Benstonea lauterbachii (K.Schum. & Warb.) Callm. & Buerki

Sparsely branched tree to 15 (–20) m high, stoloniferous; prop roots few or absent; trunk with scattered short-conic rootlets. Leaves arching, 1–3 (–12 in juveniles) m long, 10–15 cm wide, glaucous below; marginal prickles along whole length; midrib usually with prickles throughout; M-pleats with prickles near apex. Male flowers: stamens appearing free; anthers 8–18 mm long. Female inflorescence erect to pendulous, branched, with (3–) 5–9 (–15) syncarps, each subtended by a bract. Mature syncarps ovoid to obloid or obloid-ellipsoid, often somewhat trigonous when dried, 6–13 (–20) cm long, 3.5–7.5 cm diam. Drupes unilocular, free in upper third, ± obloid, 12–15 mm long excluding style, 3–4 mm diam., usually 5-angled, orange-red; style 5–6 mm long, acuminate; stigma a linear abaxial groove starting c. 1 mm below tip of style.

Grows in permanently wet soils in vegetation types ranging from swamp forest to sedge communities, often near mangroves. Plants may be occasionally almost completely submerged.

The very long juvenile leaves produced by this species have been used to weave canoe sails and roofing mats by indigenous people on Cape York Peninsula and the Torres Strait Islands (Tucker1994: 59–60).

Plants can be grown from seed. They can also be grown from young plantlets near the base of other plants.