Millionaire’s salad  (Deckenia nobilis)

Millionaire's salad is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1).

Millionaire's salad (Deckenia nobilis) is a tall palm which, when young, is armed with numerous yellow spines. These are lost when the tree reaches maturity, but scars remain where these spines were once borne (4). The enormous leaves measure up to five metres long and are composed of numerous pale green, smooth leaflets branching off a central stem (2) (3). Just below the crown of leaves, paddle-shaped, spiny, greenish-yellow spathes develop (5), which are held at right angles to the trunk (2). These split and drop off to reveal long, drooping, yellow branches of flowers (2) (5). The fruits of millionaire’s salad are small, around one centimetre long, egg-shaped and purple (2).

Found only in the Seychelles, where it occurs on the islands of Mahé, Silhouette, Praslin, La Digue, Curieuse and Felicité (2).

Millionaire’s salad grows in lowland forest, up to 600 metres above sea level (1). It is able to grow in exposed areas, such as on cliff faces, provided there is sufficiently deep soil (4).

The spiny spathes that enclose the inflorescences are a distinguishing character of this plant. They develop at the base of the leaves which encircle the trunk, and when the leaf falls from the tree, this frees the spathe so it moves away from the trunk and sits at right angles to the tree. The spathe then splits, drops off, and the drooping inflorescences unfurl (4) (5). The fallen spathes on the ground under the palm are said to resemble hedgehogs (4).

In the past, this palm was exploited for the growing part at its very tip, which was harvested to be used in cooking, to make ‘millionaire’s salad’ (1) (4). The removal of this part of the palm, the ‘palm heart’ (1), kills the plant (4). However, today it is thought that it is the common coconut plant (Cocos nucifera) that is exploited more often for this use (4), and exploitation of millionaire’s salad is prohibited by law (1).

Millionaire’s salad is currently not highly threatened, but its restricted range may make it more vulnerable to threats such as invasive species, human and infrastructure development and tourism growth (1).

Millionaire’s salad is legally protected in the Seychelles and is found in protected areas throughout its range, such as the Morne Seychellois and Praslin National Parks and the Curieuse Marine National Park (1).

To learn more about conservation in the Seychelles visit:

• Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles:
  http://islandbiodiversity.com
• Nature Seychelles:
  www.natureseychelles.org