Bees seem to be particularly attracted to Pritchardia remota flowers. Loulu fruits turn black when ripe; Pritchardia remota has smaller fruits than many other Hawaiian loulu. A juvenile Pritchardia remota, part of the restoration efforts on Midway Atoll (Photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 2.0). Cultivated Pritchardia remota: a young but reproductive tree on O‘ahu and four older mature trees on Kaua‘i (Photograph of older mature trees courtesy of sea-kangaroo CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.).

Growth Requirements

Please read Pests and Diseases below before the General section.

General

    Even though Pritchardia remota is federally listed as endangered, this beautiful fan palm is probably the most commercially available loulu in Hawai‘i, possibly because it grows well and quickly in urban landscapes. Use loulu as an accent in the landscape, or plant three or five in a cluster (about ten feet [3 m] apart) to create a shaded space.

    Pritchardia remota grows best in a site with full sunlight for all or most of the day. Young loulu in the wild often have to survive with less light (because of the surrounding trees), so this is true of cultivated loulu as well. However, avoid planting your P. remota in a location with constant or heavy shade because it will languish (i.e., grow very, very slowly) there. 

    Pritchardia remota, unlike its slow-growing sibling P. martii, grows quickly (more than a foot per year) and, therefore, can get very tall in a short time. It also starts flowering at a young age. One P. remota, planted by one of us (Eickhoff), began flowering and fruiting at about five years of age. Two more differences between these two species are their preferred temperature and water needs. P. martii does best at cooler temperatures (i.e., higher elevations) with its roots in constantly moist soil or media. In contrast, P. remota grows best in warmer places (i.e., coastal and lowland areas) and is more drought tolerant (i.e., requires less watering). P. remota doesn't seem to be picky about the type of soil or media provided it drains water quickly. We have successfully grown P. remota in sandy, cinder/lava, clay, and organic-dominant soils. Lastly, this loulu is tolerant of heat, drought, strong winds, and some salt spray.

    Fertilizing loulu can be a bit tricky, particularly if it is kept in a container. Use a complete fertilizer with minor elements specifically formulated for palms. Be sure that both magnesium and potassium are present in the fertilizer, since magnesium and potassium deficiencies are the two most serious nutritional disorders with palms. These deficiencies are characterized by yellowing (chlorosis) of the frond's edges, yellow streaking, or the entire frond turning yellow. Adding Epsom salt (MgSO4·7H2O) or magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) to the media or soil can help, but these chemicals wash away quickly. There are some very good controlled-release fertilizer spikes made specifically for palms that contain a good balance of minor elements along with magnesium and potassium — look for these at your local garden shop or online.

    To keep your loulu looking tidy, remove any dead fronds or old fruit stalks, but be careful not to damage the trunk or the crown. Palms only have a single growing tip within the crown, which if accidentally removed or severely damaged will cause the ultimate death of the plant. Because loulu flowers attract bees, you may want to remove the inflorescences for safety.

    Pritchardia remota has the potential to hybridize with other Pritchardia species, both native and non-native. Therefore, if you intend to collect fruits from your loulu to grow new plants or give away to others, it is essential that you follow a strict protocol to prevent cross-pollination with other surrounding palms. Do this by securely placing a heavy-duty paper bag around the entire inflorescence just before the flowers begin to open. Use a paper bag, not a mesh bag, because palms can be wind pollinated. Periodically, open the bag to inspect the condition of the flowers and to hand-pollinate between them, then re-close the bag. When ALL the flowers are spent (i.e., have fallen off or are beginning to develop into a fruit), you can safely remove the bag and let the fruits develop to maturity. 

Pests and Diseases

    Before 2013, growing and maintaining any of Hawai‘i's 23 endemic species of loulu was not difficult. That all changed with the accidental introduction and establishment in 2013 of the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB; Oryctes rhinoceros) on O‘ahu because of inadequate governmental (i.e., DOD) safeguards and responses. Today (2025), this lethal pest is out of control on O‘ahu, may now be established on Kaua‘i, and has the potential to spread to the other Hawaiian Islands; in addition to O‘ahu and Kaua‘i, there have been sightings on Maui and Hawai‘i Island. We will not here re-describe the history of CRB in Hawai‘i. If you are interested, we encourage you to visit the CRB Response website or the HISP website for the most up-to-date information.

    Rather, we want to provide you with what we think are some still viable options if you decide to grow Pritchardia remota (or any of the other Hawaiian Pritchardia).

