The Sylvester Date Palm Tree, scientific name Phoenix sylvestris, is one of the most popular palm trees in the world. This spectacular palm is often used throughout luxury homes, renowned golf courses or for avenue planting. The Sylvester Date Palm is also known as Sugar Date Palm, India Date Palm, Silver Date Palm, and Wild Date Palm.
Phoenix sylvestris is a fast growing palm that can get up to 40-50ft tall and 25ft wide. It has a lot of similar characteristics with True Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera). It has a solitary robust trunk, with interesting diamond pattern created by leaf scars. The Sylvester Date Palm requires some maintenance trimming old dead leaves that tend to make “skirt”. Trunk is swollen at the base, about 13-18 inches in diameter.
Without crownshaft 90-100 large pinnate, feather-shaped, leaves emerge at the top of the trunk. Leaves are about 10-15ft long, silver or blue-green color, slightly curved, with 100-120 sharply pointed at the end leaflets. Leaflets are 1-1.5ft long by 1-2 inches wide and arranged in groups of 2 or 3, often cross-crossing. Petioles have are about 3ft long, armed with long spines.
The Sylvester Date Palm produces small white flowers supported by 2-3ft long branching inflorescence coming from among the leaves. The Sylvester Date Palm is dioecious, male and female flowers are born on different plants. Flowers are followed by oval fruits, about 1 inch in diameter, turning purple-black when ripe. Fruits are editable and have sweet taste. They contain a single seed inside.
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The Spindle Palm Tree, scientific name Hyophorbe verschaffeltii or Hyophorbe verschafeltii, is an elegant looking palm that is perfect for a small landscape. It is well-known for its unique spindle shaped trunk and beautiful v-shaped feathery leaves. The Spindle Palm has a lot of similar characteristics with Bottle Palm (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis).
Hyophorbe verschaffeltii is a slow growing palm that can get up to 20ft tall and up to 15ft wide. The Spindle Palm Tree has a unique shape trunk, that is swollen in the center forming a spindle shape, hence the name Spindle Palm. Trunk is gray, smooth, prominently ringed with the scars of shed fronds, about 1.5 ft in diameter.
The Spindle Palm’s crown consists of another swollen area in the base of its crownshaft. The crownshaft is bright green, waxy, topped with a crown of 6-11 arching fronds which turn outward and down at the end, forming a ‘V’ shape. Leaves are pinnate, or feather-like, about 9-10ft long, with 100-150 leaflets that are bright green on the top and gray on the bottom.
The Spindle Palm produces fragrant creamy flowers that are supported by 2-3ft long inflorescence that emerge at the point where the crownshaft meets the trunk. The Spindle Palm Tree is monoecious, male and female flowers are born on the same plant. Flowers are followed by orange oval fruit, around 1 inch long.
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The Saw Palmetto Tree, scientific name Serenoa repens or Sereno repens, is one of the most cold hardiest palm trees that can tolerate cold down to 0F, making it a perfect palm for landscape in USDA zones 7-11. The Saw Palmetto is also known as Silver Saw Palmetto Palm and Scrub Palm.
Serenoa repens is a small hardy palm that can grow up to 7-10ft tall but usually doesn’t exceed 2-4ft. It can spread up to 20ft or more in diameter. It grows as a shrub with stems occurring below the ground or runs along the ground, creating a dense ground cover. Stems gradually bury to form rhizomes. Stems sprouted from rhizomes can measure 10 to 15 feet in length. Occasionally, it develops erect or arching trunk that is covered with old leaf bases.
Each clump has about 20-25 large palmate, fan shaped, leaves, that are supported by 2ft long, petioles. Stems are armed with very sharp spines, hence the name Saw Palmetto Palm. Leaves are evergreen, stiff, about 3ft across, covered with waxy film, with 18-20 leaflets. The common Saw Palmetto has green leaves but there are some silvery-green leaved types as well.
During spring the Saw Palmetto Palm produces small, yellow-white, fragrant flowers that are growing in dense clusters. Flowers are supported by 3ft long branched inflorescence emerging from the leaf bases. The Saw Palmetto Palm flowers are a great source of a commercial high-grade honey. Flowers are followed by yellowish green fruits that gradually turn blue-black as they ripen August through October. Fruits are small, berry-like, oval and fleshy. These berries are an important food source for many mammals and birds. The berries have been used for medicinal purposes helping to treat some prostate and urinary problems.
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The Sago Palm Tree, scientific name Cycas revoluta or Cycas revolut, is a unique plant that resembles a palm tree but is actually a cycad. It is a great palm for landscape in USDA zones 8-11. The Sago Palm is also known as Japanese Sago Palm, King Sago Palm, and Sago Cycas.
Cycas revoluta is a very slow growing palm that can get up to 15ft tall. Young specimens have thick shaggy subterranean trunk 8-10 inches in diameter. It could take 70-100 years for the Sago Palm to reach its maximum height. Trunks can branch multiple times, creating multiple heads of leaves. As the palm matures it might produce suckers at its base forming a large multi-stem clump over time.
The Sago Palmhas pinnate, or feather-like, leaves that are 4-5ft long and 10 inches wide. The Sago Palm Tree is a very symmetrical plant with fronds growing in a circular pattern creating a rosette. Leaves are dark green, glossy, with stiff, pointed leaflets. Leaflets are narrow, only 4-7 inches long and have strongly recurved edges. In late spring or early summer, sagos produce a light green spikes of new leaves, called a ‘break’. They slowly unfold growing to the ultimate length of the leaf.
It takes Sago Palm around 13 years to start to bloom. The Sago Palm is dioecious, meaning that each plant is either male or female. The female inflorescence is feather like, later forming a tightly packed seed head, closely covered by whitish miniature leaves. The male cone is pineapple shaped. When it is time to pollinate, females sagos begin to flower and male sagos produce cones.
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The Ruffled Fan Palm Tree, scientific name Licuala grandis, is an exotic fan palm that is well-known for its stunning dark-green ruffled leaves. The Ruffled Fan Palm is also known Vanuatu Fan Palm, Palas Palm, and Ruffled Lantan Palm.
Licuala grandis is a very attractive, slow growing palm that can get up to 10ft tall, but usually doesn’t get higher than 6ft with a spread of 4ft wide. It has a single slender trunk, 4-5 inches in diameter that takes years to develop.
The Ruffled Fan Palm is known for its unique palmate, or fan-shape leaves, with attractive splitting patterns that make it stand out in any environment. Leaves are circular, luscious green, glossy, ruffled, hence the name Ruffled Fan Palm, about 22 inches in diameter, with notched tips.
The inflorescence emerges from among the leaves bearing bisexual flowers, male and female reproductive organs grow on the same flower. Ruffled Fan Palm produces marble-like green fruit that turns red when ripe. This berry looking fruit is round with a single seed inside.
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A lot of palm trees die from fertilizer root burn and nutritional deficiencies. To avoid these problems, use fertilizer that has continues release formula, which feeds your palm tree for few months, rather than using a cheap fertilizer that will wash away after 2-3 rains.
I personally use 
