What is the rarest palm you own?

[Fusca]

7 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Looks like a Sabal.

You mean the variegated Sabal palmetto or the Brahea dulcis?  😆

[yachtingone]

Trithrinax schizophylla is doing well.  When I got it as a seedling, over 20 years ago, it was quite rare in So. Calif..

[Jonathan Haycock]

Lemurophoenix halleuxii is probably the rarest palm I have and it’s also the most expensive I’ve ever bought. Purchased from Mark Daish in Babinda, North Queensland. He only had 3 left, 1 was already promised to another, and he wanted the remaining 2 for himself. I kept asking and increasing my price until he caved, or he played me from the start 🤣. Didn’t care either way, just had to have it. I think there’s only around 300 left in Madagascar and one doesn’t come across them often in cultivation (outside of Hawaii that is), although Queensland is blessed with a few. 

Tahina spectabilis appears slightly less rare with circa 700 individuals in habitat, but far more than that it seems in cultivation. Mine was a gift from Michael Green, which I’ll forever be grateful for.

[BS Man about Palms]

I'm blessed to have more than a few rarities scattered  about, many of them doing okay.  But then I'd have to find them and post pics.  So, I'll just enjoy everyone elses.

What I  don't want to list due to the therapy I'd  need is how many rare things have met their demise under my care. 😕 I can make myself feel a little  bit better in that I think maybe only 25% or so passed due to a fault of mine... the rest is zone pushing.... or gophers 🤬

 

[Jonathan]

Probably Lepidorrachis and this little Syagrus ruschiana for mine.

[deezpalms]

Foe me it’s my Dypsis bejofo, yes a real one!

[realarch]

21 hours ago, Jonathan Haycock said:

Lemurophoenix halleuxii is probably the rarest palm I have and it’s also the most expensive I’ve ever bought. Purchased from Mark Daish in Babinda, North Queensland. He only had 3 left, 1 was already promised to another, and he wanted the remaining 2 for himself. I kept asking and increasing my price until he caved, or he played me from the start 🤣. Didn’t care either way, just had to have it. I think there’s only around 300 left in Madagascar and one doesn’t come across them often in cultivation (outside of Hawaii that is), although Queensland is blessed with a few. 

Tahina spectabilis appears slightly less rare with circa 700 individuals in habitat, but far more than that it seems in cultivation. Mine was a gift from Michael Green, which I’ll forever be grateful for.

Mike and Andy Green, hardcore palm mates. Nice gift for sure.

Tim

[PalmBossTampa]

Sabal loughidiana (from Montgomery Botanical Center source and purchased at CFPACS meeting /auction

and Sabal antilllensis found at South Florida Palm Society sale last spring from Natures tapestry

Also couple favorites this year and kinda rare are Calyptronoma plumeriana - Clay Porch @ Urban Oasis

and Allagoptera caudescens - looked for awhile and found @ Floribunda under Polyandrococos caudescens

 

[happypalms]

I would really have to say my marojejya darinii, obtainable but they don’t won’t to part with them! 

[Harry’s Palms]

It looks like the big boys have come out to play . Nice selection from our members. 👍 Harry

[happypalms]

5 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

It looks like the big boys have come out to play . Nice selection from our members. 👍 Harry

We don’t muck around down under! 🌱

[Harry’s Palms]

No you do not , Richard. Harry🦘🌴

[happypalms]

3 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

No you do not , Richard. Harry🦘🌴

That’s not what they tell me, Harry. Richard 🦅🌱

[Enar]

All rares grown from seed (that I can think of):

• Jubaea Chilensis
• Phoenix Theophrasti
• Sabal Pumos
• Sabal Tamaulipas
• Sabal x. Brazoriensis
• Sabal sp. Caribbean Giant
• Chamaerops Humilis (rarer around here at least)
• Serenoa Repens Silver version

[kinzyjr]

In my own case, this doubles as a teaser to the Fall garden update - Carpentaria acuminata X Veitchia arecina. 

[Cannonball]

On 8/28/2025 at 7:12 AM, iDesign said:

Seeing all the amazing palms here, I realize I should have posted just my VERY rarest, with photo.

So I’ll call it my “mealy bug” - because it’s rare to find one this size in CA, and it was also my most expensive palm…

It's stunning.

[Merlyn]

My current collection is around 400 palms, and most would be considered "rare" by a non-enthusiast.  But the majority of them are ones familiar to many (most?) PTers.  Some of the rare ones are Patrick hybrids like BxJ, JxB, and BxLytoWed.  The most unusual are probably a Sabal "Lisa" and an Elaeis Guineensis "Whole Leaf."  They are probably only known to palm wackos like all of us here...  

[aztropic]

While not my rarest, Hemithrinax ekmaniana has proven itself a winner for the Arizona desert. Takes our full sun, extreme heat to 120F, and winter chills into the upper 20'sF without a scratch. One of my favorite palms due to it's compact nature, and relatively fast growth speed. (compared to most Coccothrinax species) I have already grown a few batches from seed to help preserve this rare palm from extinction.

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[quaman58]

On 8/27/2025 at 8:33 PM, quaman58 said:

Beautiful specimens all! I’ve always felt that there was the “hard to get” palms, and then the truly rare ones based on their limited range and other factors. For me, the Hawaiian Pritchardia is a fixation. Knowing there’s only a handful of P. viscosa or remota in habitat, makes me cherish the ones I’m fortunate enough to be growing. 

Thought I should share a couple pics. First is a 10 yo P. viscosa; next was purchased as P. aylmer-robinsonii, later rolled into “remota” by Don Hodel. 

[JD in the OC]

My rarest palm tree would prob be a tie between my Cyrtostachys renda Variegated and Chrysalidocarpus 'Votovavy Blue'

[Cindy Adair]

Lots of nice palms here. Thanks to those responding and I look forward to more. 
 

