Phoenix Rupicola

Description

The most beautiful and tropical looking of the phoenix palms and also with the greenest leaves, this very graceful tree has soft, gracefully arching, glossy green fronds with hardly any spines at the leaf and bases as in other varieties, along with a smooth, slender, light grey trunk which is solitary, slender, light grey in colour and devoid of any remains of leaf bases or conspicuous leaf scars. It is native to the mountainous forests of India and Bhutan and the lower foothills of the Himalaya in India, namely Sikkim, West-Bengal and Arunchal Pradesh from 300 to 1200 m, usually occurring on cliffs, hillsides and similar terrain. Like other Phoenix palms, this plant is easy and fast growing, and is very adaptable and can be grown in temperate as well as tropical climates, certainly in areas where temperatures do not drop below -6C. It should also make an excellent indoor pot plant. Fruits mature through yellow and violet red to dark red-purple, the seeds being oblong, 1,5 to 2cm long and deeply grooved on one side.

Sowing Advice

These seeds have already been thoroughly cleaned and should be sown into a well-drained, sandy compost at any time of the year, and covered thinly with sand or grit and kept moist. Keep at between 20-25 degrees C. Seeds sometimes germinate within 4 to 6 weeks although some may take very much longer so please be patient. Plant out in the open ground in warmer countries or in a large container elsewhere.

Key Facts