Palms For California

Pronunciation: Vonitra cruh-KNEE-tuh

Common Name: Vonitra Palm

Vonitra crinita is one of several closely related 'cousin It' palms that come from Madagascar that seem to have a fairly good deal of cold tolerance here in California, the others being Dypsis fibrosa, utilis and maybe pusilla. All of these have some degree of pendent trunk fibers that look a bit like dry hair. Some of these are very difficult to tell apart. These are not particularly spectacular palms but do have a pleasing orange to red new leaf, which is always a plus. Additionally, they are one of the branching palms. So far, however, no actual branching has been observed in California in these palms (yet).

Appearance and Biology Habit: clustering with a crown of 8-12 feather leaves per stem Height: 15 feet estimate Trunk: multiple, and potentially branching; covered with dense layer of light brown pendent fibrous material Crownshaft: none Spread: 6'-10' Leaf Description: pinnate; flat; slightly arching; medium to light green; about 4'-6' long; leaflets relatively widely spaced apart compared most pinnate palm leaves Petiole/Leaf bases: 12"-24" long; narrow; unarmed; un-split leaf bases Reproduction: monoecious Inflorescence: from within leaves abruptly appearing from within wall of fiber; Fruit: barely oblong; 1" thick; purply black when ripe

Horticultural Characteristics Minimum Temp: 28F Drought Tolerance: moderate Dry Heat Tolerance: moderate Cool Tolerance: moderate Wind Tolerance: moderate Salt Tolerance: unknown Growth Rate: slow Soil Preference: adaptable Light Requirement: filtered sun to full sun Human Hazards: none Disease or Horticultural Problems: none Transplants?: unknown Indoor?: unknown Availability: rare