CARYOTA

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About 13 species of solitary or clustering fishtail/pinnate monoecious, monocarpic Asian to Australian palms (including multiple southern Pacifica island palms). These are known as the fishtail palms, and have some of the only bipinnate leaves in the palm family (leaves are divided up into a serious of side leaves on which the leaflets arise). A few species have these secondary leaves come off in two different planes (a pseudo-plumose situation). Some are immense palms and very fast growing, while others are very slow. A few are quite tropical and difficult in a Mediterranean climate, while many grow quite easily in one. None of these palms have crownshafts. These palms have some of the hardest wood of all the palms, and are known among Tiki carvers as impossible to carve due to the hardness of the wood. The solitary monocarpic species tend to be relatively short lived, while the clustering species continue on to live a 'normal palm life' just losing a trunk at a time. The most tropical pair (Caryota ophiopelis and zebrina) have some of the more ornamental petioles adorned with wavy, stripes- these are also the two with the biplanar bipinnate leaves and are among two of the slowest growing of the fishtail palms. This is one of the few toxic palms, having very irritating oxalates in the fruits. If one has a dog known for its uncontrollable curiosity, this may not be a genus one should grow in their back yard to avoid potential poisoning of their pets (or little children).