Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
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Howea forsteriana
kentia palm, thatch palm
Arecaceae
Coastal north of Wollongong. Widely cultivated, occasionally naturalised. Native of Lord Howe Island.
Introduced slender palm tree to 20 m tall. Fruit fleshy. Leaves clustered at the top of the trunk, 300-500 cm long, compound, horizontal to drooping, basal sheaths fibrous. Male and female flowers on the same plant. Flowers with 3 petals and 3 sepals, in groups of 3, with 2 male flowers with 1 female flower between, in 3-8 drooping spikes each 70–130 cm long. Fruit bright or dull red, oval, 3–5 cm long.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Howea~forsteriana (accessed 19 January, 2021)
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