Palm Tree Buyer’s Guide

The table below will give you ideas for planting in various garden conditions – and give you species ideas depending on how tall you want your garden to be. Also shown are planting ideas for cold areas, creating privacy desert gardens, understory planting and creating privacy.

To see photographs of plants shown below, visit our Palm Tree Photo Gallery.

TALL PALM TREES FOR SUN HEIGHTS 30 FEET OR MORE Acrocomia species Archontophoenix species Arenga pinnata Carpentaria species(in tropical areas) Caryota, some single trunk species Ceroxylon species Clinostigma species Jubaea chilensis Livistona, some species Parajubaea species Phoenix, some species Ravenea, some species Roystonea species Sabal, some species Syagrus, some species like oleracea sancona & romanzoffianum Veitchia species (warmer areas) Washingtonia species	MEDIUM SIZE PALM TREES FOR SUN HEIGHTS 15 TO 30 FEET Acoelorrhaphe wrightii Arenga species Beccariophoenix species Bismarckia nobilis Brahea armata Brahea species other Butia capitata, others Chamaerops humilis Chambeyronia (coastal) Coccothrinax species Copernicia species Dypsis decaryi Dypsis species, various Euterpe edulis Gaussia maya Hedyscepe (coastal) Howea species (coastal) Hyophorbe indica Hyophorbe sp. other Kentiopsis oliviformis Livistona chinensis Livistona decipiens, others Nannorrhops ritchiana Phoenix, some species Polyandrococos caudescens Pritchardia, some species Pseudophoenix sargentii Ptychosperma e. (coastal) Ravenea glauca, others Rhopalostylis s. (coastal) Sabal, some species Syagrus botryophora Syagrus coronata, others Thrinax species Trachycarpus, some species Trithrinax acanthocoma Trithrinax campestris Wodyetia bifurcata	SHORT PALM TREES FOR SUNHEIGHTS 5 TO 15 FEET Allagoptera species Arenga engleri Brahea dulcis , decumbens and others Chamaerops cerifera Chamaerops h. dwarfs Coccothrinax, some sp. Dypsis lutescens (coast) Dypsis, some species Hyophorbe (bottle palm) Phoenix roebelinii Pritchardia, dwarf sp. Ravenea hildebrandtii Rhapidophyllum hystrix Sabal minor Trachycaprus wagner. Zombia antillarum
TALL PALM TREES FOR SHADE OR PART SHADE HEIGHTS 12 TO 20 FEET Actinokentia divaricata Alloschmidia glabrata Arenga, some species Basselinia, some species Burretiokentia species (filter or coastal sun) Caryota, suckering species Chamaedorea costaricana, hooperiana C. glaucifolia, linearis, tepejilote, others Chambeyronia species and Cryosophila Cyphosperma balansae and Cyphophoenix species Dypsis species, many Hedyscepe and Howea Laccospadix australasica Pinanga species, some Polyandrococos caudescens Prestoea montana, Pritchardia Ptychosperma species, some Rhapis humilis Rhopalostylis species Synecanthus fibrosus Veitchia, some species	SHORT PALM TREES FOR SHADE HEIGHTS 3 TO 12 FEET Arenga, some species Astrocaryum mexicanum Basselinia gracilis Chamaedorea adscendens C. benziei, brachypoda C. cataractarum, elegans C. ernesti-augustii C. geonomiformis C. metallica, microspadix C. radicalis, stolonifera Chamaedorea tuerckheimii Chuniophoenix species Dypsis species various Geonoma sp. (warm areas) Johannesteijsmannia magnifica Lepidorrhachis species Licuala species (some) Linospadix monostachya Lytocaruym weddellianum Normambya n. Pinanga species, various Rhapis excelsa Rhapis, variegated forms Rhapis species (others)	PALM TREES FOR HOT, DRY DESERT AREAS Acoelorrhaphe wrightii Acrocomia species Allogoptera species Bismarckia nobilis Brahea species Butia species Chamaerops humilis ‘green form’ Chamaerops humilis var. cerifera Coccothrinax, some species Copernicia, some species Dypsis, some species Hyphanae species Jubaea chilensis Jubaeopsis caffra Livistona many species Nannorrhops ritcheana Phoenix species Roystonea species Sabal species Syagrus species (some) Trachycarpus species
PALM TREES TO CREATE PRIVACY *Acoelorrhaphe wrightii* Archontophoenix species, multiples Areca species (tropical) Arenga engleri Caryota mitis Chamaedorea sp. suckering (shade) Chamaerops humilis, cerifera Dypsis lutescens and some other species Howea forsteriana, multiples Jubaeopsis caffra Phoenix reclinata Phoenix sp. other Rhapis species (shade species) Syagrus species, some Wallichia densiflora Other species when planted as multiples	PALM TREES FOR COLD WEATHER Acoelorrhaphe wrightii Arenga engleri Brahea aculeata, armata Brahea edulis, nitida Brahea species other Butia “bonnetii”, capitata, eriospatha & others Calamus carytoides Caryota urens Ceroxylon species Chamaedorea radicalis Chamaerops humilis Dypsis decipiens Jubaea chilensis Jubaeopsis caffra Livistona australis Livistona chinensis Livistona decipiens Livistona species, other Nannorrhops ritchiana Phoenix canariensis Phoenix reclinata Phoenix sylvestris Phoenix theophrastii Rhapidophyllum hystrix Rhapis excelsa Sabal “riverside”, minor Sabal, other species Serenoa repens Syagrus romanzoffiana Trachycarpus fortunei, takil, martianus & others Trithrinax acanthocoma Trithrinax campestris Washingtonia filifera Washingtonia robusta	PALMS TO GROW INSIDE Chaemaedorea species. various Chambeyronia species Hedyscepe Howea belmoreana Howea forsteriana Livistona species Pinanga (possibly) Ptychosperma elegans Ptychosperma some species Rhapis excelsa Rhapis humilis Rhapis multifida Rhapis species, other Sabal species (possibly)

SUMMARY

As you can see above, there are lots of species of palms for every garden situation. This guide helps you select the palm tree species that you like best. If you visit our Palm Tree Gallery, you can see photos of almost all the species above. For additional information about species or help in obtaining palms for your needs, please contact us or visit other pages at this Site.

Of note, we have almost all the palms shown here for sale.

Phil Bergman, Owner