Rhapis Palm, Lady Palm

Rhapis excelsa

Synonyms: Chamaerops excelsa, Trachycarpus excelsus.

Rhapis Palms are popular the world over as a hardy indoor plants for low light situations. Originally cultivated by the Japanese for use in shogunate palaces, Lady Palms are still one of the most elegant choices for an indoor specimen.

Although eventually growing quite large, Rhapis grow slowly, meaning less potting up and many years of enjoyment before it reaches maturity. Rhapis can also be grown in the garden so long as a shaded spot can be provided. In warmer, more humid climates, Rhapis will grow in the sun. Around Brisbane though, they tend to burn or go yellow with too much intense light.

Applications

Indoor specimen
Screening
Tropical / Balinese
Foliage interest
Understory plant
Pots & Tubs

Care

No pruning required. Selected canes can be removed to attempt to control height and density. Prune away dead leaves if desired. Use quality fertilizer such as Troforte or Organic Link to maintain strong growth.

Features

Lush dark green foliage
Attractive fibrous canes
Very forgiving houseplant
Adaptable and cold-hardy
Available in a range of variegated leaf forms (see below).

Row of Rhapis Palms at Oxley Nursery, Brisbane

Size

Height: 5m+
Width: Indefinite, clumping

Light

Part shade to shade.

Watering

Moderate. Can survive drought periods.

Growth Rate

Slow.

Variegated Rhapis

There are in fact dozens of variegated Lady Palm varieties. Some are rare and highly prized, often selling for thousands of dollars. However, they aren't all that inaccessible. Oxley Nursery has a great range of variegated Rhapis at affordable prices.

Why choose a variegated form?

These forms are just as easy to grow as the green variety and also thrive in low light. This makes the variegated types useful, as it can often be difficult to find anything that's not just plain green for shaded areas. Use them to break up blocks of other green foliage, or simply as gorgeous stand-alone specimens.

Ayanishiki

Developed from Zuikonishiki in 1976.

This is a prolific palm that produces offsets like no other. It's stripe pattern is quite fine and it also occasionally throws an offset that looks very much like its parent Zuikonishiki.

We have these in large quantities and sizes.

Zuikonishiki

Developed in 1958 from Kodaruma.

This is one of the easiest to grow and will reward you with beautiful offshoots. It has a distinct barcode stripe pattern and dark green with cream stripe.

Numbers of these are limited.

Kinponishiki

Developed in 1991 from Kannonchikushima.

This is a prolific and gorgeous palm. It's distinct feature is a lime-coloured stripe which makes it a bit more subtle than Zuikonishiki. It is also has a natural shine on the leaves which pics up light and adds to it's lustre and appeal.

We have healthy numbers of these.

Other Varieties

We have a number of more advanced species including:

Taizannishiki
Eizannishiki
Nanzannishiki
Heiseinishiki

These are slightly slower and less productive but with high quality colour and stripe. Prices vary according to species, size and quality of stripe.