Vonitra dransfieldii

Vonitra dransfieldii, formerly known as Dypsis dransfieldii, is a medium-sized clustering feather palm found only on the Masoala Peninsula in north-eastern Madagascar. Each clump carries three to five slender, very hard stems 6–8 m tall, crowned by fibrous leaf sheaths that never form a neat crownshaft.

Its most distinctive feature is a long-stalked, erect inflorescence that rises well clear of the leaves. A rare collectors' palm, it is grown for its stiffly ascending leaves, pink-flushed new growth and stems that turn golden with age.

At a glance

• Native range: Madagascar (Masoala Peninsula)
• Mature size: 6–8 m, in open clumps of 3–5 stems
• Growth rate: moderate in good tropical conditions; very slow in subtropical gardens
• Light: grows naturally in forest understorey to mid-storey
• Water: high water requirement
• Cold hardiness: no frost tolerance; keep above about 0 °C
• Indoors / outdoors: outdoors in tropical gardens; a sheltered, frost-free position in the subtropics

Care

Treat it as a palm for the tropics: give it a sheltered, frost-free position and plenty of water. Wind tolerance is moderate. Established plants appear to become considerably tougher, but in subtropical climates growth is very slow. Dead leaves tend to hang on the stems. Propagation is by seed, which is offered only occasionally.

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