Needle Palm Tree [Rhapidophyllum hystrix]

Needle Palm Trees of age one or two years old are not guaranteed to be replaced, because the trunk bark has not developed sufficiently to protect from tissue freezing.

Needle Palm Trees – Rhapidophyllum hystrix

Many palm trees have been tested for their quality of cold hardy survival, and the needle palm, Rhapidophyllum histrix, rates high on the list. The needle palm tree was tested years ago at the Brooklyn, New York, Botanical Gardens, and the palm was found to grow well and remain green after snow and ice storms fell during the winter. One quality that the needle palm tree features is slow growth that produces waxy leaf coverings that protect the growing tissue from fast freezing temperatures. The needle palm tree, Rhapidophyllum histrix, produces long needle projections at the base of each palm leaf. This needle is stiff and ominous to man and beast and is responsible for the descriptive name: needle palm tree. The needle palm tree tends to grow in clumps, producing small offset needle palm trees at the base, however, seeds are commonly produced which are scattered around the base of the needle palm tree. The seed of the needle palm tree sprout slowly to grow into small plants. Large needle palm trees can grow for hundreds of years in age, but are rarely found as a native palm tree in forests, because collectors have dug them for landscapes. Even though some needle palm trees have been documented to be 15 feet tall, the trees are rare and expensive in large mature sizes.

Needle Palm Tree, Rhapidophyllum hystrix

The Needle Palm, Rhapidophyllum hystrix grows as a native palm from coastal FL to NC and westward to LA. The Needle Palm plant grows best in sheltered wetlands, and alkaline sandy soils are best. The needle of the Needle Palm is sharp and grows up to 6 inches long in whirls that surround the trunk, and color ranges from gray to black to brown on the needle filaments. The Needle Fan Palm Tree is planted at golf courses and resorts along the Atlantic seacoast, where it shows great salt water tolerance and can be planted in clumps underneath other palm trees or shrubs to shelter sunbathers from salt sprays and winds.

The Fan Needle Palm Trees are evergreen being a cold hardy palm tree planted near pools, outdoor restaurants and seaside bars for that tropical look.Because the Needle Palm Tree grows in clumps, the mother palm is not frequently separated from the needle palm offsets, so that the palm cluster leaves offer a privacy screen guarding sunbathers from unwanted eyes, and the needles offer security from trespassers.

TyTy Nursery has shipped Needle Palm Trees to most northern states and has never had to offer free replacement due to cold damage, even in Canada. Most cold hardy palm trees like needle palms are slow growing and are protected from trunk cold weather damage by the insulation of the needle and fibers that cover the trunk of the Needle Palm Tree.

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