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Showing posts from December 2, 2014

Rhapis humilis

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Common Names: slender lady palm, dwarf lady palm Family: Arecacea/Palmae (palm Family) Description Resembling its close cousin Rhapis excelsa, this lady palm has thinner stems and drooping leaf segments that give it a more graceful appearance. It grows slowly to form large clumps of densely packed stems that reach heights of 6' to 8'. The slender stems are wrapped in tightly woven light brown fiber and are topped with clusters of 5 to 10 leaves. The palmate leaves are medium green, held on 12" petiols and grow from 2' to 3' in diameter. Leaves are deeply divided into 1" wide segments that droop downward. Male flowers are dirty white and borne on 2' branched infloresences. Fruits are never seen as no female plants of this species remain. Location Slender lady palm is thought to be native to southern China but has disappeared from nature. All existing specimens are derived from a single male plant. Every plant in the world ultimately came from this