Palms   Phoenix canariensis variegated

Distribution & Habitat: This particular plant grows on the island of La Palma, the second highest island of the Canary Islands. Description: A variegated P. canariensis . General: The palm grew by the house by itself. At first, the owners were worried because it was just another palm sprouting too close to the house. They eventually did not kill it because it was weird and slower than usual. It is doubtlessly weaker than usual. Beside the burned leaftips with no chlorophyll, all parts look somehow more delicate. It is a female. The owner told me that it regularly produces seeds but all of them give seedlings which are completely yellow (no green), so they all die after some months of undesirable life. The specimen is so uncommon, even here, that the palm has been protected so it can't be cut or sold.

Figure 1. Variegated P. canariensis

Figure 2. Variegated P. canariensis close-up. Note the burned leaftips on all the yellow leaflets.

Figure 3. Variegated P. canariensis leaf bases.

Figure 4. It is featured on the cover of this CD with traditional Canarian music.

Contributed by:

Carlo Morici (Text and Figure 1,2,3&4).