Plant Library

Description:

A stunning palm with a beautiful, fine texture; its graceful silver trunk is topped with a smooth, green crownshaft bearing large foxtail-like fronds that are densely filled with leaflets; medium growth rate; an excellent vertical landscape accent

Ornamental Features

Foxtail Palm is draped in stunning panicles of white flowers with buttery yellow overtones hanging below the branches from mid winter to early spring. It has attractive forest green foliage with hints of grayish green. The large glossy narrow pinnately compound leaves are highly ornamental and remain forest green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy orange drupes with red overtones, which are carried in abundance from mid summer to mid winter. The smooth silver bark and green branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Foxtail Palm is an evergreen tropical plant with a strong central leader and a towering form, with a high canopy of foliage concentrated at the top of the plant. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tropical plant, and should never be pruned except to remove any dieback, as it tends not to take pruning well. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Foxtail Palm is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent

Planting & Growing

Foxtail Palm will grow to be about 25 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a high canopy of foliage that sits well above the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 100 years or more; think of this as a heritage tropical plant for future generations! This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

This tropical plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America..