Pronunciation: wah-LICK-ee-uh ob-long-ih-FOE-lee-uh
Common Name: Dwarf Wallich's Fishtail Palm; Dwarf Wallich's Himalayan Palm
Wallichia oblongifolia is a unique, understory, large shrubby palm that does very well in many shady areas of southern California. It has pretty good cold hardiness (not surprising since from the Himalayan low mountains) and is a relatively easy palm to grow. There are many mature palms in southern California, but most growers still know their palms as Wallichia densiflora, which it has been called for decades.
Synonym: Wallichia densiflora
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: clustering, stemless shrub with about 15-30 leaves depending on number of offsets
- Height: 6' plant height; stem height 0' (stemless)
- Trunk: none
- Crownshaft: none
- Spread: 15'+
- Leaf Description: pinnate; long and arching (9'); flat to plumose leaf with pointed-tipped, fishtail-shaped leaflets, with premorse (jagged) tips; leaflets up to a foot long and spread out along leaf every 3"-4"; underside of leaves somewhat silvery; tops green
- Petiole/Leaf bases: 2' long and tubular; coppery colored
- Reproduction: monoecious
- Inflorescence: multiple structures- 3' long, thick, branched flowers initially in huge, pendulous, large, papery bracts/ spathes
- Fruit:
- Seed:
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 26F
- Drought Tolerance: poor
- Dry Heat Tolerance: poor
- Cool Tolerance: good
- Wind Tolerance: poor
- Salt Tolerance: poor
- Growth Rate: slow
- Soil Preference: rich, moist though will grow in clay soils
- Light Requirement: filtered sun to full shade
- Human Hazards: none
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: none
- Transplants?: unknown
- Indoor?: possibly might do OK indoors- unknown
- Availability: rare but occasionally available at palm specialists
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