Arenga australasica, commonly known as arenga palm or southern arenga, is a plant in the palm family Arecaceae found only in the Northern Territory and Queensland, Australia. It has a clustering habit and it may reach 20 m (66 ft) in height with a trunk diameter of 30 cm (12 in). Fronds can be up to 4 m (13 ft) long with numerous leaflets (often more than 100), dark green above and grey underneath. Inflorescences are produced from the bases of the fronds and can reach a length of 2 m (6 ft 7 in), carrying numerous pendant panicles of flowers. The flowers are in clusters of 3 with one pistillate (functionally female) and two staminate (functionally male) flowers. The red or purple fruit are almost spherical in shape, about 28 mm (1.1 in) diameter and contain two or three seeds.[4][5]
| Arenga palm | |
|---|---|
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| At Cairns Botanic Gardens | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Arenga |
| Species: | A. australasica
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| Binomial name | |
| Arenga australasica | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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Taxonomy
editThe species was first described in 1875 as Saguerus australasicus by botanists Hermann Wendland and Carl Georg Oscar Drude, and then later transferred to the current binomial by Stanley Thatcher Blake and Carl Georg Oscar Drude in 1963.[3]
Distribution and habitat
editThis tree is found in the Top End of the Northern Territory, some islands of the Torres Strait, and the east coast of Queensland from the top of Cape York Peninsula south to about Cardwell.[6]
Conservation
editThis species is listed as vulnerable under the Queensland Government's Nature Conservation Act.[1] As of 11 December 2024[update], it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Gallery
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Clustering habit -
Frond -
Underside of leaflets -
Inflorescence -
Flower close up
References
edit- ^ a b "Species profile—Arenga australasica". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Arenga australasica". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ a b c "Arenga australasica (H.Wendl. & Drude) S.T.Blake ex H.E.Moore". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ Dowe, J.L.; Jones, D.L. (2022). Kodela, P.G. (ed.). "Arenga australasica". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Arenga australasica". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Search: species: Arenga australasica | Occurrence records". Australasian Virtual Herbarium. Australian Government. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
External links
edit
- View a map of herbarium collections of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- View observations of this species on iNaturalist
- View images of this species on Flickriver.com