Windmill Palm Tree

Detailed Description

Description
Windmill Palm is one of the most cold hardy palms available. It is beautifully compact and grows to heights of 20 to 40 feet. Windmill Palm has a rather slender single stem that is 8 to 10 inches in diameter and is typically a bit narrower at the base than at the top. Trunks are usually covered with a loose mat of coarse gray or brown fiber. In older individuals the fiber sloughs away to reveal a smooth ringed surface. Chusan Palm, as it is also commonly called, has light to dark green palmate leaves that are lighter, almost silvery (glaucous), on the underside. They are held on thin 3 foot flattened stems that are finely toothed along both edges. Leaves are circular, about 3 feet in diameter and segmented about halfway. They are flat with leaf segment tips held stiffly, but occasionally you will see individuals with droopy tips. Leaves are arranged into a symmetrical crown that is about 8 to 10 feet wide. Specimens grown in full sun and/or under poor conditions may have much smaller, more compact crowns.

Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants (so this palm is said to be dioecious). They are densely arranged on 2 to 3 feet long branched stalks called an inflorescence. The windmill palm's bright yellow inflorescence erupts from a packetlike bud in late winter and early spring and is held within the crown. On female plants the flowers are followed in late summer by round or oblong blue fruits that are about 1/2 inch in diameter.

Usage: This palm makes a great accent which fits well into small areas like courtyards and entries. It is a tough plant and survives in hot urban landscapes and even thrives there if watered and fed. Chusan Palm is perfect for containers if care is taken that they are well drained. It is very attractive planted in groves and groupings especially when plants of different heights are staggered in irregular patterns (plant the tallest palms in center of the groups and shorter ones at the edges).