Licuala chaiana

Description

Licuala�is a genus of�palms, in the tribe�Trachycarpeae, commonly found in�tropical forests�of southern�China,�Southeast Asia, the�Himalayas,�New Guinea�and the western�Pacific Ocean�islands.�They are fan palms, with the leaves mostly circular in outline, sometimes undivided but more usually divided into wedge-shaped segments.�Licuala acutifida�is the source of cane for the walking stick nicknamed the�Penang-lawyer�by colonials, probably from the Malay phrase�pinang liyar�for a wild�areca, although the term may also refer to the use of these canes as deadly�knobkerries�to assassinate litigious enemies.�Several species of�Licuala�have been transferred into a new genus�Lanonia