Acanthophoenix is a genus of flowering palms in the family Arecaceae, order Arecales, native to the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean — specifically Mauritius and Réunion. Commonly known as palmiste rouge, the genus comprises three currently recognized species, all critically threatened in their native habitat by decades of unsustainable harvesting for their edible palm hearts.
The palms are characterized by robust, solitary trunks that are conspicuously ringed and sparsely armed when young, with a slightly swollen base. Leaf bases wrap the trunk to form a 60–90 cm crownshaft covered in hairy tomentum and spines. The pinnate leaves, up to 2 m long, are borne on a tomentose, spiny petiole; leaflets are dark green above and lighter below, with a distinctive red or yellow toothed midrib. Plants are monoecious, producing an inflorescence at the crownshaft base branched to two orders. Fruit is ellipsoidal to subglobose, maturing to black, and contains a single round seed.
Acanthophoenix is closely related to the genera Tectiphiala and Deckenia, from which it is distinguished by the shape of the staminate flower. Because the Mascarene Islands are of volcanic origin, natural populations occur on sloping terrain from sea level to approximately 1,350 metres elevation. Wild populations have been so severely disturbed that their ecology is now poorly understood. The genus is also widely cultivated around the world as an ornamental.
Etymology
The name Acanthophoenix is derived from the Greek words for "thorn" (akantha) and "date palm" (phoenix), a reference to the genus's notably spiny crownshaft and petioles.
Distribution
The genus is endemic to the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean, restricted to Mauritius and Réunion. Natural populations grow on volcanically formed sloping terrain from sea level to approximately 1,350 metres. Wild populations have been severely reduced by habitat disturbance; the genus is also cultivated around the world.
Conservation
All three species of Acanthophoenix have been driven to near extinction in their native Mascarene Islands habitat by unsustainable levels of harvesting for their edible palm hearts (palmito). The volcanic island populations are small and isolated, making recovery difficult.
