Cold Hardy Lipstick Palm; Hybrid Lipstick Palm- Cyrtostachys renda x elegans

Description: An accidental hybrid that came from seed collected from an open-pollinated C. renda in a private garden in Hawaii.  The seed was germinated and seedlings sold around 2007 to various places around the tropics.  Here in Florida, the palm has been grown fairly far north- extending the range that any Cyrtostachys can be grown in (pure C. renda can really only grow well, and long-term, in the Florida Keys and coastal Miami-Dade).  This hybrid is likely a cross between C. renda and C. elegans- but that has not been proven yet.  The Hybrid Lipstick Palm does not get quite as bright red as pure C. renda, but is still extremely exotic looking.  It’s stems and overall stature seem to be larger than pure C. renda.  It deserves a place in any sub-tropical garden, preferably in a protected spot.

Sun Requirements: Heavy shade to full sun

Growth Rate: Slow to moderate (faster than pure C. renda)

Fertilizer: Moderate

Cold Tolerance: USDA Zones 10a-11

Growth Tips: Do not allow the soil to dry out and protect it from high winds and areas exposed to the elements.  This variety tends to do well in the following growing locations:

-courtyard

-atrium

-in a dense forest

-south-facing location up against a white or dark wall

-planted in a pot that is submerged in a pond

-planted around the edge of a pond where its roots can tap into the water table

-kept in a pot (helpful if it needs to be brought in during a frost)