Pronunciation: bass-uh-LIN-ee-us PAN-churr-eye
Common Name: none
Basselinia pancheri is a very colorful New Caledonian species that has been successfully grown in California on multiple occasions. However, no adults exist (yet) as it is a very fastidious and slow palm. But it is a strikingly colorful palm, particularly in flower. It does need a very warm, relatively windless, frost free climate and somewhat humid/moist climate to do well.
Appearance and Biology
- Habit: solitary with a crown of 8-10 pinnate leaves
- Height: 8' estimate
- Trunk: single; 2"-4" thick; ringed; black-green trunk with red-brown rings
- Crownshaft: 1' tall; blackish; faintly lined; slightly wider than stem below
- Spread: 5'-8'
- Leaf Description: pinnate; flat; wide leaflets to incompletely divided leaves (as immature palm leaves mostly fused with only several divisions); light green; 3'-5' long
- Petiole/Leaf bases: 4"-6"; unarmed; greenish black fading to olive green more distal rachis
- Reproduction: monoecious
- Inflorescence: 18" long; below crownshaft; multiple flowers at one time common; highly branched; branches tortuous
- Fruit: 1/3"; ovoid with a depression in one side; olive green turning shiny black when ripe
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 32F
- Drought Tolerance: low
- Dry Heat Tolerance: low
- Wind Tolerance: low
- Salt Tolerance: unknown
- Growth Rate: very slow
- Soil Preference: moist, acidic, well draining
- Light Requirement: shade to filtered light
- Human Hazards: none
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: touchy plant
- Transplants?: unknown
- Indoor?: unknown
- Availability: rare
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