Heterospathe barfodii

Description

n a case of mistaken identity, this palms has been in cultivation for some years under the name Heterospathe glauca. As Lauren Gardiner et al. now write in PALMS Vol. 56, this plant is in fact not H. glauca, but a new species from rainforests in Papua New Guinea, decribed in the article as Heterospathe barfodii. It is an amazing and critically endangered palm with a slender, solitary trunk and a spreading crown of beautiful dark green leaves held, unlike other Heterospathe, by a stunning silvery white crownshaft. The small, bright red fruits add to its beauty. A superb but still little appreciated palm for the tropics.