Serianthes nelsonii Merr.

국표에 없다.

Serianthes nelsonii is a large tree endemic to Guam and Rota of the Mariana Islands. Only one mature tree existed on Guam (until November 2024, when it was announced it perished to the consequences of deforestation by the U.S. Military and the 2023 Typhoon Mawar[3]), while 121 mature trees have been identified on Rota since 1984.

The tree is found in limestone forests in Rota and Guam. It has bipinnately compound leaves and brush-like flowers with long pinkish filaments. Seedpods contain one to seven smooth brown seeds.

Name

There are three local names for Serianthes nelsonii. On Guam, it is known as hayun lågu, meaning "northern tree" or "foreign tree", referring to Rota, which is located north of Guam. The common name on Rota is trongkon guåfi, meaning "fire tree". Another name on Rota is trongkon fi'a may have originated in a region on Rota called Fia. Alternatively, "fi'a" may have derived from the Chamorro pronunciation of "fire", from "guåfi". The species was named "nelsonii" by E.D. Merrill in 1919 to honor Peter Nelson of the Guam Department of Agriculture, the discoverer of the plant.