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Bentinck Palm Bentinckia nicobarica The Nicobar Islands, claimed as territory by India, are drops of land splattered along the eastern edge of the Bay of Bengal. From there comes the Bentinck Palm, named after Lord Bentinck, governor of Madras (1803-07). In the way of interesting historical footnotes, Lord Bentinck distinguished himself by abolishing suttee, the practice of tossing the (still-alive) widow of a deceased man onto his funeral pyre. He also was instrumental in getting rid of the Thugs, who were ordinary citizens for most of the year, but joined into gangs, and went around robbing and strangling rich people, as part of an annual multi-faith (including devout Muslims and Hindus) event held each autumn. (source: http://www.bartleby.com/65/be/BentinckWC.html) Now that we know he was a man worthy of having such a fine palm named after him, we can appreciate his palm even more. It is a solitary-growing feather palm, when small preferring the shelter of understory conditions, eventually reaching a height of up to 50 feet or so, to become the upper level of the canopy. Protect from cooling winds, and make sure it gets adequate water, and it will grow to gracefully dust the sky for you.
Green Thatch Palm Thrinax radiata Leisurely-growing palm inhabits South Florida, the Keys, the Caribbean and Tropical America. Found mostly as part of coastal scrub habitat, but may appear sporadically in pinelands, or at the base of any tree where birds roost. Well adapted to dry, rocky, alkaline soil in windswept areas where salt spray occasionally blows through. Typical maximum height of up to 30' takes decades to achieve. Life-span is up to 150 years.
Coccothrinax Palm Hybrids Coccothrinax spp. Hybrids of alta, argentea, barbadensis, fragrans, miraguama, spissa (and more). Each one is as stunningly distinctive in character as the proverbial snowflake. Slow-growing fan-leaved palms of the Coccothrinax genus are found in a variety of habitats throughout South Florida and the West Indies, and exhibit a variety of forms. They are all small- to medium-sized palms, generally under 20' in height, but of course, taller, old ones with enviously slender trunks may be seen here and there. Salt- and wind-tolerant, they prefer limestone soils with good drainage, and have proven to thrive when installed directly into a hole drilled in our local oolite rock. They take life well in a pot, but need water during dry conditions.
Solitaire Palm Ptychosperma elegans This palm, originating in Queensland, Australia, is commonly grown by nurseries and used in the landscape throughout South Florida. It is a slender-growing, non-clumping palm, which gets up to 20 feet, or so, high. We plant several seedlings in a single pot, causing the development of multiple trunks, which spread apart from each other as they get bigger, maximizing the spread of the canopy.
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Last updated: 01/22/2008 |