The Nypa palm is the only palm to be found in mangrove forests. Its fruit is in the form of an impressive spiky head, about the size of a soccer ball, which breaks up after it ripens. No above-ground roots. A palm with large fronds that rise from the base of the plant and can be up to 9 m long.
Flowers are yellow and arranged in a clump on a stalk which rises from the base of the plant.
The seeds which make up the buoyant fruit are often found on Queensland beaches. Found upstream in rivers of the wet, tropical areas of north Queensland where there are low salinities and calm water.