Classified in 1978 as Rare
The Foxtail Palm Tree Can Grow Indoors
The Foxtail Palm Tree is scientific for Wodyetia Bifurcata and has the most spectacular foliage displays of all Palms! The Foxtail palm Tree has gained popularity because it is very durable and will tolerate a wide variety of soil conditions like alkaline limestone soils and rocky sands. The Foxtail Palm can also grow indoors.
Native to Australia, found in Florida as well, the Foxtail Palm Tree is a lovely, versatile tree, named for it’s bushy plume-like foliage. Foxtail Palms grow in the warm climates of USDA plant hardiness zones 10 and 11 and struggles when temperatures fall below 30 F (-1C).
These South Florida palms like plenty of sunshine and they’re moderately drought-tolerant once established, though a regular watering is ideal. The foxtail is a moderately salt-tolerant palm and it’s self-cleaning (old fronds fall off by themselves).
Most of The World Was Unaware
Foxtail Palm Tree Has The Most Spectacular Foilage
Very attractive palm with long (2-3m.) plumose leaves and up to 10m. tall with grey trunk. It produces large (about the size of a duck egg) orange fruit.
Most of the world was unaware of the existence of this spectacular palm until 1978, when an aboriginal man brought it to the botanists and the world’s attention.
The Aboriginal name of that Aboriginal man has been recorded as being “Wodyeti”, thus the genus name for this Australian endemic species Wodyetia.
Spectacular Foilage with Seeds Red When Ripe
Flowering: White flowers stalk that comes from the base of the crownshaft.
Foliage: Variance of greenish colors; deep green to light green colors. Received its more commonly known Australian-English name from the appearance of its foliage, which is in a shape of a fox’s tail.
Fruits: 2 inches long. Olive green to green in the early stages. Orange red when ripe.[4]
Trunk: Similar to the king palm, the foxtail palm trunk is smooth, thin, and self-cleaning. It grows a single, double, or triple trunk that is slightly spindle-shaped to columnar reaching heights of about 10 m (30 ft).
The trunk also has a closely ringed, dark grey to light gray color which slowly turns more and more white. The crownshaft of the foxtail palm is light to bright green and slightly swollen at the base which is typical for a lot of palms.
Classified in 1978 as a Rare Palm
This species is endemic to the Cape Melville range, within the Cape Melville National Park in Queensland Australia. It was described in 1978, and was classed as a rare palm, both within Queensland, and on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species.[2]
After it became known to the world, the Foxtail Palm’s seeds were so highly sought after that a thriving black market trade formed, with illegal collectors nearly decimating the in situ populations.
The species propagates readily in cultivation and this ultimately reduced the pressure on the wild population. It has become widely distributed across the world, being progressively planted out as one of the “world’s most popular” palms.
Beaware of Foxtail Palm Trees Seeds
Fruit- Orange-Red at maturity, Foxtail palm seeds are the only palm fruit known to be poisonous. They are best managed by removal from the crown shaft when still in the seed pod.
Propogation- Foxtail Palms are easily propogated in cultivation in warm climates. Only mature fruits should be selected and they shoud be dried if being stored. Yhey remain viable for several months but should be used in following years. In temperature climates seed trays should be heated to 32 degrees celsius.
Cultivation- Foxtail’s natural environment is on rocky ledges among granite boulders. In cultivation they expect the same excellent drainage. They are reasonably shade and salt tolerant, making them one of the most hardy palms available.
They may be fertilised with slow-release palm or general fertilisers.
If they aren’t fertilised look out for potassium deficiency. It is identified by necrosis in the ends of leaflets on older fronds and black spotting in the midsections.
They may also suffer from manganese deficiency which leads to leaflet necrosis starting at the base of the leaflet rather that the tips and with black stripes instead of spots.
Potassium deficiency in Foxtail Palm Trees can also be compounded by the application of fertilisers high in Mitrogen (lawn fertilisers, say)close to the tree. The nitrogen is used in substitution for potassium leading to an effective deficiency.
Ideal Climate for Foxtail Palm Trees
Brisbane’s climate is great for Foxtail palms. With monthly watering and annual fertilising with palm fertiliser they should thrive, given good drainage.
Sources- belong to wikipedia Plus David & Fiona Taylor
The Foxtail caught my interest, what a marvelous and beautiful tree. I wouldn’t be able to plant it here in Washington State, it sounds like it’s too cold of a climate, and I wouldn’t want to be responsible for killing such a wonderous beauty.
I hope you enjoyed this article, thank you for stopping by.
Best wishes, Sherry
