the narrow strait 

to Taveuni Island. After a one-hour ferry ride 

we landed on Taveuni and drove to 

Somosomo, purchased food for the next 

several days and then settled into our rather 

spartan accommodations. 

Although Taveuni promised to be an exciting 

island for palms, our enthusiasm was 

somewhat tempered by the wet conditions we 

had encountered on Vanua Levu. Taveuni is 

even wetter than Vanua Levu, with some 

places receiving over nine meters of rain 

annually! Fortunately, we had three, mostly 

sunny days on Taveuni, making our stay there 

a productive and enjoyable time. 

I was especially full of excited anticipation on 

October 10 as we walked up the trail from 

Somosomo to the Crater Lakes, long a classical 

and fabled locale with a rich assemblage of 

palms, including Balaka seemannii, Calamus 

vitiensis, Clinostigma exorrhizum, Cyphosperma 

trichospadix, Physokentia thurstonii and Veitchia 

simulans. On this sunny day the forest was 

breathtaking, vibrant and exuberant with a 

rich mixture of palms, shrubs, and trees, many 

supporting a rich and heavy load of epiphytic 

mosses, ferns, orchids and aroids. The first 

palm we encounter was the spiny, climbing 

rattan C. vitiensis (Figs. 13–15), which seemed 

well adapted to survival in lower, open, 

disturbed areas as well as in mostly 

undisturbed forest. Its small, scaly, whitish 

fruits were unusually attractive (Fig. 15). Again, 

the widespread and variable understory B. 

seemannii was in abundance and was especially 

conspicuous with open clusters of showy, red 

fruits. Farther on in the forest we soon 

encountered the stilt-rooted Physokentia 

thurstonii, which we had seen earlier on Vanua 

Levu, and Cyphosperma trichospadix, a small to 

moderate, mostly understory palm with a 

slender, closely and conspicuously ringed 

trunk and pinnate leaves (Fig. 16). A more 

diminutive palm than C. naboutinense and 

22. The especially showy and fragrant, bright red fruits of Heterospathe longipes are held on short 

infructescences that arise from among the deeply split leaf bases. 

171


23. Before weathering away, trunks of Clinostigma 

exorrhizum are covered with white, powdery wax. 

even C. tanga, it nonetheless has the same 

deeply split, green leaf bases that do not form 

a crownshaft and from which the few 

branched inflorescences arise. 

A little farther on we began to see Clinostigma 

exorrhizum, a tall, emergent species with an 

attractive, smooth but ringed, whitish green to 

brown trunk supported on a cone of thick, 

robust stilt roots, a well developed elongate, 

greenish crownshaft, and a stunning canopy 

of long, pinnate leaves with numerous, slender, 

elegantly pendulous pinnae (Fig. 17). Many 

short-branched inflorescences in all stages of 

flower and fruit were held just below the 

crownshaft and were particularly showy when 

heavily laden with small, red fruits. 

As we made our late-afternoon return down 

the trail to Somosomo, we stopped to admire 

and photograph Veitchia simulans, a rather shy, 

moderate to tall, slender, mostly understory 

palm with a brownish, closely ringed trunk, a 

dark green, slightly mottled crownshaft, and 

canopy of spreading, pinnate leaves (Fig. 18). 

In contrast to the other small, mostly 

understory Veitchia we had encountered so far, 

this species had unusually large fruits although 

not as large as those of V. joannis (Fig. 19). 

On October 11 we drove to the southeast side 

of Taveuni to make a trek into the Vidawa Rain 

Forest Walk, reputed to be one of the wettest 

places in Fiji, but that featured many fine 

palms, including Balaka seemannii, Calamus 

vitiensis, Heterospathe longipes, Hydriastele 

boumae and Veitchia filifera. With sunny, 

cooperative weather, we checked in at the 

park’s headquarters, paid our entrance fee and 

hired the required Fijian guide to take us up 

into the forest. The first palm we encountered 

and the most abundant and widespread was H. 

boumae, which, like its close relative on Vanua 

Levu and Viti Levu, H. vitiensis, was an 

emergent species with a tall, brownish trunk, 

conspicuous, swollen, whitish crownshaft, 

canopy of arching, recurved, pinnate leaves, 

and broom-like inflorescences (Back Cover). 

