Bismarck palm

How to identify a Bismarck palm

This palm has one stout, grey trunk about 40 to 45 cm thick, marked with rings from old leaf bases and slightly swollen at the base. On top sits a rounded crown of enormous, stiff fan leaves up to about 3 metres across, waxy and usually a striking silvery blue, though a green form exists. Each leaf base is split where it meets the trunk. Each palm is either male or female; small brown flowers hang among the leaves, and female palms go on to carry dark brown fruit about 4 to 5 cm across.

Growing a Bismarck palm in Brisbane

Bismarck palms suit Brisbane's subtropical climate and are grown at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. Give one a sunny, warm, well-drained position. It copes with drought once established, adapts to most soils, and the silvery blue form handles light frost better than the green one. The main limit is space: with leaves up to 3 metres across and a crown 6 metres or more wide, it suits large gardens, parks and acreage rather than small yards.

What to watch out for

Size is the main issue. The fronds grow up to 3 metres across and the crown can spread 6 metres or more, so plan for the full-grown palm, not the nursery pot. It is also very hard to transplant, so moving an established palm is rarely practical. Sources disagree on whether the leaf stalks carry small teeth, so wear gloves when handling fronds.

• Size. Fan leaves up to 3 metres across make a crown 6 metres or more wide, so it is not suited to small gardens.

Pruning and care

Bismarck palms need little care beyond removing dead fronds as needed; leave the green fronds alone. Choose the final spot carefully before planting, because this palm reacts badly to any root disturbance and is very hard to move later. When planting, avoid breaking or trimming any roots. Water young palms until established. Removing fronds high on a mature palm, or taking one down, is a job for a professional with the right gear.

• Palm tree removal
• Tree pruning