Ptychosperma elegans

Ptychosperma elegans, the solitaire or Alexander palm, is a slim feather palm from the coastal rainforests of eastern Queensland. A pale grey, ringed trunk rarely more than 12 cm thick rises to a short, waxy, silvery-green crownshaft and arching leaves with broad, squarely cut, ragged-tipped leaflets.

Bunches of glossy scarlet fruit hang below the crownshaft for much of the year. Narrow, adaptable and happy in sun or shade, it is grown widely as a garden, patio and indoor palm.

At a glance

• Native range: eastern Queensland, Australia
• Mature size: usually 6–10 m, up to 12 m
• Growth rate: fairly fast in warm climates
• Light: full sun or shade, if well watered
• Water: regular; constantly moist soil is essential in full sun
• Cold hardiness: grows best above about +2 °C; brief lows of about −2 to −4 °C survived with leaf damage
• Indoors / outdoors: outdoors in mild gardens; widely grown as a patio and indoor palm

Care

It does best in rich, humus-laden soil with irrigation, fertiliser and mulch. Hot, dry or cold, drying winds scorch the leaves, so choose a sheltered spot. In shade it grows slim with dark green leaves.

Why Palmpedia: Every plant is grown in our greenhouse in Almeirim, Portugal, and leaves us in a 15 L to 35 L pot.