Wodyetia is a genus of the palm family Arecaceae, containing the single species Wodyetia bifurcata. The species, commonly known as foxtail palm, is native to a very small area of northeastern Queensland, Australia, but has been widely cultivated around the world.
The foxtail palm is a single-stemmed palm growing to a height of 6 to 15m (20 to 49ft) tall and up to 25cm (9.8in) diameter. The trunk is light grey, smooth (without spines), somewhat bottle- or spindle-shaped, and marked by annular leaf scars. There are about 6–10 fronds in the crown of a mature tree, and they grow to about 3m (9.8ft) in length with a petiole about 90cm (35in) long and a leaf sheath about 120cm (47in) long. The leaflets are divided into numerous segments (as many as 950),[4] which are arranged radially around the midrib, giving the frond a 'bushy' appearance.[5][6][7]
This species is monoecious,[8] meaning that individual flowers are either pistillate (functionally female), or staminate (functionally male), but both types are produced by each plant. Flowers are carried on a panicle that emerges from the base of the crownshaft, it may be up to 165cm (65in) long. Numerous flowers are clustered together in groups of three, each group with one female and two male flowers. They measure about 25mm (1in) diameter (including the petals), and have three yellow-green petals and three green sepals.[5][6][4]
The fruit is a drupe up to 6.5cm (2.6in) long and 5cm (2in) wide, orange-red when ripe. It contains a single large seed coated in a hard but fibrous, black mesocarp.[5][6][4]
Taxonomy
The foxtail palm was unknown to botanists and horticulturalists as late 1968, when two employees of the Queensland Department of Forestry found it during a survey of the Melville Range. One of the men, Bernard Hyland, returned to the site seven years later and collected the first specimens of the tree.[9] In 1982 botanist Anthony Kyle Irvine also collected specimens from the area, and he set about describing the plant. He created a new genus, Wodyetia, to accomodate the plant, and his work was published in 1983 in the journal of the International Palm Society, Principes.[7]
Comparison of flowers and fruit of Wodyetia bifurcata and Normanbya normanbyi
Wodyetia is placed in the subfamily Arecoideae, tribe Areceae, subtribe Ptychospermatinae. Its nearest relatives include two other monotypic genera that are endemic to Australia, Carpentaria and Normanbya.[10] The latter is very similar to this taxon, and it has been speculated that Wodyetia and Normanbya may be merged into a single genus at some point in the future.[11]
Etymology
The generic name Wodyetia is derived from the name of the last aboriginal man, Wodyeti, with knowledge of the plants in the Cape Melville area. The species epithetbifurcata means 'divided in two', and refers to the divided leaflets of the fronds as well as the forked fibres that surround the seed.[4]
Distribution and habitat
The boulder-strewn landscape of Cape Melville
This species is endemic to the Cape Melville range, within the Cape Melville National Park in Queensland Australia. The Park is extremely remote and difficult to access. It is about 475km (295mi) by road north of Cairns, the nearest major population centre, much of that distance is on very challenging unsealed roads.[12]
The foxtail palm grows amongst massive granite boulders on southern slopes of the Cape, in vine thickets with adjacent rainforest. They occur on course sandy soils and are the dominant species within their communities. Co-occurring species include Buchanania arborescens, Ficus obliqua, Ficus benjamina, Myristica insipida, and climbers such as Capparis and Cissus species. Near the base of the slopes it grows alongside Eucalyptus polycarpa (now Corymbia polycarpa), Eucalyptus drepanophylla (now E. crebra), Bombax ceiba and Cochlospermum gillivraei. The altitudinal range is small, from near sea level to about 400m (1,300ft).[7][5][6]
Conservation
After it was described by Irvine in 1982, the foxtail palm became very much in demand for landscaping. Since it only occurred naturally in a very remote location and was subject to protection laws, a thriving black market trade arose, with the actions of illegal collectors threatening to ravage native populations.[9][11][13] In 1982 Irvine sent seeds to a few horticulturalists in anticipation of, and an attempt to allay, the demand that would follow the publication of this new species. In 1988, a paper was published which cited a Brisbane-based nursery grower, stating that a single seed was selling in Australia for up to A$5,[14] which equates to about $14 in October 2025.[15] In the decades since then, it has been cultivated widely, both in Queensland and around the world, to the point where it is easily and legally available worldwide.[9][16]As of October2025[update], more than 1,500 foxtail palms have been planted in the streets and parks of the far northern Queensland city of Cairns.[17]
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) last assessed this species in 1998, and gave it a rating of "Lower Risk/conservation dependent". That rating is specified in version 2.3 of the IUCN's rating system, which is now superseded by version 3.1. The IUCN's webpage for the foxtail palm has the annotation 'Needs updating', but does not provide a timeframe for it.[1] In Queensland, where it is native, the species is assessed as near threatenedas of October2025[update], and it has not been listed in the Australian Government's Species Profile and Threats Database.[18]
Ecology
The area has been recognised for its rich biocultural diversity, having long and intense Aboriginal associations and a rich biodiversity.[19]
Gallery
Stem and foliage
Seedling
Maturing trees
Crown
Trunk
Detail of leaflets
Flowers and fruit
Male flower
Buds and flowers
Immature fruit
Ripe fruit
See also
Queensland's 1993 Cape Melville affair involved the alleged theft of foxtail palms from a national park
1 2 3 4 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Wodyetia bifurcata A.K.Irvine". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
1 2 3 4 Dowe, J.L.; Jones, D.L. (2024). "Wodyetia bifurcata A.K.Irvine". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
↑ Baker, William J.; Dransfield, John (2016). "Beyond Genera Palmarum: Progress and prospects in palm systematics". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 182 (2): 207–233. doi:10.1111/boj.12401.
↑ "TreePlotter". Cairns Regional Council’s Street and Park Tree Database. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
↑ "Wodyethia bifurcata — Foxtail Palm". Species Profile and Threats Database. Dept. of Climate Change, Energy and Water: Australian Government. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
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Seedling
Maturing trees
Crown
Trunk
Detail of leaflets
