Species profile—Livistona concinna
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Arecaceae (palm) → Livistona concinna
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Arecaceae (palm)
- Scientific name
- Livistona concinna Dowe & Barfod
- WildNet taxon ID
- 26863
- Alternate name(s)
- Cooktown fan palm
Kennedy River livistona
Cooktown livistona - Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Near threatened
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- Yes
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- Livistona concinna is a palm, with a grey trunk to 30m tall. The trunk is 24-35cm in diameter at breast height, expanding to 100cm in diameter at the base. The internodes (bands on the trunk) are 2-20cm wide. There are 50-65 leaves forming a globose to hemispherical crown. The green, hairless petiole (leaf stalk) is 1.2-3.0m long and 5-11cm wide at the base, narrowing to about 2.8cm wide at the tip. The leaf stalk is triangular in cross-section and has solitary, symmetric, 3-5mm long black spines congested at the base end.
The leaves are hairless, glossy, non-waxy and mid-green in colour on the upper surface and lighter green on the underside. They are 1.5-1.6m long, about 2m wide and folded. Each leaf consists of 60-78 segments, which are free for about 60% of their length, with the tips hanging downwards. The segments mid-way along the stem are 2.6-4cm wide.
Functionally male inflorescences (flower clusters) are 120-180cm long with 8 or 9 partial inflorescences branched to the 4th order (3rd in distal parts). Functionally female inflorescences (flower clusters) are 160-250cm long with 8 or 9 partial infloresecnes branched to the 5th order (3rd in distal parts). White or cream flowers are solitary or in clusters of 2-4. Each flower is 1.6-2mm high and 2mm wide. The fruits are globular, shiny black and 9-12mm in diameter.
Livistona muelleri is the only other species in the area and can be distinguished by the smaller trunk (to 10m) and smaller leaf blade (80-90cm long). (Dowe & Barford 2001) - Habitat
- Livistona concinna occurs in seasonally moist open forest, seasonally inundated Melaleuca swamp, along creek and river banks, and at mangrove margins in non-saline environments. It usually grows in alluvial soils. (Dowe & Barford 2001; Herbrecs 2008)
- Behaviour
- Most populations of Livistona concinna are regularly affected by fire. (Dowe & Barford 2001)
- Reproduction
- Livistona concinna is a functionally dioecious palm that flowers in the summer months, from December to March. Fruiting occurs between April and October. (Dowe & Barford 2001)
- Notes
- Contributors: Ailsa Holland, Mellisa Mayhew 18/06/2009
- References
- Dowe, J.L. & Barford, A.S. (2001). New species of Livistona. Austrobaileya 6(1): 165-174.
Herbrecs (2008). Livistona concinna, in BriMapper version 2.12. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 08/10/2008. - Profile author
- Ailsa Holland (18/06/2009)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=26863.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
