Genus Hedyscepe

H.

Species in the genus Hedyscepe of plants

Big mountain palm - H. canterburyana is a slow-growing palm up to 10 metres tall which grows on mountain forests, cliffs, and exposed ridges overlooking the sea, at about 400 to 750 metres of altitude. It has a slender, close-ringed trunk, a prominent silvery crownshaft and a compact crown of dense, dark green, stiffly arching recurved fronds somewhat reminiscent of those of Howea belmoreana. The egg-shaped fruit are deep red when ripe, and about 4 cm long. They appear in densely bunched fruiting spikes from below the crownshaft. Each fruit contains a single seed.