SCIENTIFIC NAME: Heterospathe elata

COMMON NAME(S): Sagisi palm
SUB FAMILY: Arecoideae
TRIBE: Cocoeae
ORIGIN: Philippines
HARDINESS ZONES: 10B-11 (severely damaged or killed at 26 degrees F)
TYPICAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 40'
GROWTH RATE: Slow
HABIT: Solitary; canopy of 10-16 leaves
SALT TOLERANCE: Low
DROUGHT TOLERANCE: Moderate
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Widely adaptable
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Moderate; high
NUTRITION REQUIREMENTS: Moderate
POPULAR USES: Specimen tree; foliage plant
HUMAN HAZARDS: None
POPULAR OR RECOMMENDED CULTIVARS: None

COMMENTS: The Sagisi palm is one of several dozen rain forest palms of the southern Pacific region. It is finding wider use as a specimen tree in warm, relatively frost-free areas. It is valued for its attractive display of emergent leaf color, and shows promise as an interiorscape plant as well. Sagisi palm prospers with better than cursory maintenance; regular fertilization is essential on soils of low fertility. In the landscape it should not be situated where cold air is likely to settle during winter. The leaves are very sharply twisted such that the leaflets near the tip of the leaf are held in a vertical plane.