Livistona mariae ssp rigida in habitat

[tropicbreeze]

Another one of my exploratory trips decided to check the area where there were Livistona mariae ssp rigida. A number of years back we were fighting a wildfire  and I noticed a lot of the ssp rigida along the river. Always meant to go back and check them out.

The upper part of the river was damed during World War 2 because of the huge increase in military personnel. Later when the much larger Darwin River dam was build and the Manton dam became a recreational lake (water skiing, fishing, etc.) Over the ensuing years Mother Nature continued to incorporate and adapt  to the new conditions. Creeks running into the dam brought in silt and formed extensive swampy flats which would be inundated during the wet season.

Here, along with many other plants, Livistona benthamii took hold and multiplied rapidly. The ssp rigida didn't like the new swampy areas and I've only found a couple of plants further up along the creeks above the dam.

Downstream of the dam conditions are much the same as always, although altered river flow rates. Some of those areas I finally got around to exploring recently. Although benthamii does occur downstream, it's greatly outnumbered by ssp. rigida. Carpentaria acuminata also occurs up and down stream, but not in any great numbers. Of course as usual, in the surrounding woodlands there are 1000's of Livistona humilis.

First photos are of the single palm I found upstream of the dam. Obviously been there a long time, flowers prolifically, but no recruitment on the ground around it.

 

Downstream of the dam the river runs about 25 kms to where it joins a major tidal river on floodplains. These photos are along a half kilometre section of the river, a few kms above the floodplain.

 

Young plant burned in a recent fire but only lost a few fronds and now has a couple of new ones.

 

Juveniles still with a little red in the leaves, although fading to green. The ones spread by birds into my place seem to hold the red a lot longer.

 

 

[gerald6006]

Thank you very much for sharing this. What a magnificent region you are traveling through. Would love to see so many more photos.

[realarch]

How fabulous is that! Seeing palms in situ is about as good as it gets. 

Thanks for the post.

Tim

[Jonathan]

Great stuff! I've visited these twice in Lawn Hill Gorge, very beautiful palms.

No longer mariae ssp rigida though, considered a true species since Dowe 2010.

Amazing to have three Livistona species all growing more or less together.

[tropicbreeze]

On 10/2/2024 at 7:13 AM, Jonathan said:

Great stuff! I've visited these twice in Lawn Hill Gorge, very beautiful palms.

No longer mariae ssp rigida though, considered a true species since Dowe 2010.

Amazing to have three Livistona species all growing more or less together.

The current name is Livistona mariae ssp. rigida, accepted by CHAH. Some years ago genetic studies were done. Closest relationship ssp. mariae from the Palm Valley area is to ssp. rigida in the Mataranka/Roper region. They worked out there was about 15,000 years of separation.They also claim it was Aborigines who moved the seed. However, some botanists feel it was more likely birds. Who knows?

One thing about the Top End, you have Livistona humilis with just about everything. I have photos of it with Livistona inermis. Only the other day I was in amongst Hydriastele wendlandiana (also Carpentara acuminata) with Livistona humilis nearby. Not to mention other palm photos I have of combinations with L. humilis. It's everywhere.

[Meangreen94z]

I’ve always wondered , you see pictures like these with the undergrowth clear around specimen Cycads and Palms in Australia. But then in the background you see “the bush”? What clears the undergrowth? Always wildfire?. 
 

Amazing pictures by the way, very similar appearing to what grew naturally in South Texas , and still does in certain locations.

[Jonathan]

3 hours ago, tropicbreeze said:

The current name is Livistona mariae ssp. rigida, accepted by CHAH. Some years ago genetic studies were done. Closest relationship ssp. mariae from the Palm Valley area is to ssp. rigida in the Mataranka/Roper region. They worked out there was about 15,000 years of separation.They also claim it was Aborigines who moved the seed. However, some botanists feel it was more likely birds. Who knows?

One thing about the Top End, you have Livistona humilis with just about everything. I have photos of it with Livistona inermis. Only the other day I was in amongst Hydriastele wendlandiana (also Carpentara acuminata) with Livistona humilis nearby. Not to mention other palm photos I have of combinations with L. humilis. It's everywhere.

Taxonomists! They surely make it hard to keep up. Thanks for the info.

L rigida is still accepted by Kew, so personally I'd prefer sticking with the split till they revise the genus, if only because rigida is far less of a mouthful! 

You're a lucky man living amongst all those fabulous palms. 

[happypalms]

Great to see an Australian palm in habitat. Thanks for sharing.

[tropicbreeze]

On 10/4/2024 at 2:46 PM, Meangreen94z said:

I’ve always wondered , you see pictures like these with the undergrowth clear around specimen Cycads and Palms in Australia. But then in the background you see “the bush”? What clears the undergrowth? Always wildfire?. 
 

Amazing pictures by the way, very similar appearing to what grew naturally in South Texas , and still does in certain locations.

One of the reasons for that is it's easier and better to take photos in that sort of situation. Along the river there are very dense growths of tall Bamboo which make it difficult to get a good photo.

The reason for those types situations to exist though is climate. The Top End of the NT is mainly open tropical savanna woodland, or as Kew (London) Herbarium would put it "seasonally dry tropical biome". We have a hot wet wet-season and a hot dry dry-season. The bush is burned early in the dry season to prevent more severe wild fires later in the season. The burning is patchy and that's why you see lots of unburned areas