| Metroxylon salomonense | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Metroxylon |
| Species: | M. salomonense |
| Binomial name | |
| Metroxylon salomonense | |
Metroxylon salomonense is a palm (family Arecaceae or Palmae) native to the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the Bismarck Archipelago. [1] Common name Bia.
It grows to 15 to 20 m in height in just twenty years, with a trunk diameter of 60–80 cm. The pinnate fronds can be over 6 m long, and have leaflets 100–190 cm long by 14–19 cm wide. It is monocarpic, dying after flowering and fruiting. [2] The inflorescence is a panicle up to 9 m in height and half as wide. [3]