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Bangalow Palm

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana · Arecaceae
20m
Mature height
1
Councils: no permit needed
0
Councils: exempt under a height limit
19
Councils: permit required
Bangalow Palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) growing in Sydney
Bangalow Palm · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Bangalow Palm is a protected tree in effectively every council Pro Climbing Tree Services covers. Expect to need a tree permit, or a development application where the property is heritage listed or in a heritage conservation area.

How to identify it

A slender ringed grey trunk topped by a smooth green crownshaft and arching feather shaped fronds. Lilac flowers hang below the crownshaft, followed by dense clusters of red fruit. Often planted in clumps of three.

Where it grows in Sydney

Planted extensively in gardens across the Northern Beaches, North Shore and Eastern Suburbs, and naturalised in moist gullies through Ku-ring-gai and Lane Cove.

Common problems

  • Heavy frond and fruit drop from height onto paving and pools
  • Seedlings colonise garden beds and bushland
  • Planted in clumps that outgrow narrow side setbacks
  • Often confused with the Cocos Palm, which has very different permit status

What removal involves

Quick to remove with a climb and section, but identification matters for compliance. Cocos Palm is exempt in most councils on this list, while Bangalow Palm is a native and is only exempt where the council exempts palms generally, such as the Northern Beaches. Randwick protects all palms regardless of size, so the Bangalow needs a permit there.

Council permit rules, council by council

Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council’s size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.
Council
Status
What it means
Northern Beaches
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Ku-ring-gai
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hornsby Shire
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
The Hills Shire
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Blacktown City
Permit required
Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules
North Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Willoughby
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Lane Cove
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Ryde
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hunters Hill
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Inner West
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Woollahra
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Waverley
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Randwick
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Bayside
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Georges River
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Strathfield
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Burwood
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Canterbury-Bankstown
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
How do I tell a Bangalow from a Cocos Palm?

Bangalow has a smooth green crownshaft below the fronds and flowers that hang below it, with a neat ringed trunk. Cocos Palm has no crownshaft, the old frond bases persist untidily, and the fruit is a hard orange nut that drops heavily.

Is the Bangalow Palm exempt?

On the Northern Beaches, yes, because all palms other than the Cabbage Tree Palm are exempt. In most other councils on this list it is not named as exempt, and in Randwick every palm is protected regardless of size.

Commonly confused with

Cocos Palm
The two most planted feather palms in Sydney, and they have opposite permit status in most councils

Related species

Cocos Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana) growing in Sydney
Cocos Palm
Syagrus romanzoffiana
Cabbage Tree Palm (Livistona australis) growing in Sydney
Cabbage Tree Palm
Livistona australis
Golden Cane Palm (Dypsis lutescens) growing in Sydney
Golden Cane Palm
Dypsis lutescens
Blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis) growing in Sydney
Blackbutt
Eucalyptus pilularis

Important note on council rules

This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by Carlquist, Sherwin John, 1930-2021 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
Also known as
Piccabeen Palm, King Palm
Family
Arecaceae
Origin
Native to northern NSW and southern Queensland
Mature height
10m to 20m
Canopy spread
3m to 5m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Evergreen pinnate fronds
Typical lifespan
80 years plus
Root habit
Fibrous and compact
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