Taking out the barely hanging on palms which fit better in the finicky palms topic

 

and the seedlings not yet proven to survive, I narrowed it down to two palms.

First Calyotrocalyx doxanthus from Floribunda years ago.

 

And Pinanga aristata, a little more fussy and never holding many leaves, but dear to my heart after seeing many in Borneo on IPS travel.
 

Also from Floribunda. 
 

 

Below is one of many photos I took in Borneo on epic IPS travel showing Pinanga aristata really happy. 

Still trying for that, but glad no leeches in Puerto Rico. 

 

For those who have insomnia and/or want to see more photos of this palm in habitat go here:

 

[Cindy Adair]

Oh I forgot one which probably won’t survive but seems pretty unique. 
 

I have two Sommieria leucophylla in the ground, slow but OK from RPS seeds years ago. Here’s the larger of the two:

Then I was gifted some seeds from HI a couple of years ago which germinated and are growing well but one has yellow to almost white leaves. 
 

Maybe it will have enough chlorophyll to survive, but if not you can at least see it here among its very deep green siblings. 

[Hu Palmeras]

14 minutes ago, Cindy Adair said:

Ah, me olvidé de uno que probablemente no sobreviva, pero parece bastante único. 
 

Tengo dos Sommieria leucophylla en la tierra, crecen lentamente pero bien, gracias a las semillas de RPS de hace años. Aquí está la más grande:

Luego, hace un par de años, me regalaron algunas semillas de HI que germinaron y están creciendo bien, pero una tiene hojas amarillas o casi blancas. 
 

Quizás tenga suficiente clorofila para sobrevivir, pero si no, al menos podrás verla aquí entre sus hermanos de color verde muy profundo. 

Your private collection of palm trees is very beautiful.

[Cindy Adair]

Thank you Hu Palmeras!

[Billeb]

While I don’t really have anything super “rare”, I do have a bunch of coveted palms listed below I think many might like to have in the garden. 
 

One palm that is probably my favorite and most unique was purchased as Dypsis Heteromorpha but it surely seems like a hybrid of some type. I’ve posted this palm many times so people are probably tired of seeing it but it never gets old to me and is continuing to grow at a rapid rate. Planted out as a small 5G stick in Feb 2021 if you can believe it. Crazy…..

-Dypsis Mananjarensis (Mealy Bug)

-Dypsis Dark Mealy 

-Dypsis Black Stem 

-Dypsis Ampasindavae 

-Dypsis Mayotte

-Dypsis Marojejyi (MadFox) 

-Kentiopsis Piersoniorum 

-Licuala Ramsayi

 

[Mazat]

On 8/27/2025 at 11:12 PM, iDesign said:

Seeing all the amazing palms here, I realize I should have posted just my VERY rarest, with photo.

So I’ll call it my “mealy bug” - because it’s rare to find one this size in CA, and it was also my most expensive palm…

mealy bug, sounds kind of funny 🤭

[Mazat]

Compared to the climate and latitude we find ourselves in, everything is exotic and rare, and some of it will certainly be best cared for indoors.
The Carludovica palmata is certainly one of the rarest exotic plants here in our small collection...
But we won't let that get us down and will try to plant everything we can, no matter how big the challenge.
Like Asterix and Obelix, we won't let the Romans drive us away or dissuade us from our plans... 🤣

 

[happypalms]

17 hours ago, Cindy Adair said:

Lots of nice palms here. Thanks to those responding and I look forward to more. 
 

Taking out the barely hanging on palms which fit better in the finicky palms topic

 

and the seedlings not yet proven to survive, I narrowed it down to two palms.

First Calyotrocalyx doxanthus from Floribunda years ago.

 

And Pinanga aristata, a little more fussy and never holding many leaves, but dear to my heart after seeing many in Borneo on IPS travel.
 

Also from Floribunda. 
 

 

Below is one of many photos I took in Borneo on epic IPS travel showing Pinanga aristata really happy. 

Still trying for that, but glad no leeches in Puerto Rico. 

 

For those who have insomnia and/or want to see more photos of this palm in habitat go here:

 

Oh wow and double wow that doxanthus omg! Iam glad I have two of them and they both survived my winter. 

[JohnAndSancho]

12 hours ago, Mazat said:

Compared to the climate and latitude we find ourselves in, everything is exotic and rare, and some of it will certainly be best cared for indoors.
The Carludovica palmata is certainly one of the rarest exotic plants here in our small collection...
But we won't let that get us down and will try to plant everything we can, no matter how big the challenge.
Like Asterix and Obelix, we won't let the Romans drive us away or dissuade us from our plans... 🤣

 

This. 

 

I think once you get away from the coast, all palms are pretty rare in Mississippi except the native Sabals. But everything I've got has something about it that makes it cool. 

[NC_Palms]

I feel like a lot of my palms I have are basic since I’m trying to grow outside the tropics, but for North Carolina anything that isnt Sabal minor, palmetto, windmill, butia or med fan palm are considered “rare”

Youll come across a date palm, washy or Chinese fan palm in the NC beaches once in a while. But never have I see lady palm in North Carolina, which I have success with as a die back perennial palm. A close second would be the queen palms I have zone pushed. 

 

[nachocarl]

On 8/31/2025 at 9:18 AM, aztropic said:

While not my rarest, Hemithrinax ekmaniana has proven itself a winner for the Arizona desert. Takes our full sun, extreme heat to 120F, and winter chills into the upper 20'sF without a scratch. One of my favorite palms due to it's compact nature, and relatively fast growth speed. (compared to most Coccothrinax species) I have already grown a few batches from seed to help preserve this rare palm from extinction.

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

Wow, nice job and awesome to have such a rare palm.  We don't have too many choices out here.