Archontophoenix cunninghamiana (H.Wendland) Wendl. & Drude, Arecaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 6 (revised 22 January 2008) (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: bangalow palm, piccabeen bangalow palm, piccabeen palm

Habit:  tree

Description:  "This is a very similar palm to Archontophoenix alexandrae in both appearance and size (it gets to about 25 metres (80 feet) tall with a spread of about 2 - 2.5 metres (10 - 15 feet)).  The leaves, which have paler stalks, are bright green above and below, although there can also be brown scales underneath. They are much heavier looking than A. alexandrae , and consequntly are more likely to be damaged by heavy winds. Thus they are often better suited to more sheltered areas, while A. alexandrae can take more exposed positions.  The base of the petioles form a greenish-yellow to brown crownshaft that the leaves rarely droop below. The trunk is smooth and ringed with noticeable leaf scars, although thinner and with more widely spaced rings than A. alexandrae . It can get to about 1/3 meter (one foot) in diameter. Flowers are formed below the crownshaft with the creamy flower stalks holding mauve flowers. The round green fruit, about 12 mm (1/2 inch) in diameter, turn bright red at maturity. There is often a noticeable bulge in the crownshaft before the flowers emerge which gives the tree a "pregnant" look"  (Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia).

Habitat/ecology:  Tropical and subtropical climate.  "Rainforests of central eastern Australian coast.  They do like more water than most palms, with some even thriving in poorly drained areas. In their native habitat, they can often be seen growing next to and even in creek beds."  (Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Australia (New South Wales and Queesland) (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1971) (voucher ID: BISH 76517) Taxon name on voucher: Archontophoenix cunninghamiana (H.Wendland) Wendl. & Drude
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 110) As Archontophoenix cunninghamii (H. Wendl.) H. Wendl. & Drude

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 15) Cultivated only

Comments:  Reported invasive in Brazil ("The invasion of a Brazilian tropical forest fragment by the Australian palm tree Archontophoenix cunninghamiana")

Additional information:
The invasion of a Brazilian tropical forest fragment by the Australian palm tree Archontophoenix cunninghamiana.

Additional online information about Archontophoenix cunninghamiana is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Archontophoenix cunninghamiana as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Archontophoenix cunninghamiana may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1971. Voucher specimen #BISH76517(Nagata, K.M. 919).

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.