Lytocaryum hoehnei

Geoff Stein - Author & Editor

Pronunciation: lie-toe-CARE-ee-um HOY-nee-eye


Common Name: Hoehnei's Miniature Coconut Palm

Lytocaryum hoehnei is one of two fairly commonly grown Lytocaryum in California, this being the rarer of the two by far. Lytocaryum has been included in Syagrus summer 2015, but will continue to listed separately here for now until the 'shock' of this inclusion begins to seem more real. This plant is a slightly beefier, less wispy version of the more common Lytocaryum weddelianum. Both a wonderful, understory, delicate palms with very fine pinnate leaves that look great as specimen palms for small gardens, as well as in groups.

Appearance and Biology
  • Habit: solitary with a crown of 10-15 feather leaves
  • Height: 6'
  • Trunk: single; 5" thick; covered with closely spaced retained leaf bases mixed with brown, fibrous weave
  • Crownshaft: none
  • Spread: 8'
  • Leaf Description: pinnate; flat; closely spaced, narrow leaflets; bright green; about 4' long; gentle arch to leaves
  • Petiole/Leaf bases: 1' long; unarmed; pale to olive green; mildly channeled; un-split leaf bases
  • Reproduction: monoecious
  • Inflorescence: 18"; often multiple; upright; from within leaves; creamy, pale yellow; often sits within opened spathe; minimally branched
  • Fruit: spherical to barely ovoid; 1/2" thick; pink to red when ripe
Horticultural Characteristics
  • Minimum Temp: 25F
  • Drought Tolerance: low
  • Dry Heat Tolerance: moderate
  • Cool Tolerance: moderate
  • Wind Tolerance: moderate
  • Salt Tolerance: unknown
  • Growth Rate: slow
  • Soil Preference: adaptable
  • Light Requirement: filtered sun to partial sun (full sun near coast)
  • Human Hazards: none
  • Disease or Horticultural Problems: none
  • Transplants?: unknown
  • Indoor?: unknown
  • Availability: very rare to rare at times