Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
One of the most beautiful and stately palms available for frost-free plantings. Its smooth ringed gray trunk is tall, slender, and sometimes curving with long bright green crownshaft. This palm has luxurious dark green leaves that are 8-14 feet in length. The feather-type leaves are self-cleaning, so no trimming is necessary. The King Palm is native Northeast Australia where it can grow to 50 feet or more.
King Palms grow fast and are wonderful choice for a quick, very tropical look. They look fantastic when planted in groups or singular. Plant them close together in groups for graceful curving trunks. Kings can be planted in full sun or light shade. Also makes a great container or patio plant.
along the central eastern coast of Australia, the king palm Archontophoenix cunninghamiana is also called the bangalow, an Aboriginal word meaning "water-carrying basket." It seems that the tree's crownshaft, out of which the leaves grow, can be cut out and fashioned, with a few clever folds and tucks, into a watertight vessel. These attractive palms also put on quite a show when they flower, with cream-colored stalks presenting a flurry of mauve flowers. The round, green fruit that emerges then turns bright red at maturity.
King palms are truly majestic. With heights of 50 feet (15 meters) or more, and a 10 to 15 foot (3 to 4.5 meter) leaf spread, the palms are an imposing sight any time of the year. But in the fall, when they all begin growing "skirts" made of white flowering tendrils, they look especially impressive, and even more so in winter, when the tiny flowers change to bright red berries.