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Palms are one of the most commonlyused plants in the Florida landscape.Palms are monocots, which belong to theArecaceae or Palmae Family. Worldwide,there are over 2000 different species ofpalms. In central Florida, around 20different species are available andcommonly planted, but many more willgrow well in our subtropical climate.Leu Gardens has over 350 species ofpalms growing in the collection. Theseare evaluated for their suitability to ourclimate. Below are 20 uncommonpalms that deserve to be used in ourlocal landscapes.

Acrocomia aculeata, the MacawPalm, is native from southernMexico to Brazil. This is a very fastgrowing palm to about 40 feet tall.This pinnate palm closely resemblesthe common Queen Palm, Syagrusromanzoffiana. The main differenceis that the Macaw Palm is armedwith black spines. These spines arefound on the trunk and leaves. It likesfull sun and is drought tolerant. Arelated species that has been lumpedinto Acrocomia aculeata is the GruGru Palm, which has shorter leavesand is not as fast growing.

Allagoptera arenaria is called theSeashore Palm. It is native to the dunesof southeastern Brazil and is very droughtand salt tolerant. This palm forms clusters,growing 4 - 6 feet tall. The green leavesare silvery on the undersides. The SeashorePalm needs full sun and well-drainedsoil. It is ann excellent small palm forCentral Florida’s sandy soil and will thrivein a hot and dry location of the landscape.

Arenga engleri is a clustering palmnative to Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands(at the southern tip of Japan). It issometimes called the Clustering SugarPalm. There are two forms of this palm.

The form fromTaiwan grows largerand can reach 10 - 15feet tall. The formfrom the RyukyuIslands only grows 5 - 6 feet tall and hassmaller leaves. Thepinnate leaves are darkgreen and silveryunderneath. Theinflorescences of this

palm bearextremelyfragrantflowers.These areproducedin latespring and

early summer. The flowers have a peach-mango scent and can perfume a largearea. Visitors to the garden never guessthat a palm is responsible for such asweet scent. The Clustering Sugar Palmwill grow in sun or shade but looks bestwith at least afternoon shade.

Attalea cohune is a large palm nativefrom southern Mexico to Nicaragua andis called the Cohune Palm. It can grow40 - 50 feet tall but remains trunkless fordecades. The leaves are upright and maybe over 20 feet long. The Cohune Palmwill grow in sun or shade with moist soil.

Older specimens are magnificent withlarge, massive trunks.

Beccariophoenix madagascariensis isnative to Madagascar. It is known as theManarano Palm and grows 30 - 40 feettall. Young plants have leaves that areundivided except near the petiole creating“windows” in the leaves. Older plantshave fully divided leaves. A youngManarano Palm needs shade but olderspecimens can grow in sun. It also needsmoist soil and is prone to iron deficiencies,especially younger plants. It thrives onacidic soil, common in central Florida.This palm is fairly tender to cold butwould grow well under a tree canopywhere it would be protected from frost.Mature palms resemble the CoconutPalm, Cocos nucifera, and are hardier tocold. This palm is almost extinct in itsnative habitat.

Uncommon Palms for Central Florida

Acrocomia aculeata spikes

Acrocomia aculeata in landscape

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Bismarckia nobilis, the Bismarck Palm,native to Madagascar, is one of the mostornamental of all palms. It is a largepalm that grows 30 feet tall. The largepalmate leaves are an intense silvery-bluecolor and can be 5 - 10 feet across. Itlikes full sun and well-drained soil. It isvery drought tolerant once established.Most Bismarckia Palms grown are thesilvery-blue form. There is also a formwith green leaves, not as spectacular incolor but the leaves are larger. It is notas cold hardy as the silvery-blue formand is not often sold. Seedlings of thesilvery-blue form often have a purplishtinge to them. The more purple coloringas a seedling, the more intensely slivery-blue it will be when mature. The seedlingsof the green form are green as seedlings.Bismarckia nobilis is slow growing forthe first few years then speeds up as itmatures. They are almost impossible totransplant until they have developed atrunk, so plant this palm in its permanentlocation. It is very popular in southernFlorida landscapes.

Calamus caryotoides is an unusualpalm, climbing and vine like. It formsclumps with very slender stems thatgrow to about 20 feet tall. The leaves aredark green and fishtail shaped. Thepalm is also armed with small spines. Itclimbs with the aid of flagella, a slender,whip-like structure that is produced.These flagella have backward pointingspines that help attach and anchor thepalm to the trunk of another tree.Calamus caryotoides needs a shaded areaand moist soil. There are hundreds ofspecies of Calamus. Most are climbingand viscously armed making huge clumpsof spiny stems. Calamus caryotoides isone of the smallest species and moresuited to the homeowner’s landscape, asit is not as spiny as other Calamus. It isnative to northeastern Australia. Thestems of some Calamus are the source oftrue rattan.

Caryota obtusa, the Mountain GiantFishtail Palm, is native from northern

India to southern China where it growsin mountainous forests. This is a largepalm that can reach 100 feet tall inhabitat but grows 30 - 40 feet in centralFlorida. The trunks are massive andcolumnar and the leaves reach 20 feet inlength and nearly as wide. The trunk issolitary and does not cluster. This palmwill grow in sun or shade but needsmoist fertile soil, especially if grown infull sun. Caryota gigas and Caryotakiriwongensis, both from the mountainsof Thailand, are very similar and may bethe same palm as Caryota obtusa.

Chamaedoreamicrospadix is oftencalled the HardyBamboo Palm. It is aclustering species withslender stems thatresemble bamboo.The clumps grow 8 -10 feet tall. It alsoproduces bright redfruit several times ayear. This colorfulfruit contrasts nicelyagainst the dark greenleaves and stems.Chamaedoreamicrospadix needsshade and moist soil.It is native to easternMexico.

