Rhapidophyllum hystrix

Rhapidophyllum hystrix, the needle palm, is a palm, the sole member of the genus Rhapidophyllum. It is native to coastal margins of the subtropical eastern Gulf and south Atlantic states of the United States. Endemic populations can be found from coastal southeast South Carolina, southward to Florida and west across the coastal plain of Mississippi and southern Alabama.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant FamiliesBiota of North America Program, county distribution mapGovaerts, R. & Dransfield, J. (2005). World Checklist of Palms: 1-223. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.US Department of Agriculture Plants ProfilePalmpedia, Rhapidophyllum hystrix It is one of the most cold-hardy palms in the world, and can be found growing in several areas with warm temperate climates.Hardiest Palms, Needle Palm - Rhapidophyllum hystrix The needle palm assumes a shrublike clumping form with several stems growing from a single base, the stems growing very slowly and tightly together, eventually forming a dense base 1 - tall, with numerous sharp needle-like spines produced between the leaves; these are 10 - long and protect the stem growing point from browsing animals. The whole plant can reach 2 - tall to the top of the erect central leaves. It is a fan palm (Arecaceae, subfamily Coryphoideae), with the leaves with a long petiole terminating in a rounded fan of 8–16 leaflets; each leaf is up to 2 m long, with the leaflets up to 60 - long. The flowers are borne in dense, short clusters at the top of the stems; it is usually dioecious with male and female flowers on separate plants. The fruit is a brown drupe about 2 cm long.Flora of North America, Vol. 22 Page 101, Rhapidophyllum hystrix (Pursh) H. Wendland & Drude, Bot. Zeitung (Berlin). 34: 803. 1876. The scientific name Rhapidophyllum means "needle-leaf", while hystrix is from the scientific name of a genus of porcupines. The English name likewise refers to the needle-like spines produced at the petiole bases; for similar reasons, it is also occasionally called "porcupine palm".

No narrative description available for this taxon yet.