Pronunciation: liv-ih-STONE-uh al-FRED-ee-eye
Common Name: Millsteam Palm
Livistona alfredii is one of the rarest of the Livistonas in California, but it is a rather different and still pretty good choice for most areas in southern California. This is one of the few 'blue' Livistonas that do pretty well in California- there are others but they tend to be much more marginal plants.
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: Solitary with a crown of 20-30 leaves
- Height: 25 feet tall estimated
- Trunk: 12" thick, single and clean for much of its height except for the bottom 3'-6' which tends to remain covered with old leaf bases
- Crownshaft: none
- Spread: 12'
- Leaf Description: costapalmate with fine, flopping leaflets divided half to 2/3 their distance into the leaf blade; leaves a pale blue-green to grey green; younger leaves more stiff but still with some drooping leaflet tips; entire leaf 8' long though petiole is half that length
- Petiole/Leaf bases: thin, bent, relatively sparsely armed with small, sharp, backwards-facing yellowish teeth about 2cm or less in length; leaf bases unsplit and closely spaced on trunk
- Reproduction: Monoecious, but 'functionally dioecious'
- Inflorescence:
- Fruit:
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp:26F
- Drought Tolerance: good
- Dry Heat Tolerance:very good
- Wind Tolerance: good
- Salt Tolerance: good
- Cool Tolerance: fair to good
- Growth Rate: very slow to slow with age
- Soil Preference: well draining
- Light Requirement: full sun
- Human Hazards: sharp petiolar teeth
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: none known
- Transplants?: fair transplant species
- Indoor?: not known
- Availability: very rarely available, even from specialty nurseries
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