Pronunciation: pih-NANG-uh
Common Name: Himalayan Pinanga Palm
Pinanga gracilis is not one of the more ornamental of the Pinangas, but it seems to have pretty good cold hardiness in California, and it still has a nice tropical appearance (just not colorful). It's origins in the Himalayas and Tibet make it one of the most cold hardy of all the Pinangas. It's another suckering species with fairly wide leaves that are only somewhat divided.
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: clustering with a crown of 2-5 feather leaves
- Height: 6'
- Trunk: multiple; 1/2" thick; ringed; dark to med green
- Crownshaft: 6"-8" tall; bright green; same diameter as stem
- Spread: 2'-4'+
- Leaf Description: pinnate; incompletely divided (3-4 divisions per entire leaf length); ridged leaves (along lines of incomplete division); deep green; 2'-3' long
- Petiole/Leaf bases: 3" long; unarmed; un-split
- Reproduction: monoecious
- Inflorescence: forked; pendulous; below crownshaft
- Fruit: ellipsoid; 1/2" long; red when ripe
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 28F
- Drought Tolerance: poor
- Dry Heat Tolerance: low
- Cool Tolerance: low to moderate
- Wind Tolerance: low
- Salt Tolerance: unknown
- Growth Rate: slow
- Soil Preference: adaptable
- Light Requirement: shade to filtered sun
- Human Hazards: none
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: none
- Transplants?: moderately tolerant
- Indoor?: may be OK
- Availability: rare to very rare
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Balboa Park, San Diego, California
San Diego county, California
