Time for a palm? Rhopalostylis sapida

I figured I should post about a palm as this blog is not specifically about my Cycads.  Here is Rhopalostylis sapida.  This palm originates from New Zealand and is capable of withstanding some pretty cold weather which makes it suitable for the Beaumont-Banning Pass area.  This species prefers partial sun until reaching a mature age.

The specimen is pretty young, but even at this young age, you can see the stout nature of the fronds.  They are quite thick in proportion to the leaves and are a dominant feature when observing the plant.  These thick, taut, fully rounded fronds allow for little to no sagging which gives this palm its amazing look.

The leaves are also quite stiff and stout and receive much of their strength from the petiole, which can be seen below in the picture below.

The constant upright and stout nature of this palm can even be seen at this early age in these profile shots.

 


All of these features make for a beautiful mature palm that stands out from common species especially in areas that experience a colder climate.  I can't wait for this palm to age into the beauty displayed below.

photo from wikipedia.