What specific plant name is commonly referred to as "King Alexander"?

[Florida Angela]

Hi, brand new here though sometimes this forum has come up in searches. 😊

I am watching YouTube "True Gardener" videos and she is doing a lot with tropical look and palms. She keep referring to a "King Alexander" palm and it seems like I am finding multiple plant names associated with that term. I left a comment on her video to ask. She is in Vero Beach.

I am in south Sarasota County in what has just been changed to 10A from 9B, but I may be on the edge of the zone. 
We have only been here a few years and planning a garden. Big learning curve.

Thanks in advance. 🌴

[John2468]

I’d say she’s referring to Archontophoenix alexandrae.

[Fusca]

9 hours ago, Florida Angela said:

Hi, brand new here though sometimes this forum has come up in searches. 😊

I am watching YouTube "True Gardener" videos and she is doing a lot with tropical look and palms. She keep referring to a "King Alexander" palm and it seems like I am finding multiple plant names associated with that term. I left a comment on her video to ask. She is in Vero Beach.

I am in south Sarasota County in what has just been changed to 10A from 9B, but I may be on the edge of the zone. 
We have only been here a few years and planning a garden. Big learning curve.

Thanks in advance. 🌴

This is the problem with people using common names instead of the scientific names.  Typically "Alexander Palm" refers to Ptychosperma elegans and "Alexandra King Palm" refers to Archontophoenix alexandrae (sometimes mistakenly called Alexander King Palm).  The Ptychosperma has a thinner trunk, is less cold hardy and only reaches half the height of the Archontophoenix.  

[EPaul]

I know which commercial landscape Gardner you are talking about, and she is referring to Archontophoenix alexandrae. She should not be calling them Alexander King Palms because, like another poster said above, in Florida that typically means Ptychosperma elegans.

[Florida Angela]

This is so helpful and gives me a direction to look at. Thanks everyone!

 

[Looking Glass]

On 3/4/2025 at 9:03 AM, Florida Angela said:

Hi, brand new here though sometimes this forum has come up in searches. 😊

I am watching YouTube "True Gardener" videos and she is doing a lot with tropical look and palms. She keep referring to a "King Alexander" palm and it seems like I am finding multiple plant names associated with that term. I left a comment on her video to ask. She is in Vero Beach.

I am in south Sarasota County in what has just been changed to 10A from 9B, but I may be on the edge of the zone. 
We have only been here a few years and planning a garden. Big learning curve.

Thanks in advance. 🌴

If you are very new to this. This site can be helpful for common stuff….

https://www.south-florida-plant-guide.com
 

It’s a nice starting point and introduction to the basics.  

[Harry’s Palms]

About 25 years ago one of the big box stores was having a sale on “King Palms” so I bought a single and a double . When planting , I realized that they looked slightly different, the single had darker green coloring and a silvery underside to the fronds. They were very small so there were no indications other than color. I looked it up in my palm book and found that the darker single was an Alexandrea . As they got older it became more obvious . The slender trunks of the A. Cunninghamiana as well as more drooping lighter green foliage versus the larger bottle shaped trunk and darker , larger and more upright foliage. There are other varieties as well in this genus. Common names are not always a good indication of what a palm actually is . Harry