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.