''Ptychosperma elegans'', commonly known as the solitaire palm (or elegant palm after the scientific name), is a very slender palm

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

in Australia. In the nursery trade and in the United States it may be confusingly referred to as Alexander palm, which is an often-used but misnomered name of another Australian palm species '' Archontophoenix alexandrae'', the Alexandra palm (note the difference in gender between the two names).

Description

''Ptychosperma elegans'' is a solitary-stemmed palm growing to a height of . The slender stem measures up to in diameter, is slightly bulging at the base, is light grey in colour, and has prominent leaf scars encircling the trunk.Palmpedia: ''Ptychosperma elegans''
/ref> The crown usually has 7 to 11

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

frond A frond is a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group. Other botanists allow the term frond to also apply to the lar ...

s that reach lengths of around . The petiole (leaf stem) is around long; the

crownshaft An elongated circumferential leaf base formation present on some species of palm is called a crownshaft. The leaf bases of some pinnate leaved palms (most notable being ''Roystonea regia'' or the royal palm but also including the genera ''Areca' ...

around long and mid-green in colour with a whitish waxy coating. The

pinnae The auricle or auricula is the visible part of the ear that is outside the head. It is also called the pinna (Latin for "wing" or " fin", plural pinnae), a term that is used more in zoology. Structure The diagram shows the shape and location ...

(leaflets) number between 30 to 60 on each side of the

rachis In biology, a rachis (from the grc, ῥάχις [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this c ...

midrib This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

, measure up to in length at the middle of the frond and shorter at each end, and have an obliquely praemorse

tip Tip commonly refers to: * Tip (gambling) * Tip (gratuity) * Tip (law enforcement) * another term for Advice (opinion), Advice Tip or TIP may also refer to: Science and technology * Tank phone, a device allowing infantry to communicate with the oc ...

(i.e. with a jagged edge like a fishtail).

Inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

s are about long and produced on the trunk just below the crownshaft. Flowers are grouped in sets of 3, each with one

pistillate Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl (botany), whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or m ...

(functionally female) and two

staminate The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

(functionally male) flowers. They are light green with 3 sepals and 3 petals; staminate flowers are about long with 12-22 stamens, pistilate flowers measure about and have 6 staminodes and a recurved stigma. Fruits of ''Ptychosperma elegans'' measure long and wide, are bright red when ripe and the remains of the stigma is attached at one end. There is a thin layer of flesh around the solitary seed, which is about long and wide with five deep longitudinal grooves.

Taxonomy and etymology

Originally described as ''Seaforthia elegans'' in 1810 by Robert Brown in his work ''

Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen ''Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen'' (Prodromus of the Flora of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land) is a flora of Australia written by botanist Robert Brown and published in 1810. Often referred to as ''Prodromus Flora Novae ...

'', it was given its current binomial name in 1843 by

Carl Ludwig Blume Charles Ludwig de Blume or Karl Ludwig von Blume (9 June 1796, Braunschweig – 3 February 1862, Leiden) was a German- Dutch botanist. He was born at Braunschweig in Germany, but studied at Leiden University and spent his professional life wor ...

in his publication ''Rumphia, sive, Commentationes botanicæ imprimis de plantis Indiæ Orientalis''. The genus name '' Ptychosperma'' is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

word '' ptukhḗ'', meaning "a fold"; and '' spérma'', "seed". The species epithet ''elegans'' comes from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

term '' ēlegāns'' meaning "graceful" or "elegant".

Distribution and habitat

The species is

to Queensland, Australia, where it grows in both tropical and sub-tropical

rainforests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

as an

understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abo ...

tree, often close to rivers and streams where there is plentiful water and good drainage. Its altitudinal range is from sea level to .

Cultivation

The tropical species is a popular palm in gardens and parks, where its arched crown, slender trunk, and red fruit are regarded as appealing feature. They are less successful in cooler climates and somewhat to susceptible to frosts. Plants grown in pots or indoors require high amounts of light with humid and warm conditions. A blight that covers leaves with dark brown patches, especially in sub-tropical climates, does not seem to interfere with a specimen's growth. ''Ptychosperma elegans'' is cultivated as an ornamental tree for planting in temperate climate gardens and parks.Dave's Garden Blog: Solitaire Palm (''Ptychosperma elegans'')
/ref> It is a single trunked tree, that in cultivation can reach in height. It has been naturalized in South Florida since at least the 1950s, and remains the only member of its genus naturalized in the USA. Due to its intolerance of cold, it is mostly found in South Florida and coastal Tampa. It also is used in Coastal Southern California, primarily Orange and San Diego counties.

Gallery

Image:Ptychosperma elegans 2.jpg, Inflorescence Image:Ptychosperma elegans— characteristic blunt, jagged leaflet tips.jpg, Characteristic blunt leaf tips Image:Ptychosperma elegans fruits and seed SF21088-1.jpg, Fruits and seed Image:Ptychosperma elegans staminate flowers SF21108.jpg, Staminate flowers Image:GroupingPtychospermaelegansMiami.jpg, Group of mature trees in Miami Florida Image:SeedingPtychospermaelegansFL.png, Laden with fruit Image:PtychospermaelegansManasotaEnglewood.jpg, Group in Englewood Florida

References

External links

* *
PACSOA—Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia wiki: ''Ptychosperma elegans'' (Solitaire palm)
— ''with images''
USDA Plants Profile for ''Ptychosperma elegans'' (Alexander palm)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7257164 elegans Palms of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of the Northern Territory Endemic flora of Australia Garden plants of Australia Ornamental trees Plants described in 1810 Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)