SCIENTIFIC NAME: Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

COMMON NAME(S): Piccabeen palm
SUB FAMILY: Arecoideae
TRIBE: Areceae
ORIGIN: Australia
HARDINESS ZONES: 10A-11 (damage at 26 degrees F), (killed at 24 degrees F)
TYPICAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 30'
GROWTH RATE: Moderate
HABIT: Solitary; canopy of 8-12 leaves
SALT TOLERANCE: Low
DROUGHT TOLERANCE: Moderate
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Widely adaptable
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Moderate; high
NUTRITION REQUIREMENTS: Moderate
POPULAR USES: Specimen tree
HUMAN HAZARDS: None
POPULAR OR RECOMMENDED CULTIVARS:

COMMENTS: The piccabeen palm is slightly more cold hardy than its relative, A. alexandrae, and usually does not grow as tall. It can be differentiated from the latter by its lack of grayish wax on the leaf underside, less swollen trunk base, frequently colored crownshaft, and lilac-colored flowers, and much less strongly ribbed leaflets. The leaves of the piccabeen palm tend to be more lax than the King Alexander, giving it a slightly less formal appearance. Its cultural requirements and landscape use are similar, however.