''Cordyline manners-suttoniae'', commonly known as the giant palm lily, is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

plant found only in rainforest of northeastern

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia.

Description

''Cordyline manners-suttoniae'' is an erect shrub growing to about tall, and may be single stemmed or branched. The large

simple Simple or SIMPLE may refer to: *Simplicity, the state or quality of being simple Arts and entertainment * ''Simple'' (album), by Andy Yorke, 2008, and its title track * "Simple" (Florida Georgia Line song), 2018 * "Simple", a song by John ...

leaves are crowded at the ends of the branches. They may reach long and wide, and are arranged spirally around the stem. Lateral veins run more or less parallel to each other with numerous secondary veins between them. The fleshy petiole may be long, is "U" shaped in cross-section, and the base widens into a sheath clasping the stem. The inflorescences are

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

s measuring up to long, produced either terminally or from the leaf axils. The bisexual flowers are about long with 3 white or cream petals; they are held on

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branch ...

about long. There are six stamens, the ovary is 3-lobed with 2-16 ovules per locule. The fruit is a bright red glossy

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...

(in botanical terms) measuring about diameter, containing up to eight small black seeds.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by the German-Australian botanist

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victoria, Australia ...

, who published the name and description in his book '' Fragmenta phytographiæ Australiæ'' in 1866.

Etymology

The genus name ''Cordyline'' is from the Greek '' kordyle'' meaning "club", a reference to the swollen roots of some species. The

species epithet Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany) ...

''manners-suttoniae'' was given by Mueller in honour of the wife of the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

Governor John Henry Manners-Sutton.

Distribution and habitat

The giant palm lily is found in eastern Queensland from about

Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the '' Endeavour'', for ...

southwards to about

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

. It inhabits rainforest in very wet areas, near swamps and areas with poorly drained soils. The altitudinal range is from near sea level to about .

Ecology

The fruit of this species are eaten by birds, including the figbird (''Sphecotheres vieilloti'').

Gallery

File:Cordyline manners-suttoniae (tanetahi) 001.jpg, Habit File:Cordyline-manners-suttoniae-SF24117-02.jpg, Immature inflorescence File:Cordyline-manners-suttoniae-SF24038-01.jpg, Flowers File:Cordyline-manners-suttoniae-SF24121-04.jpg, Fruit File:Cordyline-manners-suttoniae-SF24038-05.jpg, With both flowers and fruit

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5170113 manners-suttoniae Asparagales of Australia Endemic flora of Queensland Garden plants Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller Plants described in 1866