Arenga micrantha

Arenga micrantha, sometimes called the Tibetan sugar palm, comes from warm broad-leaved mountain forest in south-eastern Tibet, Bhutan and neighbouring India, between about 1400 and 2200 m. It grows higher than any other Arenga and is regarded as the most cold-hardy member of the genus.

Low clumps of short, black-fibred stems carry large, flat leaves whose leaflets are green above and strikingly silvery white beneath. Described only in 1988 and listed as Endangered, it is still rare in gardens and prized as a tropical-looking palm for frost-prone climates.

At a glance

• Native range: eastern Himalaya (south-eastern Tibet, Bhutan and adjacent India)
• Mature size: stems about 2–2.5 m; around 6 m overall including the leaves
• Growth rate: slow when young, picking up once plants reach about 1 m
• Light: part shade suits young plants; shade keeps the leaves a flawless dark green
• Water: steady moisture; water during dry winters
• Cold hardiness: about −6.5 °C for brief frosts; some leaf damage has been reported from about −4 °C in long freezes
• Indoors / outdoors: outdoors in mild and cool-temperate gardens; dislikes hot, dry sites

Care

Plant in rich soil that stays evenly moist and feed occasionally. It copes with cool, humid nights better than with hot, dry conditions. Each stem flowers once and then dies, while the clump carries on. As in all Arenga, the fruit flesh contains irritant needle-like crystals, so wear gloves when handling fruit.

Why Palmpedia: Raised in our Almeirim greenhouse in Portugal and supplied in 15 L to 35 L pots.