Palms   Livistona nitida

Synonymy:
Livistona sp. 'Carnarvon Gorge'

Common Names:
None

Distribution:
The Carnarvon Gorge area of central Queensland

Habitat:
Open eucalypt forest.

Description:
A tall solitary fan palm.

General:

Culture:
Sunny, moist, but well drained position. Becoming very popular due to its cold tolerance.

Figure 1. L. nitida on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

Personnal Experiences:
About 14 yrs ago I obtained some Livistona nitida seed. I had seen seedlings surviving under canopy in the Canberra Botanic gardens. A self-addressed envelope to the ranger at Isla Gorge National Park soon provided a packet of seed - all of which germnated. Shortly after we built a new house on a bare 1/4 acre block. Growth rates varied remarkably. The biggest is now about 4 metres with a well formed trunk. Others which are beyond the irrigation zone or met stiff competition are still barely ankle high.

Noteworthy is their tolerance of frost and potentially speedy growth in our harsh climate. We get down to -8 degrees in Canberra and even seedlings will survive in the open. Growth rates are also much better in the open. They do better in this climate than L. australis , although the latter is still quite frost tolerant. L. nitida does not like to be transplanted but will eventually come good. Be prepared for all the leaves to die back.( I suspect they are adapted to drier climates than L. australis and have a spreading root system).

Ian Knight

Contributed by:

Daryl O'Connor (Figure 1)

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