Clustered walking stick palm
Linospadix minor

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

An evergreen palm. It forms clumps by suckering. It grows to 2 m high and spreads to 2 m across. The stems are erect, woody and slender. It has a sparse crown of short fronds. The leaves are 60-100 cm long and consist of pairs of leaflets of unequal size. There are 12-14 leaflets. The end pair of leaflets are fishtail like. The flowers are greenish and hang down on long spikes. The fruit are orange, pink or red berries. They occur on long spikes which can be 20-40 cm long. The fruit are 12-18 mm long. The fruit are yellow, pink or red. They have one seed inside. The seed is 1-1.6 cm long. The flesh of the fruit is edible.

There are 11 Linospadix species.

Where it is found

A tropical palm. It grows naturally in the rainforest. It suits a shady position. They need a well-aerated loamy soil. It benefits from mulch and regular watering. In north Queensland it grows beween sea level and 1300 m altitude. In the Cairns Botanical gardens. Adelaide Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia (country/location of origin), Pacific, Papua New Guinea

How it is used for food

The fruit have a thin layer of edible flesh.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

The plants are grown from seed. Seed should be sown fresh. Seed germinate slowly. They can be grown by division of the clump. Seedlings transplant easily.

In Australia, flowering occurs August to October and the fruiting season is December to July.

Its other names

Local names

Jar-Arungle, Minor Walking-stick Palm, Jakarungle

Synonyms

Areca minor W. Hill; Bacularia intermedia C. T. White; Bacularia minor (W. Hill) F. Muell.; Kentia minor (W. Hill) F. Muell.; Linospadix intermedia (C. T. White) R. W. Johnson;