This is an attractive but intensely spiny palm, usually only grown in the US by palm enthusiasts. This South American native has a nice,...Read More ringed trunk, and gracefully arching leaves with long, wavy, premorse leaflets closely spaced along the leaf. However, the spines make this beauty dangerous as they are long (2-3") and so sharp they penetrate leather gloves effortlessly. I had one in the greenhouse for 6 years and rarely failed to get stabbed even though I would try hard to avoid it. Fortunately it eventually suffered from a hard freeze in the cold frame and that was the end of my worries. It could have never survived in the ground in my 9b climate anyway.
Note: there are a number of healthy and happy plants growing for many years outdoors in southern California. The most visually available plant is at South Coast Plaza (zone 10a bordering on 10b) where it has been growing in full sun now for 8 years, and has about 6' of clear, very spiny trunk. Also growing in a number of Orange county and san Diego county private gardens for many years. One So Cal Palm Society member has a 30' specimen in his back yard that looks perfect... too bad we all can't have that great a microclimate here in California. THis is the most cold tolerant species of the genus- no heating cables needed so far...
This palm can tolerate cool conditions in zone 11 areas. It would only survive though with heating cables in CA.
This is an attractive but intensely spiny palm, usually only grown in the US by palm enthusiasts. This South American native has a nice,...Read More