Vonitra Palm

This palm is a favorite in the shady area of my garden. It is a robust grower, puts out a nice salmon colored new leaf, and loves water t...Read Moreo no end. Some people like to call this one the Old Lady Palm, as like other Vonitras, it has hair similar to (though not nearly as hairy) as Coccothrinax crinita. Dypsis utilis and fibrosa are close cousins.

This is one of the easier to grow palms in southern CAlifornia but not all the frost hardy. I have had one in the ground for 6-7 years, ...Read Morebut it struggles a bit every winter. It is closely related to Dypsis utilis and fibrosa, but those two seem to be a bit hardier. All these Dypsis have hairy trunks, and crinita seems to be the hairiest of all of them. These 3 also have a tendency to branch above ground- rarities in the palm world, but usually they cluster at ground level. New leaves are red or orange. Leaves have fine leaflets on a flat plane and have a gentle arch to them. Make a nice addition to a garden, but in So Cal, provide them some shade from hot sun.