Livistona australis

Livistona australis

The Australian cabbage palm or Australian fan palm, cabbage palm, cabbage-tree palm Gippsland palm (Livistona australis (R.Br.) Mart. 1838) is an arboreal species belonging to the Arecaceae family.

Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Liliopsida,
Subclass Arecidae,
Order Arecales,
Arecaceae family,
Subfamily Coryphoideae,
Tribe Livistoneae,
Subtribe Livistoninae,
Livistona genre,
Species L. australis.
The term is basionym:
– Corypha australis R.Br..

Etymology –
The term Livistona was given in honor of Patrick Murray, Baron of Livingston, who in 1670 dedicated his collection and his garden to a botanical garden, which later became the current Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
The specific epithet australis comes from the Latin “australis, e”, that is, southern, southern.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Livistona australis is a palm native to south-eastern Australia where it is widely distributed along the coast of New South Wales and extends north into Queensland and south to eastern Victoria, growing further south than any other native Australian palm.
Its habitat is that of open humid forests, often in swampy sites and on the edges of rainforests or near the sea, up to about 1000 m altitude.
Often common locally and sometimes found in large colonies, where it grows in moist areas of open forests, swamp forests, moist sclerophyll forests, along stream banks and in rainforest.

Description –
Livistona australis is a monoecious palm, with hermaphroditic flowers, solitary. However, in the populations that grow in nature there are plants that bear fruit and others that do not, even if there are no differences between the flowers, which suggests a certain dioecious behavior which must be further verified.
This palm is topped with a globose crown of 35 – 60 fan leaves.
The stem is erect and widened at the base, which grows up to about 30 m in height and 25-35 cm in diameter at 1-2 m from the ground, vertically fissured, brown in color with annular traces of leaf scars and residues of the bases of the petioles permanent for a long time.
The leaves are slightly costapalmate, wavy, almost circular; they are 1.1-1.3 m long and 1-1.5 m wide, of an intense green color and shiny above, slightly lighter below, divided into 70-90 segments, 3-5 cm wide, joined at the base for about half or slightly less than their length, the free part is in turn divided towards the middle into two linear-lanceolate segments with slightly divergent and vertically hanging acute apex.
The petioles are 1.5-2.5 m long and about 6 cm wide at the base and 2 cm at the apex, green in color with purple brown shades at the base, they are provided in the lower half with short blackish brown thorns more or less retroflexed decreasing length, almost helpless in the remaining part; the leaf base largely disintegrates into a fibrous mass that surrounds the stem. Inflorescences between the leaves (interfoliar), of a length shorter than or almost equal to that of the petioles, cream-coloured, with fifth-order ramifications and numerous rachillae with tiny sessile hermaphroditic flowers, solitary or in groups of 2-4, with 6 stamens united at the base and 3 free carpels at the base and united at the apex to form a single style with a three-lobed stigma.
The fruits are globose, 1.5-2 cm in diameter, reddish brown to shiny blackish purple in color when ripe.
Inside there is a single globular seed, 1-1.5 cm in diameter, light brown in colour.

Cultivation –
Livistona australis is a large, attractive, evergreen palm whose apical shoot was a favorite food of the Australian Aborigines and early white settlers, although it is rarely eaten today as this leads to the death of the plant. The plant is often grown as an ornamental.
The plant grows best in moist soil rich in organic material, thriving in both shady and well-lit positions. It also tolerates salt, frost and wind, with populations developing along the Australian coast from Queensland to Victoria. The southernmost coppice is near Cabbage Tree Creek, 30km east of Orbost, Victoria (37° S).
It is a plant that is therefore found mainly in warm temperate to subtropical areas in nature, but also extends into the tropics of north-eastern Australia. It is found only in coastal areas and near coastal plains in temperate regions, but is found at higher altitudes in subtropical regions and only at altitudes between 400 and 1,000 meters in the tropics.
It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are between 20 and 28°C, but can tolerate 8-34°C.
It prefers an average annual rainfall of between 900 and 1,100 mm, but tolerates 800 – 1,200 mm.
It grows in full sun or partial shade, even if small.
The plants grow naturally in forest habitats and, especially when young, require some shade from the sun for at least part of the day.
From a soil perspective, although the plants prefer deeply moist soil, they can also succeed in dry climates; however they prefer a pH between 5.5 and 7, tolerating 5 – 7.5.
The plants can tolerate at least some marine exposure with salt spray and somewhat saline soil conditions.
It is a slow-growing plant that can flower and produce fruit all year round. They are functionally dioecious and therefore two distinct plants are needed if fruit and seed are needed.
The plants are very suitable for growing in pots and can be grown successfully in containers for many years.
However in areas on the edge of cold tolerance, therefore, it is prudent to grow the plants in containers for a few years, giving them winter protection, and planting them in their permanent positions only when their size requires it.
These palms can be transplanted even when they are very large. Although the thick, fleshy roots are easily damaged and/or dried out, new roots are usually produced freely.
Reproduction occurs by seed which must first be kept in water for three days, in a draining organic substrate kept humid at a temperature of 24-26 °C, with germination times of 1 to 3 months.

Customs and Traditions –
Livistona australis is a palm known by various common names; among these are: Australian cabbage palm, Australian fan palm, cabbage palm, cabbage-tree palm Gippsland palm (English); daranggara (cadigal); livinstona d’Australie, latanier pleureur, palmier foiled d’Australie (French); palmeira-leque-de-saia, false latania (Portuguese – Brazil); latania de Australia, livistona de Australia, palma col, palmera abanico, palmera australia (Spanish).
It is the most widespread Livistona in nature and among the most cultivated, particularly in regions with a temperate climate, such as the Mediterranean one, where it can resist, as an adult, temperatures down to around -6 °C, if exceptional and short-lived .
The vegetative apex is edible (but involves the death of the plant) and was consumed in the past by some aboriginal tribes as a vegetable.
This Australian species was called “Dtharowal”, from which the Tharawal language takes its name. The shoots of the tree could be cooked or eaten raw and the heart of the trunk could be cooked as medicine to relieve sore throats. The leaves of this palm were used for shelter and the fibers for twine, rope and fishing lines.
Other uses include those for making small products such as hats, bags and nets.
This palm is classified as “Least Concern” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2009).

Preparation Method –
Livistona australis is a palm used for both food and ornamental purposes.
The young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked and are eaten like cabbage. Young leaf shoots are often used, but since the plants are unable to produce lateral shoots, this effectively kills the plant.
Among other uses, the leaves are used for straw and to make hats.
They are large and fibrous and can also be used to make baskets, bags, nets, etc.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/290140344/original.jpg

Attention: Pharmaceutical applications and food uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not represent in any way a medical prescription; we therefore decline any responsibility for their use for healing, aesthetic or food purposes.