Nikau Palm

N?kau is a M?ori word; in the closely related Eastern Polynesian languages of the tropical Pacific, it refers to the fronds or the midrib of the coconut palm.

The Nikau palm is the only palm species native to mainland New Zealand. Its natural range is coastal and lowland forest on the North Island, and on the South Island as far south as Okarito (43°20?S) in the west and Banks Peninsula (43°5?S) in the east. It also occurs on Chatham Island and Pitt Island/Rangiauria to the south-east of New Zealand, where it is the world's southernmost palm at 44° 18'S latitude. More

(Here's the original photo of the nikau palm in my back yard). More

The New Zealand Nikau palm is very similar to ''Rhopalostylis baueri'' of the Kermadecs and Norfolk Island, which can be distinguished by its more rounded or oval fruits, and by its leaflets which are broader than those found in most populations of ''R. sapida''. More