thanka (yuku -/mayi -)
in Pakanh
Date palm, Livistona sp.
The date palm, Livistona sp. (family Arecaceae), is a fine-leaved palm with a slender trunk, smaller than the cabbage palm which is more common closer to the Gulf. As with all Livistona spp. the leaves are fan-shaped.
This tree produces edible fruit and nuts. The nut is roasted in the fire and then cut open and eaten. For more information on plant food and the traditional subsistence of Aboriginal people in central Cape York Peninsula, see the Edible plant products page.