Foxtail Palm

This palm is endemic to the scrublands of the rocky northeastern peninsula of Australia. In the United States, it survives best where temperatures do not fall below 30°F. The foxtail palm can reach heights of 30 feet, growing fast in full sun, but the plant is tolerant of both sunny and shady conditions. The pinnately compound leaves or fronds can reach lengths of 8 to 10 feet and are attached to a petiole or stem that is about 6 to 12 inches long. The dark green leaflets are each 1/2 foot long, grow whorled around the rachis, and split into segments at the tips. The trunk is light gray to almost white, is
somewhat enlarged mid-length, and has dark leaf base scars encircling it. On top of the trunk sits a pale to blue-green, smooth crownshaft, which is the part of the palm where its leaves emerge. The stem’s swollen base becomes slender towards the top, and, when mature, accounts for as much as 3 feet of the palm’s total height. The inflorescence occurs just below the crownshaft, is heavily branched, and bears white male and female flowers. Fruits are 2 inches long, egg shaped, and orange to red when ripe.