Atherton palm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Atherton palm |
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| Laccospadix australasicus, Herberton Range | |
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| Genus: |
Laccospadix
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| Species: |
australasicus
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Laccospadix is a special type of palm tree found only in Queensland, Australia. It's the only species in its group, which is why it's called a monotypic genus. The most well-known species is Laccospadix australasicus, also known as the Atherton palm or Queensland kentia. Its name comes from two Greek words that mean "reservoir" and "spadix" (which is a type of flower spike).
Contents
What Does the Atherton Palm Look Like?
The Atherton palm, Laccospadix australasicus, can grow in two ways. Some palms grow as a single trunk, while others grow in a cluster with many trunks.
Trunk and Leaves
- Single-trunk palms can have trunks about 10 centimeters (4 inches) wide.
- Clustering palms have thinner trunks, closer to 5 centimeters (2 inches) wide.
- The trunks are often dark green or almost black at the bottom. They become lighter as they get older.
- You can easily see rings on the trunks. These are marks left behind when old leaves fell off.
- Single-trunk palms can grow up to 7 meters (23 feet) tall.
- Clustering palms usually grow to about 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) tall.
- The leaves are long and feathery, called pinnate leaves.
- They grow upright at first, then arch slightly.
- Each leaf can be up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) long.
- The leaf stalks (petioles) and main leaf stems (rachises) often have small scales on them.
- New leaves are often a pretty red or bronze color. This is more common on palms that grow with a single trunk.
Flowers and Fruit
- The palm produces a long, straight flower spike, called an inflorescence.
- This spike grows from inside the crown of leaves and can be up to a meter (3.3 feet) long.
- It carries both male and female flowers on the same spike.
- Both types of flowers have three sepals (small leaf-like parts) and three longer petals.
- The fruit of the Laccospadix palm is slightly oval-shaped.
- Each fruit contains just one seed.
- When ripe, the fruit turns a bright red color.
- It has a smooth outer skin and a thin, fleshy middle layer.
Where Does the Atherton Palm Grow?
This palm is found only in Queensland, Australia. It grows in humid rain forests on mountains and plateaus. You can find it at elevations between 800 and 1400 meters (2,600 to 4,600 feet) above sea level. These palms prefer places where they don't get a lot of direct sunlight.
See also
In Spanish: Laccospadix australasicus para niños
