Alexandra palm is NOT a palm for landscaping your house; it can reach forty to sixty feet tall and is best used in large public spaces. It has a single, tall, one-foot-in-diameter, gray trunk, crowned by large feather-like leaves, and adorned by dramatic clusters of bright red fruits. (Don’t be misled by the word “fruits.” That doesn’t mean you can eat them: in botany-speak “fruits” just means the seeds and their coverings.) Birds do eat these fruits, and a flock may come and eat all of them in one sitting!
Alexandra palm was named for Alexandra of Denmark, the woman who became queen-empress after the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. She is remembered as a beautiful and charming queen, despite facing difficulties. Therefore, although this palm is sometimes called the King Alexander palm, the King palm, or the Alexander palm, these names are all incorrect: the most accurate common name is Alexandra palm. The botanical name is Archontophoenix alexandrae. Alexandra palm is native to Queensland, where it was discovered for science by a German-Australian plant explorer who named it in 1875 to honor Alexandra while she was Princess of Wales. Archontophoenix alexandrae grows in coastal rainforests of Queensland; it easily survives the heavy rains, making it the dominant species in the area— the good news being that it is not endangered in the wild. Have you ever eaten “hearts of palm”? Found inside the top of the trunk, the “heart” is composed of folded-up, baby palm leaves that look like a cabbage. The “heart” of an Alexandra palm is particularly prone to fatal shattering. As this palm is dug up from a field and transported to its new home, its “heart” can be broken, and the transplanted palm will not survive. Because of this, the crown of an Alexandra palm should be splinted and supported during transport. Alexandra palm hearts are not eaten; other palm species supply that dish. Alexandra palm’s height necessitates a bucket truck for grooming— another reason not to plant it by your house. While its leaves are self-pruning i.e., they fall off naturally after they die, it can be best to cut off those red fruits before they drop 1) to prevent a mess and 2) to prevent “volunteer” seedlings from sprouting all around. Enjoy all the Alexandra palms planted in the public spaces of Valencia Reserve. Amazingly, they flower on and off all year, and so there are red fruits to liven up the landscape in every season. |
Katherine Wagner-Reiss has her botany Certificate from the New York Botanical Garden, where she is a volunteer tour guide.
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