Caryota urens

Geoff Stein - Author & Editor

Pronunciation: kar-ee-OH-tuh YOU-renz


Common Name: Wine Palm, Toddy Palm, Jaggery Palm

Caryota urens is probably still the most commonly grown outdoor Fishtail Palm in southern California still, but it is being taken over by Caryota obtusa. This is one of the fastest palms one can grow in southern California, nearly growing as fast as a Washingtonia robusta, and may outpace it in some protected, heavily watered situations. It is a striking specimen of a palm but not a long-lived one. Frequently sold by garden outlet stores in groups of 3-4 (sometimes making buyers think this is a suckering species) as house plants. This one has an disconcerting habit of falling over sometimes, so plant it carefully. Also, it is a very difficult palm to chop up, so removal, once it dies, can be a challenge (very hard wood). Monocarpic species, so once it begins flowering it only has 1 year or so left of life. Some palm specialists say this palm we are growing as Caryota urens is actually Caryota maxima.

Synonym: Caryota himalayas

Appearance and Biology
  • Habit: solitary with a vertically elongated crown of 8-20 leaves
  • Height: 50' tall
  • Trunk: single; ringed; very hard; light green to white with age; 14" thick
  • Crownshaft: none
  • Spread: 12'-14' wide
  • Leaf Description: bipinnate; 10'-12' long; markedly drooping; leaflets narrowly 'fishtail' shaped with very jagged ends
  • Petiole/Leaf bases: very short (6" or less); unsplit leaf base
  • Reproduction: monoecious/monocarpic
  • Inflorescence: multiple, very long and pendulous (up to 10') beginning at top and ending at level of lowest leaf, over a period of about a year; flowers white to gold and tubular
  • Fruit: green to red with maturity about 1/2" in diameter; toxic oxylates in fruit
  • Seed:
Horticultural Characteristics
  • Minimum Temp: 22F though leaf damage at higher temps
  • Drought Tolerance: poor to moderate
  • 'Dry Heat Tolerance: moderate
  • Wind Tolerance: poor
  • Salt Tolerance: poor
  • Growth Rate: fast to very fast with age
  • Soil Preference: very adaptable to most soils
  • Light Requirement: full sun
  • Human Hazards: toxic fruits (oxylates- painful to touch and more so to eat)
  • Disease or Horticultural Problems: some yellowing in hot, dry winds; known for falling over suddenly and causing severe garden (and sometimes residential) damage; also wood extremely hard to cut up, and dead palms can be logistically difficult to remove from garden… recommend plant these near street or crane access
  • Transplants?: poor
  • Indoor?: fairly good indoor plant surprisingly, but quickly outgrows most situations
  • Availability: moderately common, sometimes available at large garden outlet nurseries


Retrieved from "https://www.palmpedia.net/palmsforcal/index.php5?title=Caryota_urens&oldid=7036"