Palms For California

Pronunciation: care-ee-OH-tuh room-fee-ANN-uh

Common Name: Australian Fishtail Palm

Caryota rumphiana is a nice looking solitary species of Caryota, but a rather marginal one and still quite rare one in California. Suspect most palms identified as this in California are actually something else (Caryota urens or maxima). Most photos of this palm seem to show in the process of flowering, making one conclude this is a rather short-lived species.

Appearance and Biology Habit: solitary with a crown of 6-10 bipinnate fishtail leaves Height: 30' estimate Trunk: single; 12" thick; whitish; ringed Crownshaft: none Spread: 10'-14' estimate Leaf Description: bipinnate; 8' long; upright and spreading (giving trees a 'Y' shaped silhouette); very symmetrical array of leaflets along branchlets; leaflets somewhat pendulous Petiole/Leaf bases: 1' long; very broad; unarmed; un-split leaf bases; pale green fading to white where attached to trunk (covered with white tomentum) Reproduction: monoecious; monocarpic Inflorescence: 3' long; pendulous; many branched; orange flowers Fruit: spherical; 3/4"; red-black when ripe; oxalates in fruit

Horticultural Characteristics Minimum Temp: 31F Drought Tolerance: low Dry Heat Tolerance: low Cool Tolerance: low Wind Tolerance: low Salt Tolerance: low Growth Rate: moderate Soil Preference: adaptable Light Requirement: partial to full sun Human Hazards: toxic fruits (oxalates) Disease or Horticultural Problems: marginal palm Transplants?: unknown Indoor?: unknown Availability: rare