Other Names:  Mount Lewis Palm

Description:

This stunning palm grows tall, bearing long, gracefully arching fronds with silvery undersides; distinguished by its long, purple crownshaft; likes water and thrives in fairly wet, poorly drained areas; attractive planted individually or in groupings

Ornamental Features

Purple King Palm features showy clusters of white flowers hanging below the branches from mid to late spring, which emerge from distinctive creamy white flower buds. It has attractive green foliage with silver undersides which emerges light green in spring. The glossy narrow pinnately compound leaves are highly ornamental and remain green throughout the winter. The red fruits are held in clusters from early summer to early fall. The smooth gray bark and purple branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Purple King 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. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects
• Disease

Purple King Palm is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade
• Vertical Accent

Planting & Growing

Purple King Palm will grow to be about 80 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 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 fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

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 is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.