Copernicia alba isknown as theCaranday Palm. It hasa slender trunk andcan reach 30 - 40 feettall. The palmateleaves are a silverycolor. This palm

needs full sun. It is drought tolerant butcan also grow in wet or seasonallyflooded soil. The Caranday Palm isnative from southern Brazil to northernArgentina and Bolivia. A very similarpalm is Copernicia prunifera, theCarnauba Wax Palm from Brazil. Theleaves of this palm are covered in a thicklayer of wax and are the source of thefamous carnauba wax. The leaves ofCopernica alba also have a layer of waxand is the source of the inferiorcaranday wax.

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Copernicia pruniferaCopernicia prunifera trunk

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Palms continued from page 5Livistona decora, the Ribbon Palm, is

native to eastern Australia and was untilrecently known as Livistona decipiens. Itis a fast growing palm, 30 - 40 feet tall.The palmate leaves are very deeplydivided into long, thin segments givingthe palm a weeping look. It is verydrought tolerant once established. TheRibbon Palm is a good substitute for thecommon Washingtonia robusta, MexicanFan Palm, as it does not grow as tall.This makes it suited for smaller scaledlandscapes. The shorter height also makesit much less susceptible to a lightningstrike, which is usually the most commoncause of death of Washingtonia robustain central Florida.

Livistona nitida is known as theCarnarvon Gorge Palm. It is native tosoutheastern Queensland, Australia.This palm grows 30 - 40 feet tall. Theleaves are a shiny green and the leafletsare weeping. Young plants are slowgrowing but become faster as theymature. It will grow in sun or shade andis fairly drought tolerant though itgrows best with moist soil.

Livistona saribus is the Taraw Palm,native to southeastern Asia and can grow30 to 50 feet tall. This palm has largeleaves that aredeeplysegmented.The petiolesare armedwith largeattractivespines thatresemble sharkteeth. TarawPalm also hasfruit that is aglossy bluecolor. Thispalm will grow in sun or shade andneeds moist soil. It can also grow inperiodically flooded locations or in wet,mucky soil. There is a form of this palm

that has marooncolored petioles.This form is notas cold hardy asthe green petioleform and issuitable only inthe warmest areasof central Florida.The green formcan be grownthroughout theregion.

Phoenix acaulisis the DwarfDate Palm. It is aclustering palmthat is usuallytrunkless andgrows 3 - 5 feettall. It grows infull sun or lightshade and is verydrought tolerant.The Dwarf DatePalm is nativefrom northernIndia to southernChina.

Phoenix rupicola, the Cliff Date Palm,is native to India where it grows on

hillsides. It isa slenderpalm thatreaches 25feet tall. Theleaves aredark green.The CliffDate Palm isthe mostgraceful ofall the DatePalms andmakes an

excellent specimen. It will grow in sun orlight shade and is fairly drought tolerantbut looks best with moist soil. On yournext visit to the Gardens, see the hybrids

that are a cross between Phoenix rupicolaand the common Pygmy Date Palm,Phoenix roebelenii. These are also veryattractive palms that combine the bestfeatures of both parents.

Sabal causiarum is native to PuertoRico and southern Hispaniola and iscalled the Hat Palmetto. It is a largegrowing palm that can reach 30 - 40feet tall. The trunks are very thick androbust. The trunks are also smooth andgray and resemble columns. It is slowgrowing when young but the rate increasesas it matures. It likes full sun and isdrought tolerant. Sabal domingensis, theDominican Palmetto, is similar. It isnative to Hispaniola and eastern Cuba.

Sabal mauritiiformis is probably themost distinct of all the Sabal species. Ithas a very slender trunk that reaches 40 -50 feet tall. The dark green leaves are

Livistona saribus petiole spines

Phoenix rupicola

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deeply divided and are silver on theundersides. This palm will grow in sunor shade and likes moist soil. It is alsothe least hardy of all the Sabal speciesand grows best in the warmer sections ofcentral Florida. It is native from southernMexico to northern South America.

Sabaluresana, theSonoranPalmetto,native tonorthwesternMexico, hasleaves that arebluish green,almost silvery,in color. Thecolor can besimilar to thatof the leaves ofBismarckianobilis. Thispalm grows 30- 40 feet tallwith a thick,robust trunk.It needs fullsun and is very drought tolerant. It isalso slow growing.

Trachycarpus latisectus, the WindamerePalm, is native to northern India. It is still

Sabal uresana

new to cultivation since being discoveredin the mid 1990’s. This palm has a slendertrunk and will grow 30 feet tall. Thepalmate leaves are not deeply divided andare circular in shape. The WindamerePalm grows best in part sun or shade withmoist soil. It is a very rare and endangered

palm in itsnative habitat.

Wallichiadensiflora is avery attractivepalm withdark greenleaves that aresilver coloredon theundersides.The leaveshave leafletsthat arejagged andfishtailshaped. Thepalm is clumpforming andwill grow to10 feet tall. It

likes a partially shaded location andmoist soil. It is native from northernIndia to Myanmar. Wallichia caryotoidesis very similar and grows just as easily.

For More InformationBOOKS

Betrock’s Guide to Landscape Palms, Alan W. Meerow, 1994, Betrock InformationSystems

An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms, Robert LeeRiffle and Paul Craft, 2003, Timber Press, Inc.

Palms Throughout the World, David L. Jones, 1995, Smithsonian InstitutionPress

INTERNET

International Palm Societyhttp://www.palms.org

Palm and Cycad Societies of Floridahttp://plantapalm.com/

Central Florida Palm and Cycad Societyhttp://www.plantapalm.com/centralfl/default.asp