Beccariophoenix alfredii

Geoff Stein - Author & Editor

Pronunciation: buh-CARRY-oh-fee-nix al-FRED-ee-eye


Common Name: none

Beccariophoenix alfredii is the third species of Beccariophoenix that has been showing up in gardens in California and there are no mature palms yet. This palms differs, at least as a seedling, in having darker green leaves with more spread out leaflets and dark petioles. Juvenile plants have no windows and are leaves are more laterally oriented rather than the upright shuttle-cock look of Beccariophoenix madagascariensis. So far it seems to be relatively good palms for southern California having none of the cultivational problems of Beccariophoenix fenestralis, the original species in the genus to be grown here. This species seems to be one of the few palms that grows about as well here in California (northern and southern) as it does in Florida and Hawaii.

Appearance and Biology
  • Habit: solitary with a crown of 10-12 leaves
  • Height: 25' estimate
  • Trunk: single; 10" diameter estimate; covered with dark fiber and leaf bases until maturing, then trunk becomes cleaner showing closely spaced leaf scars
  • Crownshaft: none
  • Spread: 12' estimate
  • Leaf Description: pinnate; flat; 6'-8' feet long; dark green; leaflets widely spread and showing prominent pale mid rib
  • Petiole/Leaf bases: 18"-24"; medium to light green with some silvery patina on upper flat surface; unarmed; un-split leaf bases
  • Reproduction: monoecious
  • Inflorescence: from below the leaf crown; short, wide peduncle and then short branches
  • Fruit: ovoid; 1/2" long; purplish black when ripe
Horticultural Characteristics
  • Minimum Temp: 28F
  • Drought Tolerance: moderate
  • Dry Heat Tolerance: moderate
  • Wind Tolerance: moderate
  • Salt Tolerance: unknown
  • Growth Rate: very slow to slow with age
  • Soil Preference: adaptable
  • Light Requirement: partial to full sun
  • Human Hazards: none
  • Disease or Horticultural Problems: none so far
  • Transplants?: unknown
  • Indoor?: unknown
  • Availability: rare now (was recently very rare) as seedlings begin to flood the market from Hawaiian growers


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