Difference between revisions of "Acoelorraphe wrightii"

Revision as of 05:05, 17 November 2007

Acoelorrhaphe wrightii
The Huntington, So. California
Scientific Classification
Genus: Acoelorrhaphe Species: wrightii
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
Morphology
Habit: Clustering Leaf type: Palmate Height: 15ft/4.5m Trunk diameter: 4-6in/10-15cm
Culture
Sun exposure: Full sun Watering: Very wet
Survivability index
MSI #2A
Common names
Everglades Palm

Lyon Arboretum, Hawaii

Habitat and Distribution

Native to Florida, the Caribbean and Central America, where it often grows in swampy, sometimes salty soil.

Description

It is a suckering, palmate-leaf palm that forms clumps up to 15'/4.5m tall and 20'/6m+ wide. These clumps tend to be much narrower in diameter at ground level than at the tops- the effect is an inverted triangular-shaped clump. The stems are about 4"/10cm in diameter and develop a fibrous matting that is a deep red-brown in color. Leaves are on relatively short petioles and distinctly half circle with slightly silvery undersides. The leaves are about 2'/.6m wide and 18"/45cm long. The petioles are armed with small teeth.

Culture

In a Mediterranean climate this is a pretty slow-growing palm. A 5 gal plant can take 10-20 years to reach adult height, but it starts to sucker at about that size (5 gal). It is an extremely adaptable species, surviving a good deal of cold as well as doing well in a hot, dry climate. It is also not too choosy of soil type, growing in nearly solid clay, to sand, and has a high tolerance for salt water. It is relatively uneffected by high winds, and is somewhat drought tolerant, though can also grow in standing water. If it weren't so slow growing, it would be a great landscaping palm for southern California, but it is a pretty rare palm in that area.

It does require continuous trimming of dead leaves, or else one ends up with a large, messy, dense shrub that can be pretty unsightly.

I have discovered that this palm is not all that great about being transplanted, but don't know if that is the 'norm' or if I am just bad at transplanting.

In Mediterranean climates, where Ganoderma is a rare problem, this palm is usually disease free. That is not necessarily true in its native climates, where this is a particularly susceptible species to that fungus. Once infected, it is nearly impossible to cure it, and it will usually eventually succumb. As Ganoderma is a soil fungus, no other susceptible species should be planted in its place- ever. It is nearly impossible to eradicate this fungus from the soil once present.

Curiosities

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