Grow paurotis palm in full sun and moist ground, and feed it with a palm fertilizer. Paurotis palm is Acoelorrhaphe. It is also sold as Everglades palm. It is not saw palmetto.
Give paurotis palm full sun, moist ground, and a palm fertilizer
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Full sun most of the day; light shade is tolerated | Do not keep a landscape clump in a dim indoor corner as its only home |
| Soil | Moist loam or sand; occasional flooding is fine | Do not site it in dry, packed limestone fill |
| Water | Keep the ground moist; the clump grows faster in wet soil than in a dry bed | Do not treat it like a desert palm that dries hard between waterings |
| Feed | A palm fertilizer with potassium, magnesium, and micronutrients during the warm months | Do not pile fertilizer against the stems, and do not ignore yellow new leaves with curled tips |
| Cold | Cover a young plant before a hard freeze | Do not leave a first-year pot out through a freeze |
paurotis palm is Acoelorrhaphe wrightii, a clustering fan palm with several slender trunks from one base. The fans are light green on top and silver underneath, and the leaf stalks carry sharp teeth. [1] Give it full sun and ground that stays moist. It is one of the few landscape palms that tolerates a spell of standing water, so a low wet lawn edge or a rain garden suits it better than a baked parking strip. [2] [3] In the warm months, spread a palm fertilizer that includes potassium, magnesium, and micronutrients under the whole clump, not against the trunks. New leaves that come out yellow, then frizzle and curl at the tips, are usually a manganese shortage on alkaline fill. That shortage can kill a stem. Keep the ground moist, and do not skip the micronutrients. [4] If you have moist ground with room for the clump, the plant-out is on Planting Paurotis Palm. Brown-only cuts stay on How to Prune Paurotis Palm. A new plant from seed or a sucker is How to Propagate Paurotis Palm.
Does paurotis palm need full sun?
It grows best in full sun most of the day. Light shade is tolerated. Do not keep a landscape clump in a dim indoor corner as its only home.
How often should I water paurotis palm?
Keep the ground moist. It grows faster in wet soil than in a dry bed, and it can take a spell of flooding. Do not treat it like a desert palm.
Grow a young plant in a pot with a hole
A young paurotis palm can live in a pot on a bright patio while the clump is still small. It is still a landscape palm, so it will outgrow a dim room and a tight container.
- Choose a pot with a hole, only a size or two wider than the nursery pot, so the mix stays moist without sitting sour.
- Fill it with a palm mix that holds moisture and still drains. Do not use a cachepot with no hole as the only pot.
- Set the root ball so the stems sit at the same depth they sat in the nursery pot.
- Water once to settle the mix, wait about half an hour, then empty the saucer.
- Keep the pot in bright sun, and water again when the top of the mix has just begun to dry. Do not let a young clump bake dry.
- Move it into the ground before the new stems fill the pot. A mature paurotis palm is not a houseplant.
Can I grow paurotis palm indoors?
A young plant can sit in a bright room or on a sunny patio for a while. Give it a pot with a hole, and keep the mix moist. It will outgrow indoor space.
Not saw palmetto — and not a cabbage palm
Saw palmetto is Serenoa, a low creeping palm with the same saw-toothed leaf stalks. It stays a few feet tall and forms a ground cover, not a 20-foot clump of slender trunks. Do not buy paurotis palm if you wanted that low scrub. Cabbage palm is Sabal, a solitary tree with smooth leaf stalks; see How to Grow Cabbage Palm. Mexican fan palm is Washingtonia, a tall dry street palm; see How to Grow Mexican Fan Palm. Needle palm is a short clump with black spines on the trunk, not this Everglades fan. Silver saw palmetto is another shop name for paurotis palm, not a second kind.
Is paurotis palm the same as saw palmetto?
No. Paurotis palm is a tall clustering fan with several slender trunks. Saw palmetto is a low creeping palm. Both have toothed leaf stalks, so read the tag.
Keep the sun and the moisture, feed with a palm fertilizer, and move a young pot into the ground before the clump fills the container.
FAQ
Are Everglades palm and paurotis palm the same plant?
Yes. Everglades palm and silver saw palmetto are shop names for the same clustering fan, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii. They are not extra kinds to collect.
When does paurotis palm flower?
Mature stems send out creamy flower stalks in spring, then small fruit that turns from green to orange to black. The flowers do not change the watering or the fertilizer.
Can I eat the fruit or the heart?
Do not cut the growing point for heart of palm; that kills the stem. The small fruit is for wildlife, not a kitchen crop. Saw palmetto fruit products are a different plant.
Related guides
Recommended plants
References
- [1] UF/IFAS Extension -
https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST058 - [2] UF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County -
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/charlotteco/2022/08/31/fool-proof-palm-care-paurotis-palm/ - [3] Missouri Botanical Garden -
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=276673 - [4] UF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County -
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/charlotteco/2017/07/31/everglades-palm-backyard/
This note is part of Acoelorrhaphe Guides.
More first-season notes by plant are gathered in How to Grow Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors