Huge cycad moved to Cairns Botanic Garden on trailer
An empty corner of the Cairns Botanic Gardens where a 100-year-old fig once stood is at last occupied by an impressive cycad after a mammoth effort to move a 4m tree. See the video.
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An empty corner of the Cairns Botanic Gardens where a 100-year-old fig once stood is at last occupied by an impressive cycad after a mammoth effort to move a 4m tree.
On Tuesday Cairns Regional Council tree contractors Global Foliage Managers dug up a cycas revoluta or sago palm from property from Patience St, Manoora to make way for future development.
A large crane was used to lift the 60-year-old tree, native to southern Japan, onto the back of a trailer.
The tree was then driven to the Cairns Botanic Gardens where it was unloaded and replanted at the corner of Collins Av and McCormack St in an area made vacant by the removal of a 100-year-old fig tree in 2022.
A fight to save the tree ultimately failed after treatments of the tree infected with a fungus were unsuccessful.
The informal entrance to the gardens remained bare while council sought a worthy replacement of the much-loved fig known as the Bucket Tree.
Division 7 Councillor Anna Middleton welcomed the cycad.
“This tree marks a new chapter for this corner of Edge Hill,” Ms Middleton said.
“The original fig held a special place in people’s hearts, so we knew we had to get this right.
“The fact that we’ve been able to give another significant plant a second life here really resonates with the community and speaks to the values of sustainability and local character.”
Mayor Amy Eden praised the collaborative effort that made it possible.
“We needed to find a tree befitting of such a high-profile location – the intersection effectively serves as an entrance statement to the Botanic Gardens precinct – and this cycad certainly ticks the box,” she said.
“It’s a beautiful plant and no doubt over time will become part of the fabric of this precinct, just like the Bucket Tree before it.”
Originally published as Huge cycad moved to Cairns Botanic Garden on trailer
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