Rhapis excelsa, also known as broadleaf lady palm or bamboo palm,[1] is a species of fan palm (Arecaceae subfamily Coryphoideae, tribe Trachycarpeae) in the genus Rhapis. It is native to southern China and northern Vietnam.[2] The genus name is Greek - rhapis, meaning "needle"; and the species name is Latin for "tall", though R. excelsa is not the tallest in the genus.
| Broadleaf lady palm | |
|---|---|
| |
| Rhapis excelsa at hotel Citradream Cirebon Lobby | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Tribe: | Trachycarpeae |
| Genus: | Rhapis |
| Species: | R. excelsa
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| Binomial name | |
| Rhapis excelsa | |
Description
editRhapis excelsa grows up to 4 m in height and 30 mm in diameter in multi-stemmed clumps with glossy, palmate evergreen leaves divided into broad, ribbed segments. Leaf segments are single or few in young plants and increase to a dozen or more in mature plants; segments are divided to the petiole. Leaf-ends are saw-toothed unlike most other palms, occurring on slender petioles ranging from 20 to 60 cm in length. New foliage emerges from a fibrous sheath which remains attached to the base. As the plants age, the sheaths fall, revealing the bamboo-like trunks. This usually dioecious palm species produces a small inflorescence at the top of the plant with spirally-arranged, fleshy yellow flowers containing three petals fused at the base. Ripe fruit are fleshy and white, though R. excelsa more readily propagates via underground rhizome offshoots.
In the UK this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[1][3]
Gallery
edit-
Immature inflorescence -
R. excelsa foliage -
Sheathed and exposed stems -
In fruit -
Proximally tomentose abaxial midribs -
Stems clustered. Taken on a mountain road. -
The middle segment(s) of the leaf is broader.
References
edit- ^ a b "RHS Plantfinder - Rhapis excelsa". Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- ^ "Rhapis excelsa (Thunb.) A.Henry | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 84. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- Moore, H. E. Jr. (1963). An annotated checklist of cultivated palms. Principes 7: 162, 180.S
- Zhong Guo & Hua Jing. (1993). China Floral Encyclopaedia