Black palm
Normanbya normanbyi, Fam. Arecaceae
A solitary, feather leaved palm, to 20m tall, with a slender trunk enlarged at the base.
| Weed Category: | |
| Weed: | No |
| Form or habit: | Palm or palm-like plant |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Leaf: | To 2.5m long, arching, stalk very short. Leaflets 30-45 x 2-3cmm, dark green above, white beneath, jagged tips. Arranged in groups giving a whorled appearance. 0.5-1m long crownshaft. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
White, Pink |
| Flower description: | White to pink flowers, about 1.5cm in diameter, borne on panicles 15-75cm long, at the base of the ccrownshaft. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
Pink, Red |
| Fruit: | |
| Fruit description: | Pink to scarlet, egg to pear shaped, 3-3.5cm long. |
| Habitat: | Wetland. |
| Distribution | Queensland. |
| Food source for: | |
| Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
| Origin: | Australia. |
| Notes: | An attractive ‘foxtail’ palm which appears to grow much more satisfactorily in a humid atmosphere than it does in dry tropical areas. Propagate from seed but germination may be very sporadic. The colourful, hard, long grained wood has been used for inlay work and walking sticks, and Aboriginals used it for spears. |
| Information sources: | Townsend K. & the Society for Growing Australian Plant Townsville Branch Inc. (1994) Across the Top: Gardening with Australian Plants in the tropics. |
