Foxtail Palm

Wodeyetia bifurcata Irvine

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Arecaceae

Explanation of name: According to JON, named for Wodyeti, last male Melville Range Aborigine. Bifurcate means forked, Y-shaped. RI2 believes this to refer to the veins in the fruit.

Natural range: Melville Range near Bathurst Bay, Cape York Peninsula, Northeast Australia (JON, PAL). Exposed hilltops, low scrub in sandy granitic soil among boulders (JON)

Recognition: Single-trunked, crownshaft-bearing, mid-sized palm, with the trunk swollen toward the base. Foxtail Palm has unique arching pinnate leaves with leaflets distributed evenly and densely all around. The leaves look like feather boas. Each leaflet is broadest near the tip, which is squared off and irregularly toothed.

Landscape uses: One of the most popular palms for residential landscaping. Foxtail palms make a strong statement, and are fast-growing (in sun, but slow in shade according to RI2) and are in scale with one-story homes. A strong advantage is that most individuals look healthy, green, lush, and neat. They are often used in clusters. JON notes that the species comes from a habitat with a prolonged dry season, and that its preferences lean toward dry conditions, although RI2 feels that those kept too dry can be stunted and chlorotic. According to FAI not known to be susceptible to Lethal Yellowing.

Additional notes: The genus Wodeyetia was named in 1983, and the palm quickly came into horticultural demand to the point where seed theft has been a problem. Coming from a small habitat, and with the exploding demand for seeds, Foxtail Palm has become endangered in its native habitat. This single-species genus is similar and probably closely related to Normanbya, likewise from northern Australia. Wodyetia was named in 1885, so if taxonomists were to merge the two (as PAL speculated is likely) the name for the combined genus would become Normanbya. Seeds germination in 3-6 months at 95^◦ F (ELL).