''Balaka'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of 11 known

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in the palm family,

Arecaceae The Arecaceae () is a family (biology), family of perennial plant, perennial, flowering plants in the Monocotyledon, monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbing palm, climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly k ...

Palmae The Arecaceae () is a family of perennial, flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are colloquially c ...

. Seven species are native to the islands of

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

and four to

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The genus was first proposed and published in ''Annales du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg'' 2: 91. 1885, from two species originally in the genus ''

Ptychosperma ''Ptychosperma'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. Most are native to Australia and/or New Guinea, with a few in the Solomon Islands and in Maluku Province of eastern Indonesia. Some have been cultivated abroad as house or ga ...

'' (''P. perbrevis'' and ''P. seemannii'').Original text, archived at the

Biodiversity Heritage Library The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is the world’s largest open-access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives. BHL operates as a worldwide consortium of natural history, botanical, research, and national libraries working ...

, by genus author

Species

Accepted species: * '' Balaka diffusa'' Hodel - Fiji * '' Balaka insularis'' Zona & W.J.Baker - Samoa * '' Balaka longirostris'' Becc. - Fiji * '' Balaka macrocarpa'' Burret - Fiji * '' Balaka microcarpa'' Burret - Fiji * '' Balaka pauciflora'' (H.Wendl.) H.E.Moore - Fiji * ''

Balaka samoensis ''Balaka samoensis'' is a small palm tree in the ''Balaka'' genus that is endemic to two islands in Samoa. It grows in the mountainous interior of its island homes and the species does not have a common name specific to it in Samoan. Descripti ...

'' Becc. - Samoa * '' Balaka seemannii'' (H.Wendl.) Becc. - Fiji * '' Balaka siliensis'' Christoph. - Samoa * ''

Balaka streptostachys ''Balaka streptostachys'' is a critically endangered species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is found only in Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pac ...

'' D.Fuller & Dowe - Fiji * ''

Balaka tahitensis ''Balaka tahitensis'' is a palm, a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is endemic to Samoa. Distribution ''Balaka tahitensis'' is found on Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano whi ...

'' Christoph. - Samoa

References

Arecaceae genera Taxa named by Odoardo Beccari {{Areceae-stub