Scientific Name : Wodyetia bifurcata A.K.Irvine
Common Name : Foxtail Palm
Chinese Name : 狐尾椰子, 狐尾棕
Family : ARECACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species
| Origins | Cape Melville National Park of Queensland, Australia. |
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| Ecology | The natural habitat of Foxtail Palm is open rainforest in granitic sand and boulders. Since its discovery, the Foxtail Palm has become the darling exalted by horticulturists. Owing to its extraordinary appearance with leaves resembling foxtails, its aesthetic value is exceptional. However, along with the discovery of their distinctive look, their lives were gradually being threatened. Illegal collection nearly drove their wild population to extinction. Their seeds became highly demanded goods in the black market. The wild populations were saved eventually thanks to legal artificial propagation, which sped up the reproduction of individuals. Even though nowadays the species is commonly seen worldwide, the Foxtail Palm is still being listed as vulnerable species in the Nature Conservation Act 1992 of the Queensland Government and the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). |
| Meanings of scientific name | Foxtail Palm is the only species under the genus Wodyetia, the name for which originates from the aboriginal man Wodyeti who shared his knowledge of the species to botanists. The species epithet “bifurcata” means “twice divided”, describing the division of pinnae of the leaves. |
| Growing habit | Tree-like palm. |
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| Height | To 15 m. |
| Roots | Exposed root system. |
| Stems | Bark of main stem grey, longitudinally striate. Swollen at the base, slightly swollen at the middle. Circular leaf scar conspicuous, forming alternate coarse-and-fine rings. |
| Leaves | Pinnate. Length of a single leaf can exceed 3 m. Leaf sheaths light green, closed at the apex forming a tubular crownshaft. About 100 pinnae on a single rachis, apart from those on the apex, all primary pinnae are longitudinally divided into many secondary segments which point to different directions. The leaf shape is very stereoscopic and like foxtail, hence was given the name “Foxtail Palm”. |
| Flowers | Inflorescences grow below the crownshaft. Monoecious with unisexual flowers. Flowers yellowish green, each with 3 sepals and 3 petals. |
| Fruits | Drupe ellipsoid, egg-sized, red when mature. Looks like Chinese red eggs. With remnant stigma, prominent. |
| Flowering period | September to December in Hong Kong. |
| Fruiting period | January to July in Hong Kong. |
Scientific name above is based on Plants of the World Online : Wodyetia bifurcata A.K.Irvine