Banana Palm
This fast-growing palm has large green leaves that measure 4-6ft long and 2ft wide. Leaves are attached to the trunk by short stems. The Banana Palm has a clustered, cylindrical collection of leaf stalk bases instead of the trunk.Each palm has around 7-15 oblong leaves with leaf veins running from the mid-rib straight to the outer edge of the leaf. In the windy conditions leaves tear along the veins creating a feather like look.
Flowers/Fruits: The inflorescence consists of a long-oval purple bud that grows above the last leaves in an upright position. As the bud opens, clustered white flowers emerge in whorled double rows along the the floral stalk.
Unisexual flowers are followed by deep green fruits that turn yellow or red, depending on the variety, when they ripe. Fruits range from 3 – 12 inches in length and 1/5 -2 inches in width. Bananas start forming in the summer and ripe till march of the following year. It takes fruits around 100-120 days to reach harvest maturity after the opening of the flower. Bananas are editable and have a sweet taste when ripe.
Growth Rate: Moderate to Fast. Musa can get up to 10 – 20 ft tall and 1-5ft wide.
Flowers/Fruits: The inflorescence consists of a long-oval purple bud that grows above the last leaves in an upright position. As the bud opens, clustered white flowers emerge in whorled double rows along the the floral stalk.
Unisexual flowers are followed by deep green fruits that turn yellow or red, depending on the variety, when they ripe. Fruits range from 3 – 12 inches in length and 1/5 -2 inches in width. Bananas start forming in the summer and ripe till march of the following year. It takes fruits around 100-120 days to reach harvest maturity after the opening of the flower. Bananas are editable and have a sweet taste when ripe.
Growth Rate: Moderate to Fast. Musa can get up to 10 – 20 ft tall and 1-5ft wide.
Bismarkia
The Bismarkia Palm has a single smooth trunk topped with 20-25 wide fronds forming a spherical crown. Younger Bismark Palm has grey trunk covered with old leaf bases which gets smoother as it matures. The Bismark Palm has palmate waxy leaves supported by thick stems. Stems are 8-10ft long, 10 inch in diameter and covered with small sharp teeth. Wide spread of beautiful silver-green leaves can reach 10ft across.
Flowers/Fruits: During late spring Bismark Palm produces small fragrant flowers. The Bismarck Palm is dioecious, male and female flowers are on different plants. Cream flowers grow in clusters on 3ft long stalks which gets bent downwards by the fruit weight. Beautiful flowers are followed by not-eatable blue fruits. Fruits are oblong and 1/2 – 1 inch in diameter.
Growth Rate: Domestic Bismarck Palm can grow up to 30-40ft tall and 20ft wide, but in the wild it can reach 70ft. It is a fast growing palm that can grow from 3ft to 15 ft tall in 5 years.
Flowers/Fruits: During late spring Bismark Palm produces small fragrant flowers. The Bismarck Palm is dioecious, male and female flowers are on different plants. Cream flowers grow in clusters on 3ft long stalks which gets bent downwards by the fruit weight. Beautiful flowers are followed by not-eatable blue fruits. Fruits are oblong and 1/2 – 1 inch in diameter.
Growth Rate: Domestic Bismarck Palm can grow up to 30-40ft tall and 20ft wide, but in the wild it can reach 70ft. It is a fast growing palm that can grow from 3ft to 15 ft tall in 5 years.
Majesty Palm
The Majesty Palm is a very large palm with a large, untidy crown. This feather palm which grows up to 12m high has symmetrical leaves and develops an attractive swollen base at the trunk. The smooth trunk is about 12″ in diameter. It has attractive pinnate leaves up to 18 inches length on erect stems attached to adherent base.
Flowers/Fruits: Ravenea rivularis produces small white flowers that grow on branched inflorescence. Male and female lowers are borne on separate plants. Flowers are followed by bright red, spherical fruits that are 1-1.3 cm long.
Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate. This palm can grow up to 10 – 20 ft tall and 5-10 ft wide.
Flowers/Fruits: Ravenea rivularis produces small white flowers that grow on branched inflorescence. Male and female lowers are borne on separate plants. Flowers are followed by bright red, spherical fruits that are 1-1.3 cm long.
Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate. This palm can grow up to 10 – 20 ft tall and 5-10 ft wide.
Ponytail Palm
Young Ponytail Palm has no trunk, but as the palm matures it develops a brownish-gray bark that is greatly swollen at the base, reaching up to 12ft in diameter. When the palm is only few years old it has a single smooth trunk topped with crown of dark green fronds, but eventually develops a few branches. Ribbon-like leaves grow in clustered at the tips of branches. Thin leaves are 6ft long and only 1 inch wide. They emerge in a fountain-like fashion, curling downward. The cascading nature of the leaves gives much the appearance of a pony’s tail, hence the name Ponytail Palm.
Flowers/Fruits: Mature Ponytail Palm produces creamy-white flowers in spring or summer. They bloom for several weeks two or three times a year. Flowers grow in clusters on long inflorescence that extend longer than the leaves. Male and female flowers are born on separate plants. Flowers are followed by reddish small fruit, about 1/2 inch long.
Growth Rate: Slow. The Beaucarnea recurvata is a slow growing palm that can get up to 10 – 20 ft tall and 5-10 ft wide, but rarely exceeds 10ft.
Flowers/Fruits: Mature Ponytail Palm produces creamy-white flowers in spring or summer. They bloom for several weeks two or three times a year. Flowers grow in clusters on long inflorescence that extend longer than the leaves. Male and female flowers are born on separate plants. Flowers are followed by reddish small fruit, about 1/2 inch long.
