Pinanga coronata

Pronunciation: pih-NANG-uh cohr-uh-NAH-tuh

Common Name: Ivory Cane Palm

Pinanga coronata is just one of over 90 species of Pinanga that have been described, but easily one of the most cold hardy of the lot and one of the few that can be grown easily in many of the milder climates in California. This is surprising if you consider these are from the South Pacific Islands- a very tropical origin. Pinangas are among the most colorful and ornamental of the palms, and Pinanga coronata is no exception, though it is not one of the most colorful of the genus. It is a suckering, tropical looking species with variably pinnate leaves

Synonym: Pinanga kuhlii

Appearance and Biology

Habit: clustering with a crown of 3-5 feather leaves per stem
Height: 8'
Trunk: multiple; 2" thick; ringed; green; yellow-green to ivory
Crownshaft: 6" tall; yellow-green; barely larger that stem below
Spread: 8'+
Leaf Description: pinnate; flat to slightly recurved; very subtle 'V' on cross section; lime green; new leaves sometimes pinkish; leaflets near end of leaf flat-tipped and often wider than the rest; 4'-6' long
Petiole/Leaf bases: 6"-1' long; yellow to yellow-green; new leaves have pink petioles; unarmed; un-split bases; channeled out of crownshaft to roundish distally
Reproduction: monoecious
Inflorescence: 1' long; pendulous; branched; pale yellow (new) to bright pink or red
Fruit: nearly spherical; 1/2" long; yellow to red-pink when ripe

Horticultural Characteristics

Minimum Temp: 29F
Drought Tolerance: poor
Dry Heat Tolerance:moderate to low
Cool Tolerance: low
Wind Tolerance: low
Salt Tolerance: low
Growth Rate: very slow to slow with age
Soil Preference: adaptable
Light Requirement: shade to partial sun near coast
Human Hazards: none
Disease or Horticultural Problems: none
Transplants?: unknown
Indoor?: may be a good choice
Availability: rare

garden of Ralph Velez, Orange County, California
Velez palm
San Diego county, California
garden of Matt Bradford, San Diego county, California- two varieties
garden of Jim Denz, northern California
estate of Pauleen Sullivan, Hawaii
garden of Matt Bradford, San Diego county
Bradford collection
new leaf, California
Bradford plant, San Diego county
Zoo in Hilo, Hawaii
Floribunda Palms, Hawaii
flowers on palm in Ventura, California
Pauleen Sullivan palm flowers in Ventura
carpet of seedlings in Lundkvist estate, HAwaii

Pinanga coronata

Geoff Stein - Author & Editor