Needle Palm Rhapidophyllum hystrix

The needle palm is a dense, clumping, evergreen perennial in the palm family (Arecaceae). The genus name combines Rhapis, a genus of Asian palms, and phyllon, the Greek word meaning leaf, as both genera have leaf segments that split in a similar way. The specific epithet, hystrix, is Greek for porcupine. 

The needle palm grows in rich, moist, and well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade, but it performs best in partial shade. It is tolerant of wet soils and is drought tolerant once established. It is important to plant this shrub in a sheltered area to protect it from winter winds. Of the palms, the needle palm is the most cold hardy and will survive in zone 6b. Mulching the roots will help the plant survive the cold winter temperatures. This nearly trunkless palm will survive sub-zero weather for short periods and is therefore hardy throughout the southeast. It spreads by suckers, but propagating the plants by dividing these suckers is difficult and hazardous (because of the needles). It may also be propagated by seeds, but seeds take 6 to 12 months to germinate. 

The needle palm grows slowly from 3 to 6 feet tall and 4 to 8 feet wide. It has a short and thick trunk, and large, evergreen, palmate, glossy green leaves. The leaf measures up to 30 inches across and is deeply divided with 5 to 12 narrow and stiff segments. The segments are arranged like a fan, and each segment is about 20 inches long. The common name, needle palm, refers to the 6- to 10-inch-long, black spines that emerge from the bases of the petioles. In the summer, clusters of yellowish-brown, three-petaled flowers bloom in panicles within the leaf sheaths and are mostly hidden by the foliage and not particularly showy. The flowers are followed by small, fuzzy, reddish-brown, fetid drupes that ripen in the fall. The sharp spines usually preclude moving this shrub once established, and these spines are dangerous for people and animals. This plant is seldom damaged by deer, It provides good wildlife cover and attracts beetles.

This plant may be used as a textural accent, specimen, or understory shrub in the landscape. It may also be used as a foundation planting or as a container plant.  The spiky evergreen leaves add interest to a shady border and the winter landscape.

The palm is native to the southeastern United States and is typically found in floodplains and swampy areas over limestone of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. It is hardy from zones 6b to 10. It has been commercially exploited and has become an endangered and threatened species. 

Quick ID Hints:

• dense, rounded, clumping, evergreen shrub
• trunk is dark reddish-brown and has long, black needles
• leaves are alternate, palmately compound, and fan-like with 8 to 16 leaflets
• leaves measure up to 30 inches in diameter
• each leaflet is 15 to 20 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide
• petiole is 18 to 20 inches long.
• flowers are yellowish-brown clusters measuring 6 to 12 inches long
• fruit is a reddish-brown, oblong, fuzzy drupe  

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This shrub has no serious insect or disease problems.