1. If you live outside Hawai‘i, please, PLEASE, consider growing one or more of our endemic loulu. Hawaiian loulu can survive and grow in places like California [Palmpedia] and other warm temperate to subtropical places around the world. They are beautiful and unique fan palms, and this is one way you can directly help with their preservation. Since loulu plants and seeds can be difficult to obtain — PLEASE don't ask us for seeds or plants since we don't have the necessary resources or permits  — we encourage you to contact a professional botanical garden in your area for help. Most botanical gardens are part of a worldwide network that facilitates the sharing of seeds, etc. Normally, this sharing is limited to between garden exchanges. However, we still encourage you to convince your local Garden's staff of the sincerity of your desire to help. 

2. If you live on a Hawaiian Island other than O‘ahu or Kaua‘i, consider growing not only the loulu species endemic to your Island, but also an O‘ahu or Kaua‘i endemic such as Pritchardia martii. However, keep in mind that your loulu may be safe for now, but not in the future, and, therefore, you might want to immediately opt for the alternatives described in #3 below.

3. If you live on O‘ahu or Kaua‘i, try the following: 

• Grow your loulu in a container and keep it in a greenhouse if you have one or in your home near a very sunny window. Loulu can survive a long time by being sequentially transferred to larger and larger containers. Hopefully, by the time your loulu is too large for your greenhouse or home, scientists will have discovered an effective defense against CRB, and you can start thinking about where in your yard you would like to plant your house-trained loulu.

• Plant your loulu in a site as high (elevation-wise) and wet as possible. CRB seems to prefer warmer drier locations. And, while Pritchardia remota also prefers warmer drier areas, a wet mountain retreat may still be the safest place to try growing it outside. Additionally, the more isolated your place is (i.e., far away from other palms), the safer your loulu will be.

• Completely cover your loulu with mesh netting (¼- to ½-inch is probably best, but must be purchased online) to prevent any CRB from chewing into the palm. This really isn't a great option, but we thought we should include it all the same. Other options, such as treating your loulu with systemic or contact insecticides or deterring sprays, also really don't work very well (if at all) and are labor-intensive. 

    Before CRB, loulu had few pest or disease problems. Occasionally, mealybugs, scale insects, or whiteflies would infest the undersurface of the fronds. However, these could be easily kept in check with a forceful spray of water from a garden hose to wash them off. 

Special Features and Information

General

    Arecaceae currently has around 2,600 species within 181 genera worldwide, most restricted to tropical and subtropical areas, with some species like the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) being cultivated for more than 5,000 years. Many palms are extensively used, with some being of great economic importance [WikipediA;Arecaceae]. 

    There are 23 species of Pritchardia endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, with most limited in range to a single island [Flora of the Hawaiian Islands]. 

    Pritchardia remota was almost certainly more common before Polynesians first settled on Nīhoa (1,000 to 1,700 A.D.). It's likely many of the palms were cut down to clear space for agriculture (or used for construction), since today loulu are found growing in the remains of the agricultural terraces on Nīhoa. However, the Island still retained a sizable population until 1885. That year, during a visit by Princess Liliʻuokalani and her party, someone accidentally started a fire that destroyed most of the loulu on Nīhoa. Since then, the species has slowly recovered to its current population size of about 1,100, providing nesting and roosting habitat for many of the Island's seabirds [Evenhuis & Eldredge 2004].

Hawaiian Name

    Loulu (pronounced low-loo) is the Hawaiian name for all the native species of Pritchardia in Hawai‘i. At times, it has been misspelled as loʻulu. However, loʻulu (with an ʻokina) is the name of the endemic Hawaiian fern Coniogramme pilosa. Loulu is also the name of a species of filefish (Alutera monoceros), perhaps because its greenish-white skin resembles the texture and color of a loulu's fronds. The fish was used in sorcery to cause death because the name contains the word lou, meaning "to hook." Lastly, loulu was the name for a type of heiau said to be constructed to prevent epidemics, famine, or destruction. Noulu is a spelling variation of loulu [Pukui & Elbert 1986].

    Hawaiians used loulu fronds to shield themselves from the rain. Therefore, it is not surprising that when Hawaiians first saw European, American, and Asian umbrellas, they immediately started calling these new devices loulu. Both hāwane and wāhane refer to the fruit or nut of a loulu, but can also refer to the palm itself. Hāwane is also the name of a small red limu (seaweed; Polysiphonia spp.) [Pukui & Elbert 1986].

Etymology

    Pritchardia is named for William Thomas Pritchard (1829 – 1907), the first British consul in Fiji, adventurer, and author of Polynesian Reminiscences in 1866 [Hodel 2012]. The species name, remota, is from the Latin word remotus, meaning "set aside," likely a reference to the species being restricted to the island of Nīhoa [Gledhill 2008].