Carpentaria acuminata (H.L.Wendl. & Drude) Becc.

Beccari, O. (1885) Annales de Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg 2: 128.

Carpentaria Palm

Single-stemmed palm 9-30 m tall with a DBH of 15-20 cm, grey to light tan with widely spaced rings.

Leaves 10-12 per plant. Leaves pinnate, 2-4 m long, arching; pinnae many, narrow, arching, 40-60 x 1.2-1.5 cm long, deep green. Crownshaft smooth, green.

Inflorescence arise from the upper leaf bases and then progressively down the trunk, 1-2 m long with flower clusters 90-120 cm long, pendant, much branched, beneath the crown shaft bearing white male and female flowers. Flowers ca. 10 mm across. Sepals 3, petals 3 and the flowers in groups of 3 with 1 female between 2 male flowers. Male flowers with 30-40 stamens.

Fruit globular and up to 20 mm diameter, scarlet when ripe with up to 3 seeds within. Seeds smooth.

Features not available.

Occurs in the top end of the NT. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 200 m. Grows in canopy or subcanopy of rainforest, Allosyncarpia forest, vine forest and swamp forest on sandy to heavy clay lom soils.

Flesh of fruit highly caustic (Cronin 1989).