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| Category: Palm |
| Family: Arecaceae (Palmae) (Palms) |
| Origin: Lord Howe Island (Australia) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: White |
| Bloomtime: Infrequent |
| Height: 8-10 feet |
| Width: 4-6 feet |
| Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
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Hedyscepe canterburyana (Umbrella Palm) - A graceful and beautiful single-trunked feather palm that grows slowly to 20 feet tall with a full head of elegant recurved pinnate leaves that come from a blue-green slightly bulbous crown shaft. The trunk is blue green when young and matures to green with regularly and closely spaced ring-like leaf scars. Flowers, which emerge below the crownshaft are not overly showy with ivory-colored male flowers and purple female flowers but are followed by large showy dull red fruit. This palm prefers shade or morning sun when young but can grow up into the sun with age. Give average garden irrigation in a rich well-drained soil. Hardy to 27-28º F. This palm grows best along the Southern California coast where winters are mild and the hot dry Santa Ana winds, which can cause leaf burn, are less severe. We have several fine examples in Santa Barbara including at Ganna Walska Lotusland Botanic Garden and the County Courthouse. It comes from the higher elevations up to 2,250 feet on Lord Howe Island, an island far off the east coast of Australia that is primarily known as being the home of the Kentia Palm, Howea forsteriana and the related Sentry Palm, Howea belmoreana. It is also commonly called the Big Mountain Palm. This plant is listed with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Redlist as VULNERABLE (VU D2) - meaning it is not Critically Endangered or Endangered but is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future but that the population is characterized by an acute restriction in its area of occupancy and thus capable of becoming Critically Endangered or even Extinct in a very short period.
The information about Hedyscepe canterburyana displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
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