Needle Berry

Rhaphidophora australasica

"Rhaphidophora australasica", commonly known as needle berry, is a plant in the arum family Araceae that is only found in the Wet Tropics bioregion of northeastern Queensland, Australia.
Needle berry Very dense large leaves envelop the trees in their quest for sunlight. The roots sprouting from their stems are sometimes used to climb while others are sent to the rainforest floor to gather water and nutrients. The fruit is yellow and soft but the berries are inedible due to the irritant like crystals. Australia,Geotagged,Needle berry,Rhaphidophora australasica,Summer

Appearance

It is a semi-epiphytic, robust, herbaceous, root climber reaching about 30 m tall. The dark green leaves are oblanceolate to elliptic and measure up to 40 cm long by 14 cm wide. The inflorescence is a spadix about 6–8 cm long, enclosed in a spathe about 13 cm long.

Distribution

The needle berry occurs in rainforest from around Cooktown south to about Ingham, at altitudes from sea level to about 1,000 m.

Status

This species is listed by the Queensland Government's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation as least concern. As of 1 April 2024, it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

References:

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Status: Least concern
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassMonocots
OrderAlismatales
FamilyAraceae
GenusRhaphidophora
SpeciesR. australasica
Photographed in
Australia