Click on images to enlarge
habit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
clustered stems (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
leaves (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
large flower cluster in bud (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
cluster of flower buds (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
close-up of flower buds (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
immature and mature fruit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
seedlings (Photo: Sheldon Navie)
Scientific Name
Caryota mitis Lour.
Family
Arecaceae (Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory)Palmae (South Australia)
Common Names
Burmese fishtail palm, clumping fishtail palm, clustered fishtail palm, clustering fishtail palm, fish tail palm, fishtail palm, lesser fish tail palm, tufted fishtail palm, winepalm
Origin
Native to India and south-eastern Asia (i.e. Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines).
Naturalised Distribution
Naturalised near Darwin in the north-western parts of the Northern Territory. Possibly also naturalised in northern Queensland.
Also naturalised overseas in Hawaii and south-eastern USA (i.e. Florida).
Notes
Clumping fishtail palm (Caryota mitis) is commonly cultivated in the tropical and sub-tropical parts of Australia. In the wetter tropical regions of northern Australia birds and animals appear to be spreading it into rainforests, vine thickets and along drainage lines. It is regarded as an environmental weed in the Northern Territory, where it is being actively managed by community groups.