Plant Library
Height: 40 feet Spread: 10 feet
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Hardiness Zone: 8b Other Names: Savannah Palmetto Palm Description: This stately and robust palm makes a perfect landscape accent; has a slender trunk, topped with a crown of deeply recurved, costapalmate leaves; tolerates drought once established, and adapts to a wide variety of soils; quite cold hardy as well Ornamental Features Llanos Palmetto features showy panicles of creamy white flowers held atop the branches in early spring. It has attractive green evergreen foliage. The recurved lobed palmate leaves are highly ornamental and remain green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy dark brown drupes which fade to black over time, which are displayed in early fall. The rough gray bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape. Landscape Attributes Llanos Palmetto is an evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a towering form, with a high canopy of foliage concentrated at the top of the plant. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics. Llanos Palmetto is recommended for the following landscape applications; Planting & Growing Llanos Palmetto will grow to be about 40 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a high canopy of foliage that sits well above the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more. This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America. Llanos Palmetto is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
