By Carl Lewis, September 29, 2008
Stump of Ponapea ledermanniana in newly-cleared farmland
We spent a week traveling around Pohnpei, scouring the forests for palms. A week is not enough time for a thorough census, but we now have an idea of the distribution and abundance of Ponapea palms. After talking with many Pohnpeians across the island, we also have information on where the palms grew in the past.
Both Ponapea species are difficult to find on Pohnpei, and they appear to be in decline. Pohnpei has more people and a greater intensity of farming than we saw on Kosrae, so impacts on the forests are more obvious.
Ponapea ledermanniana
On Kosrae this species is abundant, and we found no evidence to suggest that people are using it or cutting it down. On Pohnpei we found the opposite– The palms are rare, widely scattered, and are being cut for food, construction material, or simply to clear the land. Throughout the island we were told that it was much more abundant in the past.
Many people on Pohnpei are familiar with Ponapea ledermanniana and its uses. Its immature seeds taste a bit like coconut and are eaten as a snack. Because the fruits are borne atop the tall stem, people sometimes cut down the entire palm to harvest its fruit. The stems are also harvested as building material, either for home construction or to build trellises for farming.
One farmer said P. ledermanniana is a nuisance, competing with crops for water and nutrients. He pointed to a large area where Ponapea palms had been removed to make way for fruit trees, sakau, and other useful plants.
Fire also appears to be a threat on Pohnpei, providing an opening for invasive plants that prevent regrowth of native forest. In two parts of the island we saw areas that had burned, possibly decades ago, and were filled with impenetrable thickets of invasive grasses and ferns.
Ponapea hosinoi
This palm only occurs on Pohnpei, where it appears to be restricted to a small portion of the island. WIthin that area it is sparsely distributed, and we found only one location with many adult palms and some seedlings. In that location there was evidence that rats may be a threat to palm regeneration. Many trees had dropped their fruit prematurely, before the seeds were fully formed. The fallen, immature fruit had bite marks, probably from rats.
Ponapea hosinoi does not appear to be used for any purpose, and we did not see any signs that the palms are being cut down. However, the plants we found were in small patches of natural forest between farmlands. Expansion of farming could be a serious threat to the survival of P. hosinoi.
