Specimen
Habitat
MP-0022 / 0024 â Arecaceae
Livistona chinensis (Jacq.) R.Br. ex Mart. var. subglobosa (Hassk.) Becc.
Kuba (JP)
A fan palm of the Ryukyu coast, bound to island culture and its sacred groves (utaki).
Distribution
Southern Kyushu and the Ryukyu Archipelago, with related populations in Taiwan and southern China.
Habitat
Coastal forest and the seaward margin of limestone and sandstone terrain; also protected as sacred groves (utaki).
Morphology
A solitary, tall palm with a straight, ringed trunk. The leaves are large, costapalmate (fan-shaped with a short midrib), up to 1.5 m or more in diameter and divided to about half their length into pendulous, bifid segments. Flowers are borne in branched inflorescences between the leaves.
Botanical notes
Known in Okinawa as kuba, the palm is closely tied to Ryukyuan culture: its leaves have been used for fans, hats and containers, and kuba groves form some of the sacred sites (utaki). The infraspecific rank of Ryukyuan material is to be confirmed.
References
Taxonomy and distribution follow Plants of the World Online (Kew), YList (Yonekura & Kajita) and regional floras; CITES Species+ for trade status. Descriptions are provisional and are revised as specimens are verified.