Archontophoenix maxima, the Walsh River Palm, is the largest species of the Archontophoenix

Archontophoenix

Archontophoenix is a plant genus comprising six palm species that are native to New South Wales and Queensland in eastern Australia. They are tall, slender and unbranched.Species include:...

genus.
It is endemic to Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. This robust palm grows in rainforest in altitudes of between 800 and 1200 metres on the Walsh River and the adjacent Mount Haig Range in the Atherton Tablelands at approximately 17° South latitude.

Description

Archontophoenix maxima grows up to 25 metres tall, with a trunk up to 30 cm in diameter with an expanded base. The rigidly-held, erect leaves are up to 4 metres long, and have a slight sideways twist. The massive branched inflorescence is up to 1.5 metres long, and bear white flowers. When ripe, the fruit is red and between 13 and 15 mm in length. The flowers closely resemble those of A. alexandrae

Archontophoenix alexandrae

Archontophoenix alexandrae is a palm native to Queensland, Australia....

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