Pronunciation: dez-MON-cuss oar-thuh-CAN-thus
Common Name: Basket Tie-Tie
Desmoncus orthacanthus is a rather unpopular, clustering Central American 'rattan' palm that has been grown in California probably more as a curiosity rather than a beautiful ornamental.
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: clustering with a crown of 10-30 pinnate leaves per stem
- Height: 25'-30'
- Trunk: multiple; 1'2"-3/4" in diameter; sparsely ringed; intensely spiny with 1/2"-2" black to gray, stiff, very sharp spines; dull to olive green in color
- Crownshaft: none
- Spread: 5'-30'
- Leaf Description: pinnate; short, ovoid leaflets in clusters of 2-4 along rachis; 5'-6' long; bright green; long black spines along underside of rachis; leaf tips have backwards, stiff, shortened leaflets that act like 'grappling hooks'
- Petiole/Leaf bases: nonexistent (rachis and leaflets begin right off of stem)
- Reproduction: monoecious
- Inflorescence: among leaves; spiny spathe
- Fruit: spherical to elipsoid; 3/4" long; yellow-orange to red when ripe
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 30F
- Drought Tolerance: low
- Dry Heat Tolerance: moderate
- Wind Tolerance: moderate
- Salt Tolerance: unknown
- Growth Rate: slow to moderate with age
- Soil Preference: adaptable
- Light Requirement: filtered sun
- Human Hazards: very spiny palm
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: needs to be 'trained' up a trunk or wall, or can become hard to manage and dangerous
- Transplants?: unknown
- Indoor?: can think of few worse choices
- Availability: very rare
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