Bangalow palm

Distribution

The piccabeen palm grows in the wet subtropics on the sides of Mt Warning Volcano in northern NSW and over the border in Queensland's Lamington National Park, for example. It seeks a good water supply so ravines and grottos are well populated. Its fronds do not create a nesting environment for insects or macrofauna like rodents, so are a tolerable tree for urban environments. Originally in Australia from the landbridge created 45,000 years ago by the receding ocean levels during the last glacial, 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.