Hydriastele gibbsiana

Botanical Description

Hydriastele gibbsiana is a robust, solitary stemmed, evergreen palm producing an unbranched trunk that can be up to 30 metres tall and up to 10cm in diameter; the stem is topped by a crown of 13 - 15 leaves around 200 - 215cm long including the petiole[ 1974 Title A monograph of Hydriastele (Areceae, Arecaceae) in New Guinea and Australia Publication Phytotaxa 370 (1): 001-092, 2018 Author Petoe P., Heatubun C.D. & Baker W.J. Website https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.370.1.1 Publisher Year 2018 ISBN 1179-3155 Description ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of materials. A distinctive species, due to its strikingly swollen stem[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ]. The distribution and abundance of Hydriastele gibbsiana is insufficiently known. The plant is classified as 'Data Deficient' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].