I have inherited a palm tree in a pot, and have no idea what it is. I have looked at various books, but many look very similar. Any suggestions ? It stands 1m high, has a straight trunk (possible a bit larger towards the top), with hairy stuff on the top half only. It has leaves growing out of the top 20cm, which droop. It's leaves are feather like, with a central stem and symmetric leaves gowing out on each side (more like spikes near the trink). The branches are up to a meter long. Oh, and it has grown in south England, so it can't be a tropical-only variety ! It is also not looking too happy since we've had it (leaves going brown), which I'll need to figure out (once I know what it is !) Many thanks, Tim
Might be Phoenix roebelenii, Pygmy Date Palm. This plant prefers high humidity (otherwise the leaves will turn brown, starting at the tips).
many thanks. Having found many pictures of Phoenix roebelenii on the web, it does seem to be what I have. When you say it prefers high humidity, would you recommend watering it often or rather spraying the leaves and keeping the soil quite dry ? Tim
While spraying the foliage will help, it would probably not make enough difference to stop the browning. A saucer filled with small lava rock and water under the plant would be a better way to increase humidity through evaporation. However because the plant is quite tall, even this method may not be sufficient. Perhaps in addition to this more plants can be added to the room to increase the overall humidity level in the room through transpiration. Lowering the room temperature would also help. It's a nice looking plant, BTW.
Moved the plan indoors, and done a bit of spraying. Time will tell... The plant has a couple of seed pods on it... I've been trying to find information about how to get them to germinate. Any suggestions of tutorial websites or must-read books for beginners ? Thanks. Tim