Its most unusual but striking feature, and one 

of its distinguishing characters, was the 

manner in which it retained large, undivided 

or few-split leaves nearly to maturity, up until 

it began to emerge above the forest canopy 

(Fig. 20). 

Heterospathe longipes, a moderate understory 

palm with a slender, brownish, closely ringed 

trunk and canopy of spreading, pinnate leaves, 

was locally common (Fig. 21). It has deeply 

split leaf bases that do not form a crownshaft 

but from which the relatively short, heavy, few 

branched inflorescences arise. These hold the 

whitish staminate and pistillate flowers and 

later the large, especially showy and fragrant, 

red fruits (Fig. 22). Unfortunately, many of the 

leaves showed extensive and severe 

skeletonizing from an unknown pest. 

Our last day on Taveuni, October 12, was spent 

along the road to the summit of Des Voeux 

Peak, another traditional locale for palms. 

Under foggy but not rainy conditions we 

observed many fine specimens of Clinostigma 

exorrhizum, and here the cone of stilt roots, 

which supported the handsome, greenish 

brown, ringed trunk with a heavy, white waxy 

glaucous covering (Fig. 23), was unusually well 

developed (Fig. 24). On some individuals the 

cone of stilt roots reached nearly two meters 

up the trunk and spread for well over two 

meters at the base. The large, thick, robust 

172


roots emerged bright orange, their enlarged 

tips capped with a mossy glove, before aging 

to the more common brown. Close by were a 

few specimens of Veitchia simulans, a species 

that we had seen several days earlier on the 

trail from Somosomo to Crater Lakes. As we 

descended Des Voeux Peak the rain began in 

earnest and we felt fortunate to have had three 

days of mostly fine weather in one of Fiji’s 

rainiest places. 

On October 13 Masi and I said our good byes 

and thanks to Jim for his admirable 

companionship and help in the field, and we 

boarded our plane for the flight back to Suva. 

Upon arrival in Suva we immediately and 

persistently tried to make new arrangements 

to travel to the Southern Lau group to see 

Pritchardia thurstonii. Unfortunately, it became 

increasingly clear that a trip to the Southern 

Lau group was impossible to arrange for the 

last few days of my Fijian stay and, with much 

disappointment, I realized my sojourn to see 

P. thurstonii would have to wait for another 

time. 

I spent my extra days in Suva wisely, 

examining Balaka and Cyphosperma specimens 

at the herbarium at the University of the South 

Pacific and, with Masi, visiting public and 

private gardens to see cultivated specimens of 

exotic and Fijian palms. The Thurston Gardens 

in Fiji contained many fine specimens of Fijian 

and other Pacific Island palms, many planted 

by the late Dick Phillips, including mature, 

fruiting Carpoxylon macrospermum, various 

Veitchia, and the Melanesian form (smallfruited) 

of Pelagodoxa henryana. Another fine 

collection of palms is in the small botanical 

gardens of the University of the South Pacific, 

and several places on the campus had fruiting 

Fijian palms, including Heterospathe phillipsii, 

Neoveitchia storckii and various Veitchia. Dick 

Watling, author of the exceedingly handsome 

Palms of the Fiji Islands, has perhaps the finest 

collection of Fijian palms, including several 

notably specimens of Balaka, Heterospathe 

longipes, H. phillipsii, Metroxylon vitiense, 

Neoveitchia storckii and various Veitchia. 

One day I spent with Marika Tuiwawa, director 

and curator of the herbarium at the University 

of the South Pacific, traveling to the west on 

the southern coastal route towards Nadi, 

stopping at a few places around Pacific 

24. Masi provides scale for this exceptional cone of orange stilt roots supporting the trunk of this Clinostigma 

exorrhizum. Note the root tips clad in their mossy “gloves.” 

173


25. The conspicuous, rose-colored inflorescence of Physokentia petiolata distinguishes it from P. thurstonii. 

Harbour to see Metroxylon vitiensis and the 

widespread and variable Balaka longirostris and 

then visiting Robbie Stone’s superb collection 

of exotic and Fijian palms, many received from 

the late Dick Phillips. 

