Howea forsteriana (Kentia Palm)

Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney (Australia)

Photograph by Raffi Kojian Gardenology.org. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

Howea forsteriana, Lord Howe Island

Photograph by Granitethighs. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

Howea forsteriana in its natural range at North Bay, Lord Howe Island, Australia

Photograph by Black Diamond Images. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

KENTIA PALM FACTS

distribution map showing range of Howea forsteriana in Australia

Map is from The Atlas of Living Australia web site, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License

Common Name
Kentia Palm

Other Names
Sentry Palm, Thatch Palm

Description
The Kentia Palm is an popular palm with dark green ringed trunk to 15 cm in diameter, growing to about ten metres in height but often smaller. It has a crown of arching pinnate fronds with dark green drooping leaflets that can grow to three metres long. The flowers are produced on long linear hanging spikes. The fruit are oval and grow along the length of the flower spike after flowering. It is similar in appearance to Howea belmoreana (The Curly Palm). It is more popular in cultivation than the H. belmoreana, and prefers sub-tropical and warm temperate climates.

Habitat
found from coastal parts of the island to the mountain slopes

Distribution
Howea forsteriana is found only on Lord Howe Island

Growth Characteristics
Height: 10m
Spread: fronds to 3m

Classification

Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Genus:	Howea
Species:	forsteriana
Common Name:	Kentia Palm

Relatives in same Genus
Howea belmoreana