General Description | Long-lived tropical plant botanically closer to conifers than to palms. |
ID Characteristic | A crown of shiny, arching, palm-like leaves sprout atop a shaggy upright trunk. |
Landscape | Temperate gardens as a potted plant where it is indoors during the winter months. In more tropical climates it is frequently grown as either a specimen or grouped as a landscape plant. |
Propagation | Sown from seed. |
Cultivation | Grows best in medium to heavy, well-drained soil in full sun. Tolerant to some drought. |
Notable Specimens | Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida, United States of America. Centennial Conservatory, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales, United States of America. |
Habitat | Forest undergrowth. |
Bark/Stem Description | Thick and corky bark. |
Leaf Description | Bears 54 - 110 flat leaflets, arranged opposite each other along the central stem. Leaves are long, measuring 1.5 - 1.7 m in length. |
Flower Description | Male and female flowers found in separate plants, in the form of cones. Male cones are terminal. Female cones are around the apex of the stem. Flowering highly variable. |
Fruit Description | Bearing ellipsoid or globose smooth seeds. |
Colour Description | Leaves and seeds are bright green and the bark is brown. |
Texture Description | Leaves are smooth and glossy. |