WorldFloraDB - Licuala ramsayi

Characteristics

Solitary or rarely clustered bisexual palm. Trunk to 16 m tall, to 20 cm diam., dark grey. Leaves numerous, erect to semi-drooping, 200–400 cm long; sheath with brown to blackish fibres; petiole 150–200 cm long, 2–3.5 cm diam., armed with marginal spines throughout or only in basal parts; leaf blade nearly circular, 120–180 cm diam., dark green adaxially, pale abaxially; segments elongate-obcuneate, 80–120 cm long, 10–40 cm wide. Inflorescence 200–500 cm long, arcuate to pendulous, longer than leaves; prophyll to 20 cm long, glabrous; peduncular bracts narrow, glabrous; rachillae glabrous. Flowers solitary, in pairs or sympodial clusters of 3 or 4, white to yellow. Fruit ovoid, 8–15 mm long, 8–13 mm diam., orange-red.

More

A slender palm. The trunk can be 18 m tall. The trunk can be 10-20 cm across. The leaves of young plants have a few widely spaced segments. In mature plants the leaves are almost circular with crowded segments. The leaf blades may be 2 m across. The leaf stalk is 1.5-2 m long by 3-4 cm wide. They are slender and arching and spiny at the base. The flowers occur on panicles which hang down from among the leaves. The flowers are white. The fruit are brilliant orange-red. They are 1 cm across.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

tree

Growth support

free-standing

Foliage retention

evergreen

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

-

Spread

-

Mature width (meter)

-

Mature height (meter)

16.0

Root system

-

Rooting depth (meter)

1.5

Root diameter (meter)

-

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

Fruiting months

-

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

c3

Environment

A tropical plant. They grow best in the tropics. It normally grows in rainforest along stream banks. It can tolerate flooding and swampy areas. They need warm shady positions with plenty of moisture. It suits warm humid places. In north Queensland it grows from sea level to 640 m altitude. In Cairns Botanical Gardens. Melbourne Botanical gardens hothouse. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Townsville palmetum.

More

Grows in rainforest and swamp forest at 0–1100 m alt., on various soil types; sometimes forms almost pure stands.

Swamp rainforest and river banks, mainly on the coastal plains.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

The cabbage like central core of the trunk is eaten.

Uses	fiber ornamental
Edible	-
Therapeutic use	-
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed. Seed germinate erratically over 6-12 months. Seedlings transplant fairly easily.

Mode	seedlings
Germination duration (days)	-
Germination temperacture (C°)	-
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	1
Optimum temperature (C°)	22 - 32
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-