Pronunciation: sigh-foe-FEE-nix ELL-uh-ganz
Common Name:
Cyphophoenix elegans is one of the very best of the New Caledonian palms for California with good cold tolerance and remarkable durability, but still a slow palm as most NC palms are. This one has the classic silhouette of a tropical palm and one of the more ornamental palms from that island. Well grown palms look as good here as they do in a tropical climate.
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: solitary with a head of 6-10 arching leaves
- Height: 25' tall estimated
- Trunk: single, closely ringed 4"-5" in diameter; dull green to glaucous yellow-green; self cleaning
- Crownshaft: 2' long, grayish-green, turning silvery near crown, with fine lines up and curving laterally near top; slightly bulging at base, wider than trunk
- Spread: 8'
- Leaf Description: pinnate, 6' long; recurved; leathery, widely spaced leaflets usually growing towards the sky and thin rachis;
- Petiole/Leaf bases: 6" with flat upper surface; unarmed
- Reproduction: monoecious
- Inflorescence: beginning below crownshaft but sometimes several rings below crownshaft by time fruits forming- laterally to somewhat drooping by that point; fairly large and multibranched
- Fruit: green to reddish when ripe, oblong about 1" long
- Seed:
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 25F
- Drought Tolerance: fair to poor
- Dry Heat Tolerance: poor
- Wind Tolerance: poor
- Salt Tolerance: unknown
- Growth Rate: very slow to slow with age
- Soil Preference: acidic and well draining, though tolerates some clay soils
- Light Requirement: full sun to partial sun inland
- Human Hazards:none known
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: none known
- Transplants?: unknown
- Indoor?: high light needs make this a poor choice for indoors
- Availability: rare but readily available at some specialty nurseries at a small size (1gal); larger palms rarely available and extremely pricey
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