My stay in Fiji was fast approaching its final 

days, and on October 18 Masi and I planned 

once again to traverse the center of Viti Levu 

from Suva to Nadi to return to Monasavu Dam 

to see Clinostigma exorrhizum and Physokentia 

petiolata before my late night departure to Los 

Angeles on October 19. Around midnight on 

October 17 I was awakened by a strong, steady 

rain, which by morning had turned into a 

torrential downpour, easily one of the heaviest 

rains I had ever experienced. I was sure that our 

trip through the center of Viti Levu would 

have to be cancelled and I would be returning 

to Los Angeles without seeing all the palms I 

had intended to see. However, when Masi 

arrived at the hotel early in the morning of 

October 18 he assured me that we should still 

make an attempt across the center of Viti Levu! 

I was stunned and much less confident than 

Masi, but nonetheless, we set out in a driving 

rain, negotiating flooded streets as we made 

our way through a nearly deserted Suva, 

heading for the road to Monasavu Dam in the 

center of Viti Levu. Easily the scariest point of 

the trip was when we had to cross a raging 

tributary of the Rewa River. The brown, swiftly 

moving water was actually slightly lapping 

over the top of a narrow, one-lane bridge about 

50 meters long. I hesitated before crossing but 

Masi assured me it was safe, so off we went, 

and I gave a huge sigh of relief when we 

reached the other side. Later we learned that 

the bridge had to be closed because of rising 

water. 

Out troubles were not over, though, because 

on several occasions we had to traverse long, 

deep pools of water in the heavily rutted road 

and on more than one occasion water rose so 

high that it came inside the cab of our vehicle, 

flooding the floor. The rain continued as we 

made our way up the switchbacks of the 

eastern escarpment of Viti Levu. The mountain 

seemed to be oozing water, for at nearly every 

turn of a switchback a raging, roaring torrent 

was gushing forth from the mountain and 

tumbling over rocks into the rainy, misty, 

unseen depths below. As we neared the top of 

the switchbacks the rain ceased abruptly and 

we were greeted with leaden, overcast, 

drizzling skies. Once the sun even tried to fight 

its way through the clouds, and we stopped to 

174


admire several handsome Veitchia joannis with 

heavy, elegantly pendulous pinnae (Front 

Cover) before continuing on to Monasavu 

Dam. 

At the dam we gained admission to the access 

road and Masi quickly guided me right to 

Physokentia petiolata, a small, understory, stiltrooted 

palm that differed from P. thurstonii in 

its striking, rose-colored inflorescences (Fig. 

25). Although the dense, thick vegetation was 

dripping wet, we lingered, taking photographs 

and notes, admiring this palm and its cool, 

mossy, mountain habitat for some time. We 

had to push on, though, so we drove farther 

along the access road, finally stopping to view 

an extensive population of Clinostigma 

exorrhizum. I took more photographs but time 

was calling and we turned around and headed 

back to the main road and continued our crossisland 

trek, arriving in Nadi late in the 

afternoon. 

The next morning I said my heartfelt thanks 

and goodbyes to Masi, who returned to Suva 

via bus, and I spent the day touring the 

grounds of the Garden of the Sleeping Giant 

just north of Nadi. A superb garden, it contains 

fine, mature specimens of exotic and Fijian 

palms, many that Dick Phillips provided. My 

time in the garden was relaxing and made for 

a perfect end to my nearly three-week sojourn 

in which I was fortunate to observe all but one 

of Fiji’s native palm species. Seeing Pritchardia 

thurstonii in the Southern Lau group, now 

becoming a life-long quest, would have to wait 

for another trip. 

Acknowledgments 

The International Palm Society and Audrey 

and Philip Keeler supported my travel to Fiji. 

Jim Valentine and especially Sakiusa Masitoqui 

were admirable companions in the field, 

helping to locate palms more easily and rapidly 

and making for a most enjoyable time. Marika 

Tuiwawa facilitated my studies in the 

herbarium at the University of the South 

Pacific (SUVA) and accompanied me on one 

short field trip and to see Robbie Stone’s 

garden. Robbie Stone and Dick Watling 

graciously opened their fine gardens to me. 

The staff at the Garden of the Sleeping Giant 

generously shared their garden with me, even 

permitting me after-hours access. All have my 

sincere thanks. 

LITERATURE CITED 

HODEL, D.R. 2010. A synopsis of the genus 

Balaka. Palms 54: 161–188. 

175

Exploring for Palms in Fiji - International Palm Society

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?