Chrysalidocarpus (Dypsis) ambositrae

This is a moderately slow-growing palm, best enjoyed as a foliage feature for several years before it forms a trunk. Be sure to fertilize it to keep it on track. It should be fertilized at least three times a year, at spring equinox, summer solstice and fall equinox; allow for a winter rest by skipping winter solstice feeding. Be sure to feed your palm with a fertilizer that contains micronutrients (especially including magnesium), especially if you see yellowing leaves or yellow spots on the leaves.

Once it's mature, this palm will naturally shed its leaves (they will come off with a light tug once dry, or blow off in windstorms), leaving a thin green ringed trunk below the palm's crown. A great choice if you're looking for a palm with a clean trunk, but don't want to deal with manually removing the leaves.

This palm's juicy lush look is an absolute must-have when creating a tropical garden in a temperate climate. Mix it with other broad-leafed flowering plants like cannas, hedychiums, philodendrons.

This palm does not tolerate low humidity of inland desert areas and will get tipped leaves, especially in a hot sunny or windy spot.

Our friend Darold Petty has been growing this beautiful species in one of San Francisco's chilliest, foggiest neighborhoods for around a decade and its success has been impressive. We have also watched it grow into a gorgeous specimen over two decades at the UC Botanical Garden in the Berkeley Hills. It's also a success in mild Southern California gardens.-

Critically endangered with only ten plants known of in the wild. Likely to go extinct soon, due to land clearing for agriculture in its native Madagascar.

The species name, ambositrae, was given to this plant for the city of Ambositrae in Madagascar, near where it grows.