Palms   Rhapidophyllum hystrix

Common Names: Needle Palm Hedgehog Palm Blue Palmetto Distribution and Habitat: Open forest of South-eastern USA. Description: A low growing, clumping, palmate palm which has long black spines on the leaf sheaths. Culture: Sunny, moist, but well drained position. Famed for its cold tolerance. Very slow growing. Seed germination is also slow and eratic.	Figure 1. R. hystrix at Huntington Botanical Gardens.
Figure 2. R. hystrix leaf detail.	Figure 3. R. hystrix spine detail.

Figure 4. R. hystrix at Naples Botanic Garden.

Contributed by:	Angelo Porcelli (Figure 4)
	Fred, Zone 10A (Figure 1,2&3)

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