Palms   Wallichia disticha

Habitat: Low mountain valleys of Sikkim, and north India Himalayas. Description: An extremely unusual looking palm, in which the leaves form just two rows on either side of the trunk i.e. looking down on the palm, the leaves would all form a single straight line. It grows to about 7m tall, while the long, course leaflets are dark green above, and greyish white underneath. General: As mentioned above, an extraordinary looking palm, tho rarely found outside palm collections. It is only short lived, getting to about 15 years old, then flowering for 4-5 years, before dying. Culture: Although it comes from the Himalaya, it comes from the lower reaches which are still tropical, so it prefers that climate, however it will grow in sheltered sub-tropical areas.

Figure 1. A magnificent specimen of W. disticha at the Townsville Palmetum.

Contributed by:

John L. Dowe (Figure 1 from Palms & Cycads No. 36, July-Sept 1992).

For further information try
		Monocot Checklist	Links