Pronunciation: DIP-siss sank-tut-muh-REE
Common Name: none
Dypsis sanctamarie is a suckering, bifid palm that, though rarely grown in California, has surprising hardiness and definitely should be tried far more often. This palm was grown in Thousand Oaks, a fairly marginal climate for Southern California, successfully for about 7 years, surviving several cold periods and heat waves with little visible problems other than a fairly low tolerance for direct sunlight inland.
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: suckering with bifid leaves near tops of stems
- Height: 6'
- Trunk: narrowly clustering; 1"-2" diameter; light green, ringed, smooth
- Crownshaft: partial; pale green; about 4"-5" long
- Spread: 2'
- Leaf Description: pinnate-bifid (fishtail); subtle linear striations the length of the leaf; leaves about 12" long; bright, light green; upright to horizontal in orientation
- Petiole/Leaf bases: short (2"-3"); thin; unspilt leaf bases
- Reproduction: monoecious
- Inflorescence: unknown
- Fruit: unknown
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 26F
- Drought Tolerance: poor
- Dry Heat Tolerance: moderate
- Cool Tolerance: moderate
- Wind Tolerance: low
- Salt Tolerance: unknown
- Growth Rate: slow to very slow
- Soil Preference: moist and well draining
- Light Requirement: shade to filtered light
- Human Hazards: none known
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: none so far
- Transplants?: fairly good transplanter
- Indoor?: possibly good but untried
- Availability: rare to very rare
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all photos from Sullivan collection, Hawaii
