Nikau Palm
The nikau palm grows to heights of 30 ft. The single stem is ringed by the scars left by the sheathing bases of the fallen leaves. Leaves range from about 4 to 8 ft long. Each is made up of numerous, narrow leaflets 2 to 3 ft long. The leaves are gathered together in a large head at the top of the stem which is seldom more than 9 in. thick. Flowers are in a dense panicle known as a spadix, which is 1 to 2 ft long, and appears at the base of the leaves. The fruit is a small, elliptical, bright red drupe about half an inch long. The Maoris used the nikau leaves in their whares. The top of the stem is fleshy and juicy and is sometimes eaten.
Palms in general are found in coastal and warmer inland forests of the North Island in New Zealand. They are also bundant on the northwest coast of the South Island and also found on Banks Peninsula and the Chatham Isla. The palm family contains a handful of the world's most useful plants, including oil palms, banana, coconut, and sago palm.
The nikau palm's scientific name is Rhopalostylis sapida.