Family: Arecaceae
Origin, Description & Uses:
Cyrtostachys renda, commonly known as the sealing wax palm or lipstick palm, is native to lowland peat swamps and tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo. It is prized for its brilliant red crownshafts and leaf bases, which contrast dramatically with its smooth green stems and feathery fronds. This clustering palm can reach 30–50 feet in height under ideal tropical conditions and prefers warm, humid environments with consistently moist soils. Because of its striking appearance, it is widely cultivated as a high-end ornamental in tropical gardens, resorts, and landscape designs.
Risks, Threats & Management:
Although sealing wax palm is not known to be naturalized in Hawaiʻi, it does possess traits that warrant caution. Its tolerance for wet soils and suitability to tropical climates similar to Hawaiʻi’s suggest it could potentially establish if planted widely and allowed to spread. At this time, there is no evidence that it has escaped cultivation in the islands, but further evaluation is needed to determine whether it could impact native ecosystems. Careful landscape management, monitoring for unwanted seedlings, and responsible planting practices can help ensure this ornamental palm does not become a future concern.
High Risk Traits:
- Self-compatible: Can produce seeds without a partner.
- Bird-dispersed: Seeds adapted for long-distance dispersal by birds and survive gut passage.
- Shade tolerant: Can establish in the understory when young.
- Vegetative regeneration: Can resprout from the base after damage.
- Intentional introduction: Widely cultivated as a popular ornamental.
- Potential water dispersal: Grows in swamps; seeds may float.
Low Risk Traits:
- No evidence of naturalization or weediness: Not documented as escaped or invasive.
- Slow growth & long generative time: Takes 4+ years to mature.
- Specific climate requirements: Restricted to wet tropics; cannot survive in colder areas.
- No long-term seed bank: Seeds are recalcitrant and must be fresh to germinate.
- Poor dispersal mechanisms: Seeds are large, with no adaptation for wind or external attachment.
- Non-toxic & unarmed: No toxicity, spines, or burrs.
