I bought this palm at the Palm Beach Cycad and Palm sale in Mounts Botanical Garden. Rhapis excelsa is the very well known Lady Palm or Bamboo Palm which is often grown indoors, due to it’s ability to grown in low light conditions.

The Super Dwarf variety has a trunk height of about 1″, which makes it likely the smallest palm in the world as measured by trunk height. It is of horticultural origin. It does not produce fertile seeds. The smallest palm growing in the wild is likely Dypsis minuta.

Lady palms are very common and inexpensive. The Super Dwarf is much less common, and of course, more expensive. There is a variegated Lady Palm which is very attractive. They all share common characteristics of being able to grow indoors, with occasional watering, and very slow growers. I’ll probably find a decorative pot to put in on a patio table. I would be tempted to add a variegated Lady Palm to my collection.

For those looking for unusual palms, I would recommend the South Florida Palm Society sale at Fairchild Garden, November 4 and 5. There will be 10 vendors with a very wide variety of palms and cycads. A list of plants for sale will be posted to the SFPS website, usually a few days before the show. I’ll be one of the vendors.

The very extensive fall Plant-a-Palooza sale takes place in Palm Beach on the same weekend at Mounts Botanical Garden. If this coolish weather just keeps up, it could be a very nice weekend for plant lovers.

Happy Gardening,

Dave