''Archontophoenix alexandrae'', commonly known as Alexandra palm, king palm, Northern Bangalow palm, or feather palm, is a palm endemic to Queensland,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It was named in honour of Princess Alexandra of Denmark, but is often erroneously referred to by the

misnomer A misnomer is a name that is incorrectly or unsuitably applied. Misnomers often arise because something was named long before its correct nature was known, or because an earlier form of something has been replaced by a later form to which the name ...

Alexander palm.

Description

''Archontophoenix alexandrae'' is a tall, solitary palm growing to a height of with a trunk up to diameter, often swollen at the base, and bearing prominent leaf scars. The graceful crown has 8 to 10 pinnate, feather-like fronds that measure up to in length, with 60 to 80 leaflets on each side of the midrib. The pinnae are dark green above and silvery-grey underneath, measuring up to long, and the entire frond is usually twisted laterally. At the base of each frond is a large crownshaft up to high, coloured light green.

Flowers

The inflorescence of ''Archontophoenix alexandrae'' is a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

, creamy white when first released from the protective sheath or prophyll that it develops within, and transitioning through light green as the fruits develop and finally to brown when it is shed from the tree. It measures between wide by long, and arises from the base of the crownshaft. Flowering occurs randomly throughout the year, and it is not uncommon to find a group of these palms, some of which carry fruit and/or flowers while others carry neither. Individual flowers are 3-petalled, creamy-white in colour and quite small—the staminate (functionally male) flowers measuring up to wide and the pistillate (functionally female) flowers up to .

Fruit

The fruits are

ovoid An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.) it is given a more precise definition, which may include either one or ...

to globose with a persistent

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

. They are initially green turning bright red when ripe. They measure around in diameter and contain a single seed about diameter.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described as ''Ptychosperma alexandrae'' by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

in his ''Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae'' in 1865. In 1875 the German botanists Hermann Wendland and Oscar Drude published a treatment of Australian palms in the journal ''Linnaea'' titled ''Palmae Australasicae'', in which this species was renamed ''Archontophoenix alexandrae''.

Etymology

The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek ''ἄρχων'' (árkhōn), meaning "chieftain" or "ruler", combined with the palm genus Phoenix, and refers to the regal stature of the trees. The

species epithet Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany) A botanical name ...

is given in honour of Princess Alexandra of Denmark.

Distribution and habitat

The native range of this species is north-east and central-east Queensland, from the Melville Range in Cape York Peninsula to south of

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

. The altitudinal range is from sea level to , although it is most commonly found in lowland riparian

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

alongside river courses and swamps, often in locations that are severely inundated during heavy rain events. Their ability to withstand these conditions allow them to become the dominant species.

Ecology

The fruit of the Alexandra palm is eaten by many bird species, notably the

Metallic starling The metallic starling (''Aplonis metallica''), also known as the shining starling, is a bird in the starling family native to the Moluccas, New Guinea, Queensland and the Solomon Islands. Description The adult has brilliant red eyes, a long for ...

(''Aplonis metallica''), which often descend on a tree as a flock and may consume all of the ripe fruits within an hour. Other common bird species include the Torresian imperial pigeon (''Ducula spilorrhoa'') and the Wompoo fruit dove (''Ptilinopus magnificus''). Fruits are also eaten by fruit bats and the Musky rat-kangaroo (''Hypsiprymnodon moschatus'').

Uses

The Kuku Yalanji people of Far North Queensland would eat the palm heart of this species.

Cultivation

This species is easily grown from fresh seed, and is very popular in cultivation in Australia, both for private gardens and as a street and park tree. It is fast growing and will tolerate cooler climates outside the tropics where there are no frosts, and has been widely planted in many countries. It has become naturalised in Hawaii.

Gallery

Image:Archontopheonix-alexandrae-littoral-rainforest.jpg, Habitat Image:Archontopheonix alexandrae flowering.jpg, Flowering Image:Archontopheonix alexandrae fruiting with Sulphur-crested Cockatoos.jpg, Fruiting Image:Starr 011205-0026 Archontophoenix alexandrae.jpg, Fruit

References

External links

* * * Map of occurrences of ''Archontophoenix alexandrae'' at th
Atlas of Living Australia

See images
of ''Archontophoenix alexandrae'' on Flickriver {{Taxonbar, from=Q1831486 alexandrae Trees of Australia Palms of Australia Ornamental trees Flora of Hawaii Plants described in 1875 Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller Taxa described in 1865 Endemic flora of Queensland