Palms For California

Pronunciation: DIP-siss mad-uh-gas-car-ee-EN-siss

Common Name: Malagasy Palm

Dypsis madagascariensis is one of the first Madagascan palms to be grown in California and there are some fairly mature palms in same areas of the state. However, it is a somewhat marginal palm and really struggles inland. This is a suckering or, more commonly, solitary palm with plumose leaves in a triangular array (like Dypsis decaryi), a strikingly ringed trunk and a nearly white crownshaft. But if not grown well, the leaves tend to look anemic and the whole look can be somewhat disappointing. Well grown palms are wonderful specimens, though.

Synonym: Dypsis lucubensis (single stem form); Chrysalidocarpus madagascariensis; Dypsis mahajanga

Appearance and Biology Habit: solitary/clustering with a crown of 10-12 feather leaves Height: 30' Trunk: single/multiple; 6" diameter; smooth; prominently widely spaced (solitary trunk forms) or narrowly spaced (more often in suckering forms) ringed; glaucous green or yellowy-green to blue-green, eventually turning brown or grey near bottom; generally suckering forms only have 2-5 trunks Crownshaft: incomplete crownshaft; 2'-3' long; consisting of several leaf bases; whitish (pale blue-green with a thick white patina in it) Spread: 16'-22'+ Leaf Description: pinnate; markedly plumose; leaflets droop over half their length; bright green; nearly perfectly tristichous (in 3 even planes) Petiole/Leaf bases: 8"-12"; glaucous (nearly white); unarmed; un-split Reproduction: monoecious Inflorescence: 2'; from within crown; highly branched; yellow flowers Fruit: 1/2"; ovoid; green turning dark purple when ripe

Horticultural Characteristics Minimum Temp: 30F Drought Tolerance: moderate Dry Heat Tolerance: low Wind Tolerance: moderate Salt Tolerance: low Growth Rate: slow to moderate with age Soil Preference: adaptable Light Requirement: filtered sun to partial when young; full sun as maturing Human Hazards: none Disease or Horticultural Problems: none in California Transplants?: unknown Indoor?: unknown Availability: rare but readily available at most palm specialty nurseries