Trachycarpus fortunei

Botanical Name: Trachycarpus fortunei

Common Name: Windmill palm Chinese Windmill palm

Family: Aracaceae ( Palmae )

Type: Broad leaved evergreen palm tree 

Origin/Habitat: Central China Myanmar & Northern India

Leaf Character: Long petiole bare except for two rows of small spines, terminating in a rounded fan of numerous 

leaflets; each leaf is 140–190 cm long, with the petiole 60– 100 cm long, and the leaflets up to 90 cm long

Flower Type: The flowers are yellow (male) and greenish 

(female), about 2–4 mm across, borne in large branched panicles up to 1 m long in spring  it is dioecious, with male and female flowers produced on separate trees.

Fruit:The fruit  is a yellow to blue-black, reniform (kidney-shaped) drupe 10–12 mm long, ripening in mid autumn.

Bark: The trunk is very rough with the persistent leaf bases clasping the stem as layers of coarse fibrous material.

Exposure: Full Sun to light Shade

Water: Regular water 

Remarks: Grows to 12–20 m (39–66 ft) tall on a single stem up to 15–30 cm diameter. Fibers are collected from the leaf bases and made into coats and other items (brooms, brushes, doormats); wax is collected from the fruits; and a hemostatic drug is extracted from the seeds. This species is widely cultivated as an ornamental, especially in cooler climates. Windmill Palm works well as a framing tree, accent, specimen, patio or urn subject. It is ideal for use as an accent in a shady shrub border or by a front entryway. It does well in confined areas and is hardy to 10-degrees F. or lower. 

Management: Windmill Palm should be grown in shade or partial shade on fertile soil to look its best, but it is also tolerant of full sun on well-drained soils when given ample moisture in the northern part of its range. Plants should be watered faithfully. Protection from harsh winds will minimize leaf tearing, but plants can be used successfully close to the shore, being quite tolerant of salt and wind. There are fine examples of mass plantings where palms are spaced six to 10 feet apart around a patio or sitting area. They have also been used very successfully lining an entry walk to a large building. This adds a formal elegance to any structure, especially one with a glass facade.

Propagation: By seed.

Pests: Scales and palm aphids 

Diseases: Root rot, moderately susceptible to lethal yellowing disease, and leaf spots.

Syagrus romanzoffiana

Botanical Name:Syagrus romanzoffiana

Common Name: Queen palm 

Family: Arecaceae (Palmae)

Type: Broad leaved evergreen palm tree

Origin/Habitat: Native to Argentina, Brazil & Bolivia

Leaf Character: Alternate, pinnately compound, up to 15 feet long; individual leaflets, lance shaped and 2 to 3 feet long, dark green, gracefully arching.

Flower Type: Occur on dense, hanging many-branched cluster, creamy yellow-white, appearing in spring.

Fruit: Fleshy drupe, round, 1 inch in diameter, yellow-brown to orange-brown, date-like, occurs in up to 6 feet hanging clusters, may be produced in quantity, ripening late summer to early winter.

Bark: Light grayish brown, ringed, becoming more smooth and cement-like with age.

Exposure: Full Sun to partial shade 

Water: Regular  to ample water

Remarks: Tall, slender, straight tree reaching up to 50 feet tall, gracefully feathery top.

Uses: specimen; deck or patio; parking lot island 100-200 sq ft; parking lot island > 200 sq ft; sidewalk cutout (tree pit); tree lawn 3-4 feet wide; tree lawn 4-6 feet wide; tree lawn > 6 ft wide; highway median

Management: Growing best in full sun, most suited for acidic, well-drained soils and shows severe mineral deficiencies on alkaline soil. This disfigures the palm by stunting the young leaves and can kill it. Unfortunately, Queen Palm is frequently planted in alkaline soil and requires regular preventive applications of manganese and/or iron to help keep the fronds green. Potassium deficiency is also displayed on older fronds in well-drained soils. Quick-growing Queen Palm responds well to ample moisture and fertilizer and is slightly salt-tolerant. After planting Queen Palm in the landscape, growth is rapid. 

Pruning off too many fronds at one time can cause the palm to decline. Growth often slows with new foliage aborting to display distorted leaflets. The trunk is also very susceptible to decay. Prevent injury to the trunk by keeping turf well away from the trunk.

Propagation: is by seed and volunteers will often appear under fruiting trees.

Pests :Palm leaf skeletonizer and scale are problems for Queen Palm.

Diseases: Ganoderma butt rot can kill Queen Palm. It probably enters the trunk most often through wounds in the lower trunk and roots. There is no control for butt rot, only prevention.

Rhapis excelsa

Botanical Name: Rhapis excelsa

Common Name: Broadleaf Lady Palm

Family: Arecaceae

Type:  Broad leaved deciduous shrub/palm tree

Origin/Habitat: Southern China and Taiwan.

Leaf Character: Glossy, palmate leaves divided into broad, ribbed segments. Leaf segments are single or few in young plants and increase to a dozen or more in mature plants; segments are divided to the petiole. Leaf-ends are sawtoothed unlike most other palms, occurring on slender petioles ranging from 20 to 60 cm in length.

Flower Type: small inflorescence at the top of the plant with spirally arranged, fleshy flowers containing three petals fused at the base.

Fruit: Ripe fruit are fleshy and white  1 to 3 inches  

Exposure: Some shade, bright indirect light 

Water: regular water

Remarks: It is not known in the wild; all known plants come from cultivated groups in China. They were first collected by the Japanese for Tokugawa shogunate palaces, then popularity spread to Europe, and later to America where its low light and humidity requirements make it a common feature in malls and offices. grows up to 4 m in height and 30 mm in diameter in multi stemmed clumps.

