GEOGRAPHIC EXTREMES SOCIETY
AUSTRALIAN RECORDS
Other Plants
Tallest Tree Fern
The tallest Tree ferns in the world belong to two Australian Tree Ferns. The rough tree fern (Cyathea Australis) and the Norfolk Island Tree Fern (Sphaeropteris excelsa). The rough tree fern usually only attains a maximum height of 12 metres in most areas but in the wet Tropics of Far North Queensland is where it reaches its greatest heights.
The Norfolk Island tree fern is endemic to Norfolk island and restricted to the islands small rainforest reserves.
Norfolk Island Tree Fern. Largest tree fern in the world. Image: Murray Fagg
Largest Fern fronds
The King fern has reported to have the largest fronds of any species at eight metres in length. The King Fern has a natural distribution from Indonesia through Melanesia, Micronesia, Australia and Polynesia. We regard King Ferns with pride in Australia but they are fast becoming a major environmental weed worldwide. William Bligh introduced the King fern to Jamacia in his second attempt to bring breadfruit from Tahiti. The smallest fern in Australia is one of the aquatic azolla species which only grow to 1 centimetre.
King Fern. Longest fronds of any fern. Image: Maarten Christenhusz
Largest Palm Tree
The corypha palms (Corypha utan) on Cape York Peninsula are an imposing sight. In regions like Marina Plains, you can not only see them for many kilometres away but also hear their fronds clattering in the wind. They are one of the largest palms in the world with a massive trunk diameter of over one metre in the largest specimens. They can also have the and have been recorded as having the world’s largest inflorescence. Corypha utan
Corypha palm in flower. Largest Australian palm. Longest fronds and largest inflorescence. Image: Palm and Cycad Society.
Tallest Palm Tree
The corypha pam is also one of Australia’s tallest palms at up to 30 metres, although some coconut palms can achieve this height in nearby Solomon Islands. However some species have been known in Australia to be taller than both these palms. In the Northern Territory, the northern kentia palm (Gronophyllum ramsayi) and the Carnarvon gorge species of livistona palm (Livistona nitida) can grow up to 35 metres.
Carnarvon fan palm. Tallest Australian palm. Image: Paul Meir
Longest Palm Fronds
Corypha palm have some of the longest fronds of any Australian palm, up to 8 metres but the Nypa Palm (Nypa fruticans) which grows as a mangrove on Cape York Peninsula can have fronds up to 9 metres in length.
Tallest Cycad
The tallest cycad in the world is Hope’s Cycad (Lepidozamia hopei) from the wet tropics of Queensland. They grow to 20 metres and can have a trunk up to 50 centimetres in diameter. The Mornington Island cycads (Cycas angulata) are also immense but have only been recorded to grow up to 12 metres in height.
Hope’s Cycad. Tallest cycad in the world. Image: Wikimedia commons
Smallest Flowering plant
The smallest of all flowering plants have a couple of representatives in Australia. Duckweed species are minuscule flowering plants that have only one stamen and one pistil, and their seeds are smaller than a grain of salt. The adult size of the smallest of species found in Tropical North Queensland is between 0.6 – 0.9 mm across. Duckweed can coat the surface of entire water bodies, and a visit to Mount Hypipamee crater on the Atherton Tablelands is a great example duckweed completely covering the surface.
Duckweed. The worlds smallest flowering plant. Image: The pond guy
Plant Records
GES Records: Tallest Tree Fern in the world. Norfolk Island tree fern. Sphaeropteris excelsa. (Source: Large & Braggins 2004)
GES Records: Longest fern fronds in the world. King Fern, Angiopteris evecta (Source: Maarten Christenhusz)
GES Records: Largest palm tree in Australia. Corypha palm. Corypha utan (Source: Palm and Cycad Society)
GES Records: Tallest palm tree in Australia. Northern kentia palm (Gronophyllum ramsayi) & Carnarvon livistona palm (Livistona nitida). 35 metres (Source: David Jones. 1993)
GES Records: Longest palm fronds in Australia. Nypa palm. (Nypa fruticans) 9 metres (Source: David Jones. 1993)
GES Records: Tallest Cycad in the world. Hope’s Cycad (Lepidozamia hopei) 20 metres (Source: David Jones. 1998)
GES Records: Smallest flowering plant in the world. Duckweed. (Wolffia angusta) 0.6mm (Source: Landolt. 1986)