Australian Native Plants

  Livistona rigida (Mataranka Fan Palm)


Livistona rigida photo
Mataranka Fan Palm

Photograph copyright: oznativeplants - all rights reserved.




MATARANKA FAN PALM FACTS

distribution map showing range of Livistona rigida in Australia

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


Common Name
Mataranka Fan Palm

Other Names
Gregory River Fan Palm

Description
The Mataranka Fan Palm is a single trunked fan palm. The leaves are stiff with waxy underside and grow to 4 m long with petiole to 2 m. Leaves have thorns along the margins. Old leaves hang round the trunk. Fruit is black and about 2 cm in diameter. It is comparatively fast growing.

Habitat
along rivers with scattered remnants in open forest

Distribution
around Gulf of Carpentaria of western Queensland and also the Northern Territory

Growth Characteristics
Height: to 20m
Propagation
Seeds germinate freely in a few weeks, but nothing shows above ground for 2 or 3 months.

Classification
Class:Liliopsida
Order:Arecales
Family:Arecaceae
Genus:Livistona
Species:rigida
Common Name:Mataranka Fan Palm


Relatives in same Genus
  Livistona alfredii
  Livistona australis
  Livistona decipiens
  Livistona humilis
  Livistona mariae