Raphis humilis

Slender lady palm
Raphis humilis

This elegant palm is native to southern China and tends, as here in the Tropical Palm House, to produce a dense stand of many thin stems, each crowned with a drooping cluster of palmate leaves. It is widely cultivated in the tropics to form a screen or even a hedge and can be carefully groomed to show off its stems, which are covered in a hessian-like fibrous sheath.

Prized by palm fanciers for centuries, Japanese horticulturists have developed a wide range of dwarf and even variegated cultivars that will thrive in pots in indoor situations, or even outdoors on the patio in summer.

This post is part of The World of Palms Glasshouse Trail