Solitaire palm

Ptychosperma elegans

The Solitaire Palm is a beautiful palm native to the rainforests of central and northern Queensland. In its habitat it can be found close to the sea and can form sparse colonies. In the rainforest it can grow up to 20 metres but in the garden it will grow to ten.

It has the common names of Alexander palm,

Solitaire palm, cabbage palm, and elegant palm.

• I like the elegant nature of the solitaire palm, especially compared with the ubiquitous Cocos palm (which should be declared a weed and prohibited from sale). Its trunk can reach 20 centimetres in diameter and is green at the top eventually becoming grey, prominently ringed and can form cracks at its base. It is topped by a green crownshaft and is covered in soft, white powdery material.

• The leaves are feather shaped reaching three metres long with broad leaflets. The flowers and fruit form just below the crownshaft on a branching structure. The flowers are white and just one centimetre across and lightly fragrant and the fruit is round, red and also just a centimetre wide.

• The solitaire palm is quite common in cultivation in the Tropics but in Coffs is only occasionally seen. Total Gardens have one or two of them available. The best specimen I have found in Coffs is in Orlando Street in front of Wizard Tiles.

• Tropical and sub-tropical climates are ideal for this palm. It will grow in warm temperate zones but they will grow painfully slowly and will not look their best. They will tolerate full sun from an early age and they require rich soil and plenty of water during dry periods but will not tolerate frosts or extended cold periods.

• I have several Solitaire palms growing in my garden and they are all doing very well. A few of them have reached 6 metres tall growing at the rate of one metre a year. Two of them have even started flowering.

• I also have other palms in the Ptychosperma family -which are native to New Guinea- and they are also doing well.

• They are great for a tropical garden and are best planted in groups. The slender nature of this palm makes it ideal for a small space and it also looks good planted with other palms and to create a canopy.

So, if you want to create a tropical garden or grow it as a feature, I highly recommend a Solitaire or three.

• The following photo was taken by Laurie Gardner and chosen by Garden Clubs of Australia for inclusion in their 2018 calendar.

• The photo was taken in the garden of Hedney & Russel Gillett, South Grafton.