foxtail vs fishtail

Lindabeth2000

19 years ago

Can anyonetell me how I can differentiate between a young foxtail and a fishtail palm. I was told the foxtails don't get that "rotary" growth until they are older and that they both look similar when young.

My plant was sold to me as a foxtail. It's in a 150 ml pot (a bit rootbound) and stands about 700 mm above the pot. It's single stemmed, the leaves are dark (like the mature fishtail) not light green like most mature foxtails. The leaf ends are ragged (so is the fishtail) and it does not have that characteristic plumose growth. Nor does the trunk have any bands on it (yet?).

Any hints? I don't want another fishtail in my garden, I've already got one!

Thank you, Linda

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Comments (2)

danili
19 years ago
You are asking for trouble using common names linda but some descriptions of trees with those common names follow. Go to the palm and cycad website for more info:

Caryota rumphiana (fishtail palm)

A solitary stemmed tree to 15m. with the mode at around 10-12m, leaves bipinnate, to 7m long but usually 3-5m. Flowers on apical and axillary bracteate inflorescences with a rachis bearing many simple rachillae to 2m long. Flowers unisexual, dimorphic in triads of two staminate (male) and one pistillate (female) flowers. Fruits when ripe globose, reddish pink, 2-3.5c m diam. with one to three smooth black seeds.

Wodyetia bifurcata (foxtail palm)

Very attractive palm with long (2-3m.) plumose leaves (hence the name 'Foxtail'), and up to 10m tall with a grey trunk. It produces large (about the size of a duck egg) orange fruit.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fern and Cycad Website
artiew
19 years ago
Two very different palms, IMO. I havent seen anything with fronds quite like the young Wodyetia bifurcata : when I first saw one, I couldnt believe that they were so popular - the ragged ends of the fronds looked like they'd been vandalised ! They do grow on you, though (!)

By contrast, the photos I found of young Caryota rumphiana showed a palm with 'undamaged' fronds, and a distinct shape which clearly gives it the common name.
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foxtail vs fishtail

Comments (2)

danili

artiew

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