Carpentaria
Encyclopedia
Carpentaria acuminata (Carpentaria Palm), the sole species in the genus Carpentaria, is a palm
native to tropical coastal regions in the north of Northern Territory
, Australia
.
It is a slender palm, growing to 20 m tall, with a trunk 12-15 cm diameter. The leaves
are pinnate, 3-4 m long.
It is a popular ornamental plant
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
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.
Note that Carpentaria should not be confused with the similarly spelled Carpenteria
, a genus of shrub
s in the family Hydrangeaceae
native to California.
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
native to tropical coastal regions in the north of Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
It is a slender palm, growing to 20 m tall, with a trunk 12-15 cm diameter. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are pinnate, 3-4 m long.
It is a popular ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
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
Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974...
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.
Note that Carpentaria should not be confused with the similarly spelled Carpenteria
Carpenteria
Carpenteria californica , the sole species in the genus Carpenteria, is an evergreen shrub native to California. It is closely related to the genus Philadelphus...
, a genus of shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s in the family Hydrangeaceae
Hydrangeaceae
Hydrangeaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Cornales, with a wide distribution in Asia and North America, and locally in southeastern Europe.-Overview:...
native to California.