Unknown tropical looking palm ID

[Lampuka]

Hello all! I live on an island in the Med. and I love tall tropical palms, but unfortunately I’ve only got a fairly small garden. I recently saw this palm growing in another garden in my town, and was hoping someone could ID it? It’s quite tall but has a very narrow trunk, and if I could grow it I think it would suit my garden perfectly. Cheers

[Jim in Los Altos]

An old Howea forsteriana (Kentia palm). Probably 35-40 years old. 

[Lampuka]

Thank you so much! Seems they’re quite slow growing and a little bit tricky to grow well. Would you happen to know of any other similar looking palms that grow a little faster and are perhaps a little hardier? Cheers

[RichardHemsley]

Hi @Lampuka

Roystonea regia grows well here in Mallorca,  so that could be an option for you to consider. Archontophoenix alexandrae is another option but can suffer wind damaged.

I believe there are a few members on the forum who are from Malta who you could reach out to for more local advice. 

[Lampuka]

Thanks very much for the recommendations

[Palmfarmer]

3 hours ago, Lampuka said:

Thank you so much! Seems they’re quite slow growing and a little bit tricky to grow well. Would you happen to know of any other similar looking palms that grow a little faster and are perhaps a little hardier? Cheers