Salt Tolerance: Medium. Will tolerate salt spray, but preferably on the lee side of a seafront location.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate to high, once established.
Soil Requirements: Widely adaptable. Addition of some organic material (compost, peat moss, etc.) will improve foliage quality.
Light Requirements: Moderate - High. Some shade is preferable with younger specimens, although the Adonidia will happily tolerate full sun. Can be adapted to indoor conditions. Medium growth habit does not cause stretching indoors as with some faster growing palm species.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate. Some yellowing can occur in our limestone soils. Addition of organic materials, and occasional fertilizer applications should prevent yellowing, or improve overall health if weakening occurs.
Uses: Specimen palm, poolside, planters, patios, large containers, interiorscape.
Propagation: Seed - germinates in 1-2 months.
Human Hazards: None.
Major Pest Problems: Generally none, although some instances of Mealy Bug infestation have been observed, but most often without any serious damage. Spider Mite can occur when used indoors - to avoid this raise humidity levels around the affected plants. Often pests are present when there is insufficient airflow in and around the affected plant.
Major Disease Problems: Can be succeptable to Lethal Yellowing. Some instances have been observed in Nassau, but succeptability is gereally quite low. OUR palms are LOCALLY RAISED from very STRONG STOCK!
IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS:
Habit: Solitary, canopy of 9-15 leaves, less in drought conditions.
Trunk Characteristics: Slender, dark to light gray, smooth to slightly rough, closely ringed, swollen at the base.
Leaf Type: Pinnately compound, arching.
Foliage Color: Bright Green to Deep Green. Generally lighter when grown in the sun, darker in the shade.
Leaf Size: 4-6 feet long. Leaflets are 1.5-2.5 feet long, approximately 2 or 2.5" wide.
Crownshaft: Bright Green, usually 2 feet long, thicker than the trunk.
Inflorescence: White, multi-branched, approximately 2 feet long.
Gender: Male and Female are seperate, but borne on the same inflorescence.
Fruit Size: 1-1.5" long, 0.75-1" in diameter.
Fruit Color: Deep Red, bright, glossy.
Irritant: No.
COMMENTS:
The Adonidia Palm is probably the most popular palm for landscape use in Nassau, and around the more developed islands. It lends itself to a neat, formal look, and suits a small residential yard as well as it does a larger setting. Once mature, the Adonidia creates a good shade cover, and they are nice when used as accent plantings to accentuate vertical lines.
OUR RATING:
9 out of 10
SIZES AVAILABLE:
3 gallon (10" pot size), 3'-4' o.a. (over-all height), 1,2 or 3 plants per pot (ppp).
