@BayAndroid's thread inspired this, but I thought it was worth expanding a bit. One of my pet terms is the Palm Water Need Spectrum, ranging from Desert Denizens, through Drought resistant, Drink and be Merry, Thirsty devils, [ethnic] Fish and Swamp Things. 

Swamp Things are those palms or other plants that will literally grow in standing water. In CA, those include Archontophoenix tuckeri, cunninghamiana (but not purpurea), and Ravenea rivularis.

Anyone know others? Where you are. I don't have the blessing/curse of an actual swamp but I'm sure others of us do.

Introduce us to your Swamp Things.

I had an area of my yard that was constantly wet . We had just bought the house ( new ) and the builder installed another French drain but it was still wet ….mosquito wet. I bought a 24” box Syagrus Romanzoffiana for $25 that was on death’s door , dug into the mud , and planted it . It took off like a rocket , problem solved . No more mud over there and we provided shade for my neighbor! Harry

@Harry’s Palms that's a revelation. I'd never have thought it would make it in a swamp. 

Yea , it turns out it was a thirsty palm . I couldn’t believe how quickly it drank the moisture out of the soil! Now I have to water over there. Harry

14 minutes ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Yea , it turns out it was a thirsty palm . I couldn’t believe how quickly it drank the moisture out of the soil! Now I have to water over there. Harry

Hmmm. Wonder how it would have handled planting in a real swamp that it could not drink dry? 

Last year and the latter half of 2024 my yard had a water leak on the supply side so at least I wasn't paying for the swamp it created!  Numerous calls to the water company yielded no results so I decided to plant accordingly.  Archontophoenix maxima, Ravenea rivularis, Acoelorraphe wrightii and Licuala spinosa.  Also planted a Phoenix paludosa hybrid.  And of course shortly after I planted them the water company showed up and fixed the leak!  No more swamp ...

15 minutes ago, Fusca said:

Last year and the latter half of 2024 my yard had a water leak on the supply side so at least I wasn't paying for the swamp it created!  Numerous calls to the water company yielded no results so I decided to plant accordingly.  Archontophoenix maxima, Ravenea rivularis, Acoelorraphe wrightii and Licuala spinosa.  Also planted a Phoenix paludosa hybrid.  And of course shortly after I planted them the water company showed up and fixed the leak!  No more swamp ...

Thanks for the list of Swamp Things!

Sabal Louisiana and perhaps sabal palmetto would be good. I have swampy conditions with inches of standing water in the low spots after a heavy rain. Most of my palms are planted on a mound because of this. 

Do Rhapidophyllum Serenoa and/or Acelleraphe take swampy conditions?

What I mean by swamp things is those that will grow in long-term or permanent standing water.

I see Serenoa growing in drainage ditches by me also many near bodies of water. I have some but are planted on higher spots. I have rhapidophyllums in a semi swampy area. They’ve only been there for a year but seem to be doing well. It’s not standing water usually but definitely soggy underground most of the time. 

Of course in Florida you are never too far, at least elevation wise, from water, but I wouldn't call Serenoa a swamp thing. Much more of a scrub palm - its classic habitat is pine savannah. My silver Serenoa is a clustering monster with four feet of trunk on the biggest stem, 6 years old from a little plant in a 3 gallon pot. Planted in full sun, in sand with absolutely no irrigation, way too close to the south wall of my house. (I was told they are slow growing.)

Acoelorrhaphe in the everglades grows in standing water, or at least along the edges of ponds. Definitely a swamp thing. Sabal palmetto will grow on any site in Florida, including among cypress trees in permanently flooded swamps. 

 

Lol anything that enjoys cold wet winters with lots of rain and hot humid summers where it almost rains but won't? Sabal Sabal and more Sabal. 

Livistona australis. I've seen them in habitat with their roots pretty much in standing water, so I planted a dozen in amongst the reeds of one of my swampy areas down here in Tas, they're coming along nicely. We've got winter dominant rainfall, so the swamp is super wet and cold in winter, doesn't seem to bother them at all.

L decora growing in similar conditions yellows off a bit in winter, which isn't surprising given it's more tropical distribution, but greens up again pretty quickly in spring. In a warmer climate than mine it'd be a beast in a swamp!

1 hour ago, aabell said:

Acoelorrhaphe in the everglades grows in standing water, or at least along the edges of ponds. Definitely a swamp thing.

Thankfully they can handle periods of drought also - my swamp dried up last summer and we haven't had any rain since December.  More work for me now to irrigate by hand!  

Licuala spinosa seems to be doing well also and doesn't mind full all-day sun or even 27°F freeze without protection!

So are we in concensus about Archontophoenix Maxima doing well in swmpy conditions? I know Purpurea is not. 

11 minutes ago, BayAndroid said:

So are we in concensus about Archontophoenix Maxima doing well in swmpy conditions? I know Purpurea is not. 

Not sure! At least I'm not.

I hear Rhopalistylus sapida will also grow in a swamp; true?

On 3/27/2026 at 4:22 PM, DoomsDave said:

Do Rhapidophyllum Serenoa and/or Acelleraphe take swampy conditions?

What I mean by swamp things is those that will grow in long-term or permanent standing water.

Rhapidophyllum and Serenoa prefer to be dry when cold. Serenoa is a challenge in red clay. Acoellorapphe I think is ok with wet feet.

3 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

I hear Rhopalistylus sapida will also grow in a swamp; true?

I have a seedling baueri that I'd put in a swampy area, if it qualifies. 

On 3/27/2026 at 6:51 PM, Harry’s Palms said:

I had an area of my yard that was constantly wet . We had just bought the house ( new ) and the builder installed another French drain but it was still wet ….mosquito wet. I bought a 24” box Syagrus Romanzoffiana for $25 that was on death’s door , dug into the mud , and planted it . It took off like a rocket , problem solved . No more mud over there and we provided shade for my neighbor! Harry

That really surprises me too; I have to agree with doomsdave. Unfortunately, ours died in the observation room—she had plenty of water and warmth... It's sad.

We can only report here on two Trachycarpus fortunei that are thriving in partial shade in a marshy area next to a pond belonging to friends of ours in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley. They look good 

Here’s a picture of Sabal palmetto along the St. John’s River in central florida. Roots can grow in air and in standing water. The river edges get flooded from each hurricane and thats what probably eroded away the shoreline overtime. I thought this picture clearly shows how resilient and impressive this species is.