Native Fan Palm

Description

Licuala ramsayi is a species of plant in the family Arecaceae; its common name is the Queensland or Australian fan palm.Two varieties are recognised: Licuala ramsayi var. ramsayi, and Licuala ramsayi var. tuckeri. L. ramsayi is a distinctive palm with a single trunk to 10 m (33 ft) in height and 10 cm (3.9 in) diameter. It has large, pleated, circular leaves up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in diameter. Petioles have formidable spines to 5 mm (0.20 in) long. The fruits are a red drupe around 10 mm (0.39 in) diameter containing a single seed. The species grows in swamps, along riverbanks, and in rainforests in Australia. In favourable conditions it may dominate small areas, forming a "fan palm forest". L. ramsayi var. tuckeri is found in Cape York Peninsula southwards to about Cooktown, while L. ramsayi var. ramsayi occurs from Cooktown to the Paluma Range north of Townsville. One of the most cold-tolerant Licuala species and the only one native to Australia.