The leaves, glossy green above and below, are divided to 2/5 into many pendulous-tipped segments, with the abaxial surface incompletely covered with scattered fuzz.

[6][7][8] Ten of the twelve individuals occur within 1,000 feet of each other among tall ōhiʻa trees in a cattle ranch, while the remaining two plants are a mile or two away, one in a macadamia nut orchard and the other in weedy, forest remnants.

Pritchardia schattaueri was formally named and described by Donald Hodel in 1985,[9] basing it on a collection that the late H. E. Moore Jr. of the Bailey Hortorum of Cornell University had made in 1980.

Schattauer, who had a fondness for Hawaiian plants and an interest in preserving the flora and fauna of Hawai'i, recognized the significance of his discovery and left the palms standing.

Its narrow, restricted range increases susceptibility to a single disruptive event, such as a hurricane or volcanic activity, and to potential damage from introduced weeds, animals and disease.

The site provided ideal conditions for protecting an out-planted endangered species and ensuring its survival into the future.

Because they came from a very small population, it was important to have as much genetic variability as possible, so the founder tree of each seedling was tracked and a GPS point recorded.