Bismarckia nobilis blue form – Plant

Description

bismark palm silver, blue bismarkia

Bismarckia nobilis is endemic to western and northern Madagascar where they grow in open grassland, plateaux, plains, in all terrains; very common, in large numbers as the only tree on regularly burnt palm grassland on the west coast; rarely mixed with Hyphaene. Sometimes in flooded areas. often the only tree in the landscape; occasionally planted in East Madagascar as well.

Description

Bismarckia is a monotypic palm genus named for the first chancellor of the German Empire, Prince Otto von Bismarck and the epithet for its only species, Bismarckia nobilis, comes from Latin for ‘noble’.

B. nobilis grows from solitary trunks, gray to tan in color, which show ringed indentations from old leaf bases. Trunks are 30 to 45 cm in diameter, slightly bulging at the base, and free of leaf bases in all but its youngest parts. In their natural habitat they can reach above 25 meters in height but usually get no taller than 12 m in cultivation. The nearly rounded leaves are enormous in maturity, over 3 m wide, and are deeply-divided into 20 or more stiff segments. The leaves are costapalmate, producing a wedge-shaped hastula where the blade and petiole meet. Petioles are 2-3 m, slightly armed, and are covered in a white, waxy material as well as cinnamon-colored scales; the nearly-spherical leaf crown is 7.5 m wide and 6 m tall. Most cultivated Bismarckias feature silver-blue foliage although a green leaf variety exists (which is less hardy to cold). These palms are dioecious and produce pendent inflorescences of small brown flowers which, in female plants, mature to a brown ovoid drupe, each containing a single seed.

Category:

Tropicals and Tender Perennials

Palms

Foliage Color:

Blue-Green

Water Requirements:

Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping

Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater

Height:

20-30 ft. (6-9 m)

30-40 ft. (9-12 m)

Spacing:

12-15 ft. (3.6-4.7 m)

Sun Exposure:

Full Sun

Danger:

Pollen may cause allergic reaction

Bloom Color:

Pale Yellow

Bloom Time:

Mid Spring

6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)

Patent Information:

Non-patented

Seed Collecting:

Unblemished fruit must be significantly overripe before harvesting seed; clean and dry seeds

Regional

This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:

Grenoble,

Villers-lès-nancy,

Mesa, Arizona (2 reports)

Peoria, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona (5 reports)

Delivery: With in one day

Any questions, feel free contact us: