Livistona australis Cabbage-tree palm
Family
Arecaceae
Genus
Livistona
Species
australis
southern
The cabbage-tree palm, Livistona australis, is in the Arecaceae family. It is a
tall, slender palm growing up to about 25 m in height and 0.35 m diameter. It is crowned
with dark, glossy green leaves on petioles 2 m long. It has leaves plaited like a fan;
the cabbage of these is small but sweet. In summer it bears flower spikes with sprigs of
cream-white flowers. In winter, the trees accumulate dead fronds or leaves, which
usually need to be removed by a arborist. Seeking protection from the sun, early
European settlers in Australia used fibre from the native palm to create the cabbage
tree hat, a distinctive form of headwear during the colonial era.