Pronunciation: tie-coe-SPUR-muh ELL-uh-ganz
Common Name: Solitaire Palm
Ptychosperma elegans is probably the easiest Ptychosperma to grow in California and second generation plants have been growing for decades now… perhaps third and fourth generation plants now exist, too. It is a solitary species with ornamental, recurved leaves with premorse tips (like they have been 'bitten off', instead of being pointed like most palm leaves)..
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: solitary with a crown of 4-6 feather leaves
- Height: 30'
- Trunk: single; 3"-4" in diameter; grey; ringed
- Crownshaft: 12"-18" tall; dark grey-green to purplish; larger than diameter of trunk below
- Spread: 4'-8'
- Leaf Description: pinnate; flat to moderately 'V' in cross section; recurved; premorse leaflets, very closely spaced along rachis; leaflets may have some droop, but fairly upright otherwise; 3'-6' long
- Petiole/Leaf bases: 6" long; roundish; dull green
- Reproduction: monoecious
- Inflorescence: 1'-2'; below crownshaft; highly branched
- Fruit: ovoid; 1' long; bright red when ripe
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 29F
- Drought Tolerance: low to moderate
- Dry Heat Tolerance: low
- Cool Tolerance: moderate
- Wind Tolerance: moderate
- Salt Tolerance: low
- Growth Rate: slow to moderate with age
- Soil Preference: adaptable
- Light Requirement: partial to full sun
- Human Hazards: none
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: none outdoors; mites indoors
- Transplants?: unknown
- Indoor?: moderately good (needs a LOT of light)
- Availability: rare
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San Diego county, California
group of palms planted together, Huntington Beach, California
San Fernando Valley, California
closer shot of mall plant, California
San Fernando Valley seedling showing some cold damage
