Your December, 2001 Paul, "The Palm Doctor!" Palm of the Month!! 
Syagrus romanzoffiana "The Queen Palm"
The Queen palm is heavily planted in South Florida. It grows best in full sun, Queen Palm is most suited for acidic, well-drained soils and shows severe mineral deficiencies on alkaline soil. Unfortunately. acid soil is rare in Florida. Most homeowners do not fertilize properly and so we see many Queens with "frizzle top" symptoms. The new fronds progressively weaken, get shorter, yellow and have a frizzy appearance.This disfigures the palm by stunting the young leaves and can kill it. Since Queen Palms are frequently planted in our heavily alkaline soil, regular preventive applications of manganese and/or iron to help keep the fronds green. Potassium deficiency is also displayed on older fronds in well-drained soils. Quick-growing Queen Palm responds well to ample moisture and fertilizer and is slightly salt-tolerant. After planting Queen Palm in the landscape, growth is rapid. This palm is not affected by lethal yellowing disease. Another caution here! Pruning off too many fronds at one time can cause the palm to decline. Growth often slows with new foliage aborting to display distorted leaflets. The trunk is also very susceptible to decay. Prevent injury to the trunk by keeping turf well away from the trunk. The Queen Palm IS highly suseptible to Gandoderma butt rot. This is an always fatal fungal disease. Description (University Of Florida data)
Height: 25 to 50 feet Spread: 15 to 25 feet Crown uniformity: irregular Crown shape: palm, upright/erect Crown density: open Growth rate: fast Texture: fine
FoliageLeaf arrangement: alternate (Fig. 3) Leaf type: odd-pinnately compound Leaf margin: entire Leaf shape: lanceolate Leaf venation: parallel Leaf type and persistence: evergreen Leaf blade length: 12 to 18 inches, 18 to 36 inches Leaf color: green Fall color: no color change Fall characteristic: not showy
FlowerFlower color: white/cream/gray Flower characteristics: showy
Fruit Fruit shape: round Fruit length: .5 to 1 inch Fruit covering: fleshy Fruit color: orange Fruit characteristics: does not attract wildlife; showy; fruit/leaves a litter problem
Trunk Trunk/bark/branches: branches don't droop; not showy; typically one trunk; thorns Pruning requirement: little required Breakage: resistant Current year twig color: not applicable Current year twig thickness: Wood specific gravity: unknown
CultureLight requirement: full sun Soil tolerances: clay; sand; loam; acidic; well-drained; occasionally wet Drought tolerance: moderate Aerosol salt tolerance: moderate
OtherRoots: not a problem Winter interest: no Outstanding tree: no Invasive potential: little invasive potential Ozone sensitivity: unknown Verticillium wilt susceptibility: resistant Pest resistance: resistant to pests/diseases
In spite of the aforementioned drawbacks, the Queen is very easy to grow and deserves some planting in palm groupings and as a nice background tree. It must be remembered, however; this variety of palm needs regular preventative nutritional care otherwise it will look poorly, and not be long-lived. Paul, The Palm Doctor! |