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Russell Stafford
Arecaceae
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Needle Palm
Reputed to be the most cold-tolerant of palms, the needle palm has dense foliage of dark green, fan-shaped fronds with long, black needles on the bases of the stems. This very slow-grower is an evergreen, clumping palm native to the coastal plain of the southeastern United States, from South Carolina to Mississippi and Florida, where it is vanishing in the wild.
The bright green to dark green leaves are semi-circular or close to round, with deep cuts into the blade. On the underside, there is a silvery-green or blue-green tint. The fronds rise up from short, stubby, clustered stems that have long, black spines among black, thatchy fibers. Also in this area arise the musky-scented, light yellow to lavender flowers in summer, usually not consistently each year. The fruits that develop are small and round and are reddish-purple to brown. When ripe these fruits have a sweet odor. Their seeds are very slow to germinate.
Grow needle palm in rich, moist but well-drained soils in partial to full shade locations. Though tolerant of full sun and slightly drier soils, it looks diminished in such conditions. Use this palm as a foundation accent, within a mixed shade border, or in a container. Make sure to acquire only seed-grown (not wild-collected) plants.
12 - 6
6 - 10
H1, H2, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Palm or Cycad
Partial Sun, Partial Shade, Full Shade
6'-8' / 1.8m - 2.4m
Early Summer, Summer
United States, Southeastern United States
Acidic, Neutral
Average
Clay, Loam, Sand
Wet Site, Drought, Soil Compaction
Very Slow
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
Clump-Forming
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Insignificant
White, Light Yellow, Lavender
Dark Red, Brown, Sienna
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Yes
No
Single
Coarse
Glossy
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
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