Needle Palm. Reputed to be the most cold hardy of palms, this species is native from South Carolina over to Mississippi, mostly under a dense forest canopy. This plant gets its name from lethal "needles" of 6-12" which emerge from between its fronds next to its trunk. It is a suckering palm, producing a multi-trunked specimen as it ages. It has large fan-shaped leaves with each leaflet terminating in a serrated tip. The ultimate size will be 6-8'. I just visited a stand near Louisville, GA about 50 miles south of Augusta, GA which is thought to be one of the furthest locations north and inland that this species has been found. Several of the pictures are from this location. Cultivate this species in filtered sun, or at the least morning sun and afternoon shade. Where I have seen it growing in its natural habitat, it is mostly under large deciduous trees, which gives it sun during the winter months. A friend in north Florida, Dr. Kyle Brown, even has a variegated form that he found among seedlings that he had planted in the 1980's. This plant was fortunately a female and the seedling from this plant produce 1-2% variegated progeny.
Zones 6-10
