NParks | Wodyetia Bifurcata

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Wodyetia bifurcata

Family Name:	Arecaceae (Palmae)
Common Name:	Foxtail Palm

Full Sun

Moderate Water

Suitable for Roadsides

Solitary Habit

Palm

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• Name
• Classifications and Characteristics
• Biogeography
• Description and Ethnobotany
• Landscaping Features
• Plant Care and Propagation
• Foliar
• Non - Foliar and Storage
• Floral (Angiosperm)
• Fruit, Seed and Spore
• Image Repository
• Others

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Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Name Status (botanical)
Common Names
Comments

Classifications and Characteristics

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Monocotyledon)
Plant Growth Form	Palm (Solitary Habit)
Mode of Nutrition	Autotrophic

Maximum Height

15 m

Biogeography

Native Distribution	Australia

Description and Ethnobotany

Growth Form	A stunning, fast-growing, small or medium-sized, solitary palm that is renowned for its delightful crown of densely plumose (like the plume of a feather), gracefully arching fronds that have taken the liking to the tail of a fox.
Trunk	Trunk smooth, unarmed, slender, closely ringed, columnar to bottle-shaped, slightly swollen at base; crownshaft slender, narrower green.
Foliage	Fronds arching, long, densely plumose, bright green, 8 to 10 (for mature specimens); leaflets radiating out at all angles from the sheath.

Others - Plant Morphology

Flower: Inflorescences white, emerging at the base of the crownshaft. Fruit: Fruits clustered, ripening from green to orange-red, about 5 cm long, single-seeded; seeds bearing forked fibres.Etymology:' It was discovered in 1978, when an Aboriginal man, whose Aboriginal name being recorded as 'Wodyeti', introduced it to botanists and the world's attention. Thus the genus epithet was honoured after him. Its species epithet 'bifurcata' mean twice forked, in reference to the pinnae and fibres in the fruit. Its common name, 'foxtail palm', was conveniently given in reference to the fronds, which are an allusion to the tail of a fox.

Cultivation

Extremely versatile a palm, it tolerates a wide variety of soil and climatic conditions. Grows at a rapid rate when the palm is well fed and watered regularly. It thrives well in full sun and partial sun, and even indoors with brightly lit areas. Because of its deep root system, it is drought tolerant. When grown in a container, over-watering should be avoided. It is generally disease-free and is reistant to lethal yellowing (a phytoplasma disease that affects many species of palms). Propagate by seeds. Seeds germinate in 3 to 6 months.

Landscaping Features

Landscape Uses	Suitable for Roadsides

Plant Care and Propagation

Light Preference	Full Sun
Water Preference	Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate	Moderate

Foliar

Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Green
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio	2.5 (Palm - Solitary)

Non - Foliar and Storage

Trunk Type (Palm)	Solitary Habit, Aboveground

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower Colour(s)	White

Fruit, Seed and Spore

Mature Fruit Colour(s)	Orange, Red

Image Repository

Images

Others

Master ID	1398
Species ID	2691
Flora Disclaimer	The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.

Species record last updated on: 10 December 2021. Share

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