Johannis Foxy Lady Palm- Wodveitchia; Wodyetia bifurcata x Veitchia johannis

Description: This is  new hybrid we developed using pollen from a pure V. johannis.  It is a very fast grower and has generally low fertilizer and water needs. Seeds off a Foxy Lady Hybrid are typically sterile so you don’t have a bunch of seedlings popping up underneath the parent tree. It is a self-cleaning palm as well.  The Foxy Lady first showed up in Australia where the Foxtail mother is native, but seemed to show up concurrently in South Florida around the same time- late 1980’s to early 1990’s. The seed parent (mother) is Wodyetia bifurcata (Foxtail Palm) which is native to Australia. The pollen parent is Veichia johannis (Sunshine Palm; Montgomery Palm) native to Vanuatu in the South Pacific. Production is fairly easy and subsequent seeds seem to be mostly viable. Hybrids also come up naturally when both parents are growing and flowering on the same property, but the percentage is much lower, maybe 1-2%. The variegation is always stable (the plant does not grow out of it), but can range from yellow to pure white. Variegated specimens are slower growing, produce thinner trunks, and don’t like full sun as much.  

Sun Requirements: Full sun, partial sun, or shade

Growth Rate: Very fast.  Some reports in Hawaii have stated growth of up to 6 feet of trunk per year.  Mature height in sub-tropical climates is probably about 50-60 feet.

Fertilizer: Low

Cold Tolerance: USDA Zone 9b-11 (possibly Zone 9a once established and in a protected spot)