Carpentaria acuminata Becc.

A medium sized palm. The trunk is smooth, slender and ringed with old leaf scars. Plants grow 10-30 m high and spreads 3-7 m across. The trunk is 15-30 cm thick. The leaf sheaths form a greyish-green crown-shaft 60-100 cm long. The palm has a small crown of arching fronds. Leaves are arching and dark green. They are feather-like and 2-4 m long. It has closely spaced strap like leaflets 20-60 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. The leaflets taper to a ragged end. The flowering stalks are 1.5 m long. The stalk is flattened. Several flowering stalks can occur at the same time. The flower stalks come from below the crown-shaft. The flowers are cup shaped and cream. They are about 1 cm across. Male and female flowers are produced on the same stalk. The fruit are yellow and red when ripe. They are oval with a pointed tip. They are 1-2 cm long by 15-18 mm wide. They have a thick, fleshy, juicy layer around one seed.

It is a tropical plant. They need a temperature above 13-15°C. It will grow on most soils. It needs a protected, warm, sunny position. It is damaged by drought and frost. It needs regular moisture and humidity. Plants are often on creek banks and low sites which are occasionally flooded. The soil needs to be well-drained. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

The palm heart is edible but as this would kill the palm it is not normally eaten.

Plants are grown from fresh seed. Seed germinate in 2-4 months. Seedlings are not easy to transplant. They should be re-potted regularly.