Palm Collection

Sea Shore Palm

Allagoptera arenaria

From the Atlantic coast of Brazil the seashore palm as its name suggests is a salt tolerant palm that grows in clusters remaining around six feet tall and six feet wide at full growth. The fruit from this palm is edible and has a sweet flavor.

Christmas Palm

Adonidia merrillii

Native to the Philippines this self pruning palm is well known by most in tropical climates as well as in atriums due to their ability to handle varying light and water requirements. Maxing out at twenty five feet this palm is considered fairly small. It gets its common name by its fruit that starts out green and turns red.

Silver Bismarck Palm

Bismarckia nobilis

Endemic to Madagascar this large palm reaching sixty feet in size is the only one in its species. Very common in its native habitat often the only tree in the landscape. In tropical climates it grows fast in well drained soils under extreme heat. This palm does not transplant well and needs a six month hardening off period to complete a successful move.

Elegant Palm

Carpoxylon macrospermum

Endemic to the rainforests of Vanuatu the elegant palm grows to eighty feet tall.

“The generic name (carpo-, fruit; xylon, woody) refers to the thick, woody endocarp that encloses a single seed, which is notable for the pale streaks on the seed coat. The genus Carpoxylon is montypic, meaning that it contains only one species. Capoxylon macrospermum has long been an enigma for palm botanists, as it was “rediscovered” in 1987 on the island of Espirtu Santo, Vanuatu.

Carpoxylon macrospermum is primarily used as ornamental palms in parks and gardens; however, there are several uses recorded from Vanuatu. The stem can be used as a building material and the enlarged base can be prepared as feed for domestic pigs. The leaflets can be used as a traditional roofing material in the same way as the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). The roots are used in the preparation of numerous remedies. The immature (green) fruit are edible and are often eaten by local inhabitants.” – The Merwin Conservancy

Bamboo Palm

Chamaedorea seifrizii

“Chamaedorea seifrizii is found in Native to Mexico and Central America and has long bamboo-like canes. The canes grow to form a dense clusters of fronds with, dark green to grey leaves. Chamaedorea seifrizii, resembles bamboo in appearance.

It grows to about 7 feet. Usually plants sold in nurseries or seen in collections are clustering with about 20 or 30 individual plants. Each stem is long and slender with “nodes” very similar in appearance to Bamboo. Although plants are commercially clumped together to form shrub-like specimens, this palm naturally spreads by suckers or offshoots also similar to Bamboo. The stems are tall and have about 10-15 fronds each with about 12 dark green pinnate leaflets. As the old fronds die, these should be trimmed off and the leaf bases or sheath allowed to dry out. Later these should be removed as this promotes good plant hygiene and exposes the attractive light green “bamboo stem”.” – Palm Pedia

Flame Thrower Palm

Chambeybonia macrocarpa

“A feather solitary palm to about 20-25 ft, with a spectacular, bright red new leaf, which stays red for up to 10 days. The leaflets are also very wide, thick, and shiny, so even without a new leaf it is very distinctive, with very fat and thick pinnate leaves, 10-12 feet long. Easy to grow. This is a must have in the garden.

As the national tree of New Caledonia, it becomes obvious why, when one is on approach to that country’s airport. This gorgeous tall emergent species can be seen poking its head above the forest, and becomes especially visible while sporting its trademark new leaf. After observing many cultivated Chambeyronia macrocarpa in private and public gardens, one begins to notice how variable this species is. Leaflet width varies greatly, as does the sheen, from glossy to matte finish, as well as different colorations on the crownshaft and petioles.” – Palm Pedia

Florida Silver Palm

Coccothrinax argentata

“It is a small (2–6 m tall), slow-growing fan palm with leaves that are dark blue-green above and silver-coloured below. Measurements in Fairchild Tropical Garden showed an average growth rate of 12 centimetres (4.7 in) per year. Flowers are white and small on light orange branches. The fruits are globose and half an inch in diameter. They are initially green and turn purple or black when ripe.

Silver palms in their natural habitat often grow among saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) and cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto) which have similar fronds. Silver Palms can be distinguished by its smooth vertical trunk, and its small, crescent-shaped hastula.” – Wikipedia

“This is one of the most handsome small native trees. However, mature plants are very costly due its slow growth rate. It is sometimes illegally collected from the wild, so be sure of your source! In the West Indies, it is used for making baskets, hats and other crafts. It is listed as threatened by the state of Florida.” – https://www.regionalconservation.org/