Management: Forms dense clumps of bamboo-like stalks topped with very dark green, broad, fan-shaped leaves  Performing well in north-side foundation plantings or other shady locations, slow-growing lady palm is also ideal for containers. They lend a rich tropical look to the landscape. Lady palms can be effective accents in a shrub border or near an entryway. Plant on three- to four-foot centers to create a mass effect.

Management:  Needs partial to deep shade and fertile organic soil to look its best but will tolerate the poor light, dust, and drought usual of indoor container culture. Be sure that drainage is adequate for indoor use.

Pest:  Scale, palm aphids, sooty mold, and caterpillars, 

Propagation: Spreading slowly by underground rhizomes & offshoots, is usually propagated by division

Phoenix roebelenii

Botanical Name: Phoenix roebelenii

Common Name:  Pygmy date palm or miniature date palm

Family: Arecaceae (Palmae)

Type:  Broad leaved evergreen palm tree

Origin/Habitat: Southeastern Asia, from southwestern China (Yunnan Province), northern Laos and northern Vietnam

Leaf Character: The leaves are 60–120 cm (24–47 in) long, pinnate, with around 100 leaflets arranged in a single plane Each leaflet is 15–25 cm (6–10 in)1525 cm long and 1 cm broad, slightly drooping, and grey green in color with scurfy pubescence below.

Flower Type: The flowers are small, yellowish, produced on a 45 cm (18 in) inflorescence

Fruit: The fruit is an edible 1 cm drupe resembling a small, thin fleshed date

Exposure: Full to partial Sun, parial shade

Water: Regular Water

Remarks: small to medium sized, slow growing slender tree growing to 2–3 metres (6.6–9.8 ft) tall. is a popular ornamental plant in gardens in tropical to warm temperate climate areas. With a minimum temperature requirement of 10–16 °C (50–61 °F), in cooler areas it is grown under glass or as a houseplant.  Has an upright or curving, single trunk topped with a dense, full crown of gracefully arching, leaves. Pygmy Date Palm is quite popular as a specimen planting or in containers, especially attractive at poolside. It is usually used as a single specimen although it is also effective in groups of three or more

Management: Pygmy Date Palm should only be grown in frost-free areas in sun or shade on well-drained soils. Plants should be regularly watered. Magnesium or potassium deficiency symptoms (chlorotic and spotted older fronds) often develop on the older leaves when grown in soils with a pH above 7. It has some salt tolerance, surviving on the inland side of coastal condominiums.

Propagation: By seed.

Pest: Palm leaf skeletonizer and a large number of scales can infest this palm.

Diseases: Leaf spot and bud rot are two diseases which can infect this palm.

Cultivars:  

P.canariensis Canary Island Date Palm

P. dactylifera Date Palm

P. reclinata Senegal Date Palm

P. roebelenii Pygmy Date Palm

P. rupicola Cliff Date Palm

P. sylvestris Silver Date Palm 

Index card

Botanical Name:
Common Name:
Family:
Type:
Origin/Habitat:
Leaf Character:
Flower Type:
Color:
Period:
Fruit:
Bark:
Exposure:
Water:
Remarks:

Chamaerops humilis

Botanical Name: Chamaerops humilis

Common Name: Mediterranean Fan Palm European fan palm, Mediterranean dwarf palm or dwarf fan palm

Family: Arecaceace ( Palmae)

Type: Broad leaved evergreen shrub/Palm tree It is the northernmost naturally world

Origin/Habitat: Western Mediterranean: mainly found in southwestern Europe (Malta, coastal Spain and Portugal, central and southern Italy, some parts of the southern Mediterranean coast of France, as well as northwest Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia.

Leaf Character: Green to bluish green leaves on spiny leaf-stalks with the leaves with a long petiole terminating in a rounded fan of 10 to 20 leaflets; each leaf is up to  11.5 m long, with the leaflets 50–80 cm long It also has numerous sharp needlelike spines produced on the leaf stems

Flower Type: Yellow flowers are borne in dense, short inflorescences at the top of the stems; it is usually (but not invariably) dioecious with male and female flowers on separate plants. The prophyll covers the flowers until the sexual phase (anthesis) and then splits open apically into two triangular lobes. Flowers during Springtime 

Fruit: Unripe fruits are bright green, turning to dull yellow to brown when ripe during the fall (September– November) 0.5 inches dry/hard cover

Bark: showy; typically multi-trunked or clumping stems; can be trained to grow with a short, single trunk

Exposure: Full to partial Sun to partial Shade

Water: Moderate to regular water

Remarks: Tolerates temperatures 0 oF Can reach 20 ft hight for 20 ft wide. Growth is very slow in northern areas. Use in containers, mass under trees, grow as impenetrable hedge. Tolerates poor soil. strong winds. It has an underground rhizome which produces shoots with palmate, sclerophyllous leaves. Makes a sculptural element in a garden or patio containers. 

Propagation: By seed or division 

Management: By removing suckers from the base of the main trunk, may also be trained as a single trunked palm. May also be used as a barrier, planted three to five feet apart. 

Propagation: is by seed or division.

Pest: Scale may be a problem.

Cultivars: Chamaerops humilis var. argentea André (syn. var. cerifera). Northwest Africa. Leaves glaucous. Chamaerops humilis var. humilis. Southwest Europe. Leaves green. Chamaerops humilis 'Vulcano'. Compact, thornless cultivar may be silvery, but less so than argentea. The leaves tend to be thicker, and the appearance of the plant is bushier than var. humilis or var. argentea.