Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Monocots > Arecales > Arecaceae > Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:               Bangalow palm

• Also king palm, Illawara palm, piccabben, piccabeen

Conservation status:   unknown

Etymology:   

• x

Flowers:                  

• Its flower colour is violet and the red fruits are attractive to birds

• It flowers in midsummer and has evergreen foliage

Fruit:                         

• x

Leaves:         

•  Its fronds do not create a nesting environment for insects or macrofauna like rodents, so are a tolerable tree for urban environments

Stem & branches:    

•  x

Roots:         

• x

Habit:        

• An Australian palm

• It can grow over 20 m tall

Habitat:   

• Wet subtropics

• It seeks a stable water supply so ravines and grottos are well populated

Distribution:                  

• Grows in the wet subtropics, eg. on the sides of Mt Warning Volcano in northern NSW and over the border in Queensland's Lamington National Park

Additional notes:     

• Evolution

  • They arrived in Australia from the landbridge created 45,000 years ago due to the receding ocean levels during the last glacial period, but the probable 'native' environment in prehistory was Indonesia

• It has become a noxious weed in many areas where it has been used as an ornamental plant

• In southern Brazil, it has become an invasive species, profiting from the local extinction of the endangered native palm Euterpe edulis

• In New Zealand, A. cunninghamiana could invade native forests, since it has the same ecological requirements as the native nikau palm

• The Auckland Regional Council has included A. cunninghamiana on a list of plants requiring further research on their potential to adversely affect the environment

• In the United States, the palm is commonly cultivated in California from San Luis Obispo south to the Mexican border and in much of central and southern Florida