Livistona australis 

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information:

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Monocots > Arecales > Arecaceae > Livistona  australis 

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:               Cabbage-tree Palm

Conservation status:   Least concern

Etymology:   

Flowers:                  

• In summer it bears flower spikes with sprigs of cream-white flowers

Fruit:                         

Leaves:         

• It is crowned with dark, glossy green leaves on petioles 2 m long

• It has leaves plaited like a fan; the cabbage of these is small but sweet

• The trees accumulate dead fronds or leaves, which when the plant is in cultivation are often removed by an arborist

Stem & branches:   

Roots:         

Habit:        

• It is a tall, slender palm growing up to about 25 m in height and 0.35 m diameter

Habitat:   

• Mostly this plant is found in moist open forest, often in swampy sites and on margins of rainforests or near the sea

Distribution:                  

•  It is widely spread along the New South Wales coast and extends north into Queensland and southwards to eastern Victoria

• Grows further south than any other native Australian palm

• The most southerly stand is near Cabbage Tree Creek 30 km east of Orbost, Victoria (37° S)

Additional notes:     

• Use

  • Seeking protection from the sun, early European settlers in Australia used fibre from the native palm to create the cabbage tree hat, a distinctive form of headwear during the colonial era

• Reproduction is by seeds

  • At first the fruit is red, finally turning black, at which point it is ready to be peeled and planted

• Significance in Aboriginal culture

  • The cabbage-tree palm was called "Dtharowal", where the Tharawal language gets its name from

  • New growth of the tree could be cooked or eaten raw and the heart of the trunk could be cooked as a medicine to ease a sore throat

  • Leaves of the cabbage-tree palm were used for shelter and fibres for string, rope and fishing lines

  • The cabbage-tree palm grows best in moist, organically-rich soils, and thrives in both sheltered and well-lit situations

  • It is also salt, frost and wind tolerant, with populations occurring in exposed coastal situations along the east coast of Australia from Queensland to Victoria

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livistona_australis (2023)