Palms For California

Pronunciation: RAY-piss eck-SELL-suh

Common Name: Lady Palm, Bamboo Palm

Rhapis excelsa is a very commonly grown palm all over the world, and turns out to be a very good palm for many areas of southern California, both indoors as well as outdoors. Numerous dwarf and variegated cultivars exist and highly prized.

Appearance and Biology Habit: suckering with crowns of dozens of fan leaves Height: 6' Trunk: multiple; 1" thick; covered with dense weave of fiber and tiny leaf bases; much of stem has live leaves for much of its length (if watered well) Crownshaft: none Spread: 3'-15'+ Leaf Description: palmate; deeply divided to petiole forming 3-7 leaflets; spoke-like half-circles; leaflet ends end abruptly with flat ragged edge (premorse); 2' long; deep green and shiny Petiole/Leaf bases: fine, arching; unarmed; 12"-16" long Reproduction: dioecious Inflorescence: 8"-10" long; white flower Fruit: 1/2", spherical, white Seed:

Horticultural Characteristics Minimum Temp: 22F Drought Tolerance: moderate Dry Heat Tolerance: good Wind Tolerance: moderate Salt Tolerance: low Growth Rate: very slow to slow with age; some cultivars exceptionally slow growing Soil Preference: very widely adaptable Light Requirement: full sun to full shade Human Hazards: none Disease or Horticultural Problems: indoor often plagued with mealy bugs; outdoor in full sun tends to look blanched or yellowy in hot, inland areas Transplants?: good Indoor?: excellent- one of the very best indoor of all palms Availability: commonly available at many standard nurseries; numerous cultivars and variegated forms much more difficult to find and costly, but many available from on line nurseries

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  Huntington gardens, California

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  Huntington gardens, trimmed plants

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  Los Angeles coastal mountains

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  mall plant

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  Huntington gardens, California

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  Hawaii

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  Palm Desert, various forms

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  Palm Desert

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  Palm Desert, California

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  variety Tenzan, Palm Desert

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  Tenzan form

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  Tenzan variety, Palm Desert

• Rhapis 'Tenzan' outdoors PD Nelson.jpgTenzan form
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  Koban form, indoors

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  Koban form leaf

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  leaf shot

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  rhizomatous roots digging up asphalt

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  golden form, Thailand

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  bonsai form, Singapore botanical gardens

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  vareigated forms, Thailand, Nong Nooch gardens

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  variegated plants in Nong Nooch Gardens, Hawaii

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  Thailand, Nong Nooch gardens

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  Thailand

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  Hawaii

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  Hawaii outlet nursery