Adonidia

Adonidia
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Genus:	Adonidia Becc.[1]
Species:	A. merrillii
Binomial name
Adonidia merrillii (Becc.) Becc.

Adonidia is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the Arecaceae family. It consists of one species, the Manila Palm (Adonidia merrillii, synonyms ^[2]: Normanbya merrillii Becc. and Veitchia merrillii(Becc.) H.E.Moore). It is commonly known as the "Christmas Palm" because its fruits become bright scarlet and tend to be that color in winter. This palm is typically fairly small and slender, normally attaining 15-25 feet in height but has attained 36 feet grown in greenhouse conditions.

Some palms sold in retail outlets as "adonidia" are in fact Alexander palms, which are similar but even thinner.

It is found naturally growing only in the Philippines. It is threatened by habitat loss.

On the other hand, it is widely planted in cultivation and grows well in tropical locations such as Hawaii and the southern half of the Florida peninsula.

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  Veitchia merrellii – fruits

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  Veitchia merrellii – fruits

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  Veitchia merrellii – seeds

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  Veitchia merellii – trunk

Source

1. ^ Beccari, Philippine Journal of Science 14:329. 1919 Type:A. merrillii
2. ^ WCSP, World Checklist of Selected Plant Families

• Johnson, D. 1998. Adonidia merrillii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 20 July 2007.