Cabbage-tree Palm

Livistona australis

''Livistona australis'', the cabbage-tree palm, is a plant species in the family Arecaceae. It is a tall, slender palm growing up to about 25 m in height and 0.35 m diameter. 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. In summer it bears flower spikes with sprigs of cream-white flowers. The trees accumulate dead fronds or leaves, which when the plant is in cultivation are often removed by an arborist.

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.
Cabbage palm seedlings - Livistonia australis All growing around the base of the parent tree. Many of course will not make it. Australia,Eamw flora,Geotagged,Livistona australis,Livistonia australis,Summer

Distribution

Mostly this plant is found in moist open forest, often in swampy sites and on margins of rainforests or near the sea. It is widely spread along the New South Wales coast and extends north into Queensland and southwards to eastern Victoria, growing further south than any other native Australian palm.
Cabbage-tree Palm - Livistona australis The cabbage-tree palm is a traditional food for coastal Indigenous communities. It did have value for early settlers (ornamental/for shade; copying Aboriginal people by eating the hearts; and using the trunks for feeding troughs for cattle). https://slowfoodaustralia.com.au › n... Native cabbage tree palm - Slow Food Australia Australia,Geotagged,Livistona australis,Summer

Habitat

Mostly this plant is found in moist open forest, often in swampy sites and on margins of rainforests or near the sea. It is widely spread along the New South Wales coast and extends north into Queensland and southwards to eastern Victoria, growing further south than any other native Australian palm.
Cabbage-tree Palm - Livistona australis https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/plants-and-animals/cabbage-palm With glossy green leaves spanning 3-4m in length and a trunk reaching a height of up to 30m, the cabbage tree palm, or fan palm, is one of the tallest Australian native plants. Thriving in rainforest margins along the east coast of NSW, in summer this giant palm produces striking spikes of cream flowers which resemble cabbages. The Cabbage - tree Palm is a protected species in NSW Australia,Geotagged,Livistona australis,Summer

Cultural

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. The most southerly stand is near Cabbage Tree Creek 30 kilometres east of Orbost, Victoria .

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

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassMonocots
OrderArecales
FamilyArecaceae
GenusLivistona
SpeciesL. australis
Photographed in
Australia