Pronunciation: care-ee-OH-tuh mah-no-STACK-ee-uh
Common Name: Dwarf Fishtail Palm
Caryota monostachya is a very rare palm in cultivation, but a few have found there way to California gardens. It is a suckering species that barely grows to 10' tall. It is one of the few Caryotas than can live its entire life fairly easily in a pot. Little is known about its cold tolerance, but so far it does not seem to be that hard to keep alive. Some plants tend to flower early (not unusual for Caryotas) and not even grow taller than 5 feet.
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: clustering with a crown of 4-6 fishtail leaves per stem
- Height: 9'
- Trunk: multiple; 4"-5" thick
- Crownshaft: none
- Spread: 3'-4'+
- Leaf Description: pinnate to bipinnate (some leaves come of trunk without being further divided); fishtail-shaped leaflets; leaves about 4-6' long; bright green; leaflets very thick and leathery
- Petiole/Leaf bases: 1' long; bright green; somewhat rounded on cross-section
- Reproduction: monoecious
- Inflorescence: from within leaves; 2' long; pendulous
- Fruit: bright green changing to darker color; form in tight, dangling clusters about 1/2" in diameter
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 30F estimate
- Drought Tolerance: low
- Dry Heat Tolerance: low
- Cool Tolerance: low
- Wind Tolerance: moderate
- Salt Tolerance: unknown
- Growth Rate: slow
- Soil Preference: moist and well draining
- Light Requirement: partial shade to filtered sun
- Human Hazards: oxylates in fruits
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: none known
- Transplants?: unknown
- Indoor?: seems to do fairly well indoors
- Availability: very rare
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