''Carpentaria acuminata'' (carpentaria palm), the sole species in the genus ''Carpentaria'', is a
palm
Palm most commonly refers to:
* Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand
* Palm plants, of family Arecaceae
** List of Arecaceae genera
* Several other plants known as "palm"
Palm or Palms may also refer to:
Music
* Palm (b ...
native to tropical coastal regions in the north of
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Au ...
,
Australia.
It is a slender palm, growing to tall in the garden situation, with a trunk diameter. The
leaves are pinnate, long. However, in its natural rainforest location such as at Fogg Dam Monsoon Forest east of Darwin, specimens often exceed in height.
It is a popular
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...
in northern Australia, valued for its rapid growth and very elegant foliage. In recent years, particularly in the capital of the Northern Territory, Darwin, the maturation of gardens after their destruction during
Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from 24 to 26 December 1974. The small, developing easterly storm had been observed passing clear of the city initially, but then turned t ...
in 1974, has resulted in many thousands of specimens of these local palms reaching maturity and fruiting. This has led to many carpentaria palms being removed because of the high volumes of fruits they produce. The ripening fruits attract fruit bats and
Torres Strait pigeons which can create a mess in smaller suburban gardens. It is however, a beautiful and very fast growing specimen tree in the right location.
Note that ''Carpentaria'' should not be confused with the similarly spelled ''
Carpenteria
''Carpenteria'' , the tree anemone or bush anemone, is a genus of flowering plants in the hydrangea family Hydrangeaceae. It is closely related to the similar genus ''Philadelphus'' and is monotypic, being represented by the single specie ...
'', a genus of
shrubs in the family
Hydrangeaceae
Hydrangeaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Cornales, with a wide distribution in Asia and North America, and locally in southeastern Europe.
Description
The genera are characterised by leaves in opposite pairs (rarely whorled o ...
native to California.
Gallery
File:Carpentaria acuminata MtCootTha 2015 12 31a.jpg, ''Carpentaria acuminata'' at Mount Coot-Tha, Brisbane
File:Carpentaria acuminata MtCootTha 2015 12 31b.jpg, ''Carpentaria acuminata'' at Mount Coot-Tha, Brisbane
File:Carpentaria acuminata at QEII Law Courts Brisbane.jpg, ''Carpentaria acuminata'' at QEII Law Courts Brisbane
File:Carpentaria-acuminata 1.jpg, Infrutescence of ''Carpentaria acuminata'' on the Reunion Island
References
External links
*
Monotypic Arecaceae genera
Ptychospermatinae
Endemic flora of Australia
Taxa named by Odoardo Beccari
{{Areceae-stub