Livistona australis
Arecaceae
Occassional
This is the only palm in the area. It is unmistakable, with large, shiny green fan-shaped leaves about 1 m across, each segment ending in a long, drooping tip. The thick, stiff leaf-stalk is 1‒2 m long, with sharp prickles along each edge.
The grey and narrow trunk exhibits ridges where leaves have grown. A large, branched spray of cream flowers arches up among the fronds in early spring, while in summer, attractive new leaves shoot up from the crown.
The black, globular fruit, 1‒2 cm in diameter, appear from autumn to winter. The palm grows up to 20 m in frost-free areas but it does seem to survive in some places on the plateau if it has shelter when it is young.
DISTRIBUTION:
Brodribb River, VIC to Gladstone, QLD
