Description:

A popular feather-leaved palm with gracefully arching leaves; hardiest of the tropical-looking palms; tolerates drought and is somewhat salt tolerant; susceptible to a number of nutritional issues and diseases

Ornamental Features

Queen Palm features showy panicles of creamy white flowers held atop the branches from mid spring to mid summer. It has attractive dark green evergreen foliage. The narrow pinnately compound leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy orange drupes carried in abundance from late summer to early fall. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up.

Landscape Attributes

Queen Palm is an evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a towering form, with a high canopy of foliage concentrated at the top of the plant. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a high maintenance tree that will require regular care and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds and squirrels to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Messy
• Disease

Queen Palm is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade
• Vertical Accent

Planting & Growing

Queen Palm will grow to be about 50 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a high canopy of foliage that sits well above the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is not originally from North America.