Native Trees of Palau: A Field Guide

This book provides information on Palau’s native trees and shrubs in order to support a broader understanding and appreciation of the forest habitats upon which these native plants depend. Studies have been done on different aspects of the vegetation of Palau, but no documentation of all the plants of Palau has been produced. A study of the complete flora of Palau is still greatly needed. This book identifies commonly seen and rare species and will inspire an understanding of the need to protect Palau’s forest biodiversity. This work has in large part been built upon existing works and historical botanical descriptions and has been updated by our own observations in the field and photographs. The book has a general introduction section with geology, soils, vegetation types and general propagation information. In this book, we describe 71 common and rare native trees and shrubs with habitat, distribution, descriptions and uses, including photos to aid in identification. In the species description section we have included the most likely habitat in which you are able to find the species. In this first part we also included the general distribution of the species in the world. Next we have descriptions of mature specimens which include size, shape and description of the tree, leaves, flowers and fruits, with time of fruiting and flowering when known. This is followed by the known uses of the tree and plant parts in Palau and elsewhere. Local Palauan names for species may vary greatly from one village to another. A section with photographic plates of 80 more species follows the description section. These species include some native herbs and several introduced species that are commonly found. The main purpose of the plates is to provide an additional identification aid for people in the field. An updated plant checklist for Palau is included in the next section of the book, sorted by plant family. A glossary section with common botanical terms and a list of all references can be found at the end.