Cabbage Tree Palm
Livistona Australis
Common name:
Cabbage Tree Palm
First Nations name:
Dtharowal (Dharawal language)
Scientific name:
Livistona Australis
Height:
25 m in height and 0.35 m diameter.
Bark:
Bark rough, prickly with protruding fibres, with horizontal ridges from leaf scars, and vertical fissures.
Leaves:
It is crowned with glossy green leaves that are plaited like a fan. The leaves span 3-4m in length.
Flowers:
Creamy-white flowers in spring and summer.
Fruit:
First the fruit is red and later turns black when it is ready to be peeled and planted.
First Nations Uses:
Food, medicine, and shelter. Prongs used for weaving mats and bedding, fibre from trunk used for kindling, and if you boil the heart it tastes like cabbage and raw tastes like flowers.
Geographical location:
Along the east coast of Australia from Queensland to Victoria.
Conservation status:
Protected
Photo & Research by:
Kya
Interesting fact:
The cream flowers have a strong fragrance to attract pollinators, which for this plant is a beetle (small brown weevil). As it is reliant on a single genus of weevil for pollination, it is considered a relict plant. If this genera of weevils experience a significant decline, due to increased use of pesticides or changing environmental conditions, the bolwarra could eventually become at risk of extinction.
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