Archontophoenix alexandrae

Common name

king palm, alexandra palm, king alexander palm

Description

Stems: Solitary, slender, gray, to 15 m tall and up to 25 cm in diameter, bulging at the base, with ridged, "stair-step" rings of leafleaf:
in palms -- the leaf blade (which is usually divided into leaflets or leaf segments), the petiole (or leaf stalk) and the sheath (which forms the attachment of the leaf to the stem)
scars. Leaves: Pinnate pinnate:
like a feather; palms with pinnate leaves usually have compound leaflets attached to a rachis, although a pinnate leaf may be entire with pinnate veins (e.g., <em>Chamaedorea metallica</em>)
to 2-3 m long, with a rachisrachis:
an extension of the petiole through the blade of a pinnate leaf to which leaflets are attached
that twists near the midpoint and linearlinear:
term to describe leaves and leaflets that are narrow with nearly parallel margins; like a line
leaflets growing in a single plane. The crown shaftcrown shaft:
a cylinder of clasping leaf sheaths toward the apex of the stem, found in some pinnate-leaved palms (e.g., <em>Wodyetia bifurcata</em>)
is up to 1 m long, somewhat swollen at the base, and varying in color from light green to dull purple or reddish-brown. The rachisrachis:
an extension of the petiole through the blade of a pinnate leaf to which leaflets are attached
is more or less covered with reddish-brown tomentumtomentum:
a covering of closely matted or fine hairs on plant leaves
on the underside. Upper leaflet surface is grassy green to dark green; undersurface, whitish-gray or glaucousglaucous:
bluish-grey or -green
with prominent secondary veins. Flowers and fruits: Inflorescenceinflorescence:
the reproductive structure of a flowering plant, including palms, consisting of flowers and associated bracts
less than 1 m long with many pendulous branches. Male and female flowers are greenish white to cream-color and are borne on the same inflorescenceinflorescence:
the reproductive structure of a flowering plant, including palms, consisting of flowers and associated bracts
. The red, ovoid fruits are 1-1.5 cm long and have remnants of the stigma at the apex.

Diagnostic features

Field: Erect, solitary palm with "stair-step" rings and bulging base; slender crown shaftcrown shaft:
a cylinder of clasping leaf sheaths toward the apex of the stem, found in some pinnate-leaved palms (e.g., <em>Wodyetia bifurcata</em>)
. Leaflets in a single plane, green above and silvery below. New leaves are sometimes bronze-colored when they emerge.

Lab: Silvery scales on leaflet undersides and reddish-brown tomentumtomentum:
a covering of closely matted or fine hairs on plant leaves
on the rachisrachis:
an extension of the petiole through the blade of a pinnate leaf to which leaflets are attached
, along with prominent secondary veins

May be confused with

Dictyosperma album is similar, but Archontophoenix alexandrae has leaves with silvery-white undersides and a drooping inflorescenceinflorescence:
the reproductive structure of a flowering plant, including palms, consisting of flowers and associated bracts
, while Dictyosperma album leaves are green on both sides, and the inflorescenceinflorescence:
the reproductive structure of a flowering plant, including palms, consisting of flowers and associated bracts
is erect in bud, then the branches become recurved.

Distribution

Native to Eastern Australia, often in wet areas

Additional comments

Palms in this beautiful genus are used in landscaping, but they can be sensitive to the stresses of transplanting.

Scientific name

Archontophoenix alexandrae H.Wendl. & Drude

Family

Arecaceae/Palmae

Synonyms

Ptychosperma alexandrae F. Mueller