Growth Rate: Slow. The Beaucarnea recurvata is a slow growing palm that can get up to 10 – 20 ft tall and 5-10 ft wide, but rarely exceeds 10ft.
Pygmy Date Palm / Robellini
In its natural environment Pygmy Date Palm has a single-trunk, but in cultivation it is usually planted with 3-5 specimens. When planted in clumps, the trunks tend to curve gracefully away from the center of the clump creating an especially attractive arrangement. The Pygmy Date Palm trunk is covered with old leaf scars and topped with pinnate, or feather like, leaves which grow to about 4ft in length. Leaves are bright green, droopy covered with 4-5 in leaflets that are modified into 2-3 in. sharp spines at the base of the petiole. Be careful while pruning it and keep kids away.
Flowers/Fruits: During spring, the Pygmy Date Palm produces beautiful creamy flowers that are held by 1ft long stalks. The Pygmy Date Palm is dioecious, male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Between September and October, flowers are followed by small dates. It usually has about 10 -13 long fruit clusters hanging below the leaves. Fruits are elliptical, 1/2 inch long and turn red-brown to dark purple when ripe. The date is mostly seed with only a thin layer of fruit.
Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate. Phoenix roebelenii is a small palm that can grow up to 5 – 10 ft tall and 1-5 ft wide, but usually doesn’t grow more than 7ft.
Flowers/Fruits: During spring, the Pygmy Date Palm produces beautiful creamy flowers that are held by 1ft long stalks. The Pygmy Date Palm is dioecious, male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Between September and October, flowers are followed by small dates. It usually has about 10 -13 long fruit clusters hanging below the leaves. Fruits are elliptical, 1/2 inch long and turn red-brown to dark purple when ripe. The date is mostly seed with only a thin layer of fruit.
Growth Rate: Slow to Moderate. Phoenix roebelenii is a small palm that can grow up to 5 – 10 ft tall and 1-5 ft wide, but usually doesn’t grow more than 7ft.
Queen Palm
Syagrus romanzoffiana has smooth single trunk ringed with leaf scars and topped with dark green feathery fronds. Pinnate leaves grow upward more so than outward. The stem of the leaf is about 5 – 15ft long and has double rows of leaflets. Each leaflet blade approximately 18 to 36 inches long.
Flowers/Fruits: During summer months Queen Palm will surprise you with beautiful clusters of creamy flowers on a green stalk that grows underneath its leaves. In the early winter a green fruit will appear that will turn orange as it matures. This fruits, also called “dates”, have round shape and are about 1 inch long with one single seed inside. The Queen Palm fruit smells nice but is not editable. When dates fall to the ground they create sticky piles of rotting fruit that attract disagreeable insects.
Growth Rate: Fast. With regular fertilization Queen Palm can grow to a maximum height of about 30 – 40 ft and 5 -10 ft wide. It grows around 6 feet per year after establishing
Flowers/Fruits: During summer months Queen Palm will surprise you with beautiful clusters of creamy flowers on a green stalk that grows underneath its leaves. In the early winter a green fruit will appear that will turn orange as it matures. This fruits, also called “dates”, have round shape and are about 1 inch long with one single seed inside. The Queen Palm fruit smells nice but is not editable. When dates fall to the ground they create sticky piles of rotting fruit that attract disagreeable insects.
Growth Rate: Fast. With regular fertilization Queen Palm can grow to a maximum height of about 30 – 40 ft and 5 -10 ft wide. It grows around 6 feet per year after establishing
Sago Palm
Young specimens have thick shaggy subterranean trunk 8-10 inches in diameter. Trunks can branch multiple times, creating multiple heads of leaves. As the palm matures, it might produce suckers at its base forming a large multi-stem clump over time.
The Sago Palm has pinnate, or feather-like, leaves that are 4-5ft long and 10 inches wide. The Sago Palm Tree is a very symmetrical plant with fronds growing in a circular pattern creating a rosette. Leaves are dark green, glossy, with stiff, pointed leaflets. Leaflets are narrow, only 4-7 inches long and have strongly recurved edges. In late spring or early summer, sagos produce a light green spikes of new leaves, called a ‘break’. They slowly unfold growing to the ultimate length of the leaf.
Flowers/Fruits: It takes Sago Palm around 13 years to start to bloom. The Sago Palm is dioecious, meaning that each plant is either male or female. The female inflorescence is feather like, later forming a tightly packed seed head, closely covered by whitish miniature leaves. The male cone is pineapple shaped. When it is time to pollinate, females sagos begin to flower and male sagos produce cones.
Growth Rate: Slow. Cycas revoluta is a very slow growing palm that can get up to 7-10ft tall. It could take 70-100 years for the Sago Palm to reach its maximum height.
The Sago Palm has pinnate, or feather-like, leaves that are 4-5ft long and 10 inches wide. The Sago Palm Tree is a very symmetrical plant with fronds growing in a circular pattern creating a rosette. Leaves are dark green, glossy, with stiff, pointed leaflets. Leaflets are narrow, only 4-7 inches long and have strongly recurved edges. In late spring or early summer, sagos produce a light green spikes of new leaves, called a ‘break’. They slowly unfold growing to the ultimate length of the leaf.
Flowers/Fruits: It takes Sago Palm around 13 years to start to bloom. The Sago Palm is dioecious, meaning that each plant is either male or female. The female inflorescence is feather like, later forming a tightly packed seed head, closely covered by whitish miniature leaves. The male cone is pineapple shaped. When it is time to pollinate, females sagos begin to flower and male sagos produce cones.
Growth Rate: Slow. Cycas revoluta is a very slow growing palm that can get up to 7-10ft tall. It could take 70-100 years for the Sago Palm to reach its maximum height.
