Palms For California

Pronunciation: DIP-suss ploo-MOW-suh

Common Name:

Dypsis plumosa is a recently described species that was sold and grown for years in California as Dypsis ambositrae. But as it matured and did not match the description in Palms of Madagascar it become clear this was a different species (one that was surprisingly not described yet), and we ended up with a brand new species, and a fairly good palm for California as well. It is, however, not the most ornamental Dypsis with a somewhat dull and 'dried-out' looking crownshaft and a thin crown of arching, 'plumose' ('irregularly pinnate' per Dransfield- not truly plumose) leaves and without any of the amazing colors of the true Dypsis ambositrae.

Appearance and Biology Habit: solitary with a crown of 6-10 plumose leaves Height: 20' estimate Trunk: single; 5"-6" diameter; prominently ringed- rings tend to bit irregular (not always perfectly straight lines); pale blue-green to glaucous dull green in color; Crownshaft: pale green to tan (color of a dead leaf); 1' long; wider than trunk with parallel sides Spread: 10'-12' Leaf Description: pinnate; plumose with thin leaflets on several planes; leaflets upright in a 'V' shape; leaves light green to moderate green in color Petiole/Leaf bases: 12"-18" long; pale green Reproduction: monoecious Inflorescence: 2' long; upright; branched; arising from within crownshaft and erupting above it Fruit: ovoid to spherical about 1"; light green to dark when ripe

Horticultural Characteristics Minimum Temp: 27F Drought Tolerance: low Dry Heat Tolerance: unknown Wind Tolerance: low Salt Tolerance: unknown Growth Rate: slow Soil Preference: adaptable Light Requirement: full sun Human Hazards: none Disease or Horticultural Problems: none Transplants?: unknown Indoor?: unlikely to do well Availability: rare but available through palm specialty nurseries (sometimes still sold as Dypsis ambositrae)