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Abstract

Tam O'Shanter State Forest, North Queensland, Australia, includes dense colonies of the Coryphoid palm, Licuala ramsayi (F.Muell.) Domin. A survey of four random plots and one non-random plot in these colonies assessed density at approximately 3125 individuals per hectare, and average height of mature individuals at 10.9 m (with modal peaks in the 8, 11 and 13 m categories). Age distributions, based on height correlations, showed a predominance of mature trees (47.4% - 88.9% over the 5 plots), small numbers of juveniles (12.4% of total sample), and a variable seedling bank totalling 26.1 %. Noticeably low seedling numbers were detected in an area where tourists have access (with a seedling: adult proportion of 6.25%), reinforcing the impression of generally low recruitment indicated by the other plots, at the time of sampling. The inadherence of these age distributions to reverse J-shaped curves may not indicate a declining population but rather dynamic arborescent monocot growth curves, the possible cyclone dependant or altered recruitment of L. ramsayi, and the intricacies of population maintenance within long-lived species.