Australian Native Plants

  Laccospadix australasica (Atherton Palm)


Laccospadix australasica photo
Laccospadix australasica in cultivation at Kerikeri, New Zealand

Photograph by Kahuroa. License: Public Domain.    (view image details)

Laccospadix australasica photo
Laccospadix australasica, Mt. Lewis

Photograph by tanetahi. Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

Laccospadix australasica photo
Laccospadix australasica, coloured new frond , Mt. Lewis

Photograph by tanetahi. Some rights reserved.    (view image details)




ATHERTON PALM FACTS

distribution map showing range of Laccospadix australasica in Australia

Map is from The Atlas of Living Australia web site, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License


Common Name
Atherton Palm

Other Names
Queensland Kentia

Description
Atherton Palm is an attractive palm that can be seen as a solitary palm or a clumping palm with multiple trunks. It can grow to about seven metres in height with trunk up to 10 cm in diameter in solitary specimens, but clumping plants are lower with smaller trunks. The fronds are pinnate , and new fronds are often reddish brown in colour. It produces long flower spikes that hang downwards from the crown of fronds. The fruit are small red and oval, growing along the length of the spike after flowering. Atherton Palm makes an ornamental garden palm in a shady position

Habitat
grows in tropical rainforest

Distribution
Laccospadix australasica is found in north east Queensland

Growth Characteristics
Height: 7m


Classification
Class:Liliopsida
Order:Arecales
Family:Arecaceae
Genus:Laccospadix
Species:australasica
Common Name:Atherton Palm