Latania, commonly known as latan palm or latania palm, is a genus of flowering plant in the palm tree family, native to the Mascarene Islands in the western Indian Ocean.
Species
The genus contains three species, one from each of the three major islands (including islets) in the chain. The species have been assessed as critically endangered or endangered by the IUCN.
| Image | Leaves | Common name | Scientific name | Native Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| blue latan palm, latanier de l'Ile Ronde | Latania loddigesii Mart. | Mauritius | ||
| red latan palm, latanier de la Réunion | Latania lontaroides (Gaertn.) H.E.Moore | Réunion | ||
| yellow latan palm, latanier de Rodrigues | Latania verschaffeltii Lem. | Rodrigues Island |
Latan palms are large, single-stemmed fan palms with separate male and female plants (dioecy); when the leaves fall, they leave scars on the trunks. Male flowers are small, in clusters, and emerge from within leathery bracts on the catkin-like inflorescences. Female flowers are larger, solitary and not concealed within bracts. The fruits contain 1-3 pyrenes, which are seeds enclosed within woody endocarps. The endocarps have sculpted surfaces and the three species are readily distinguished from their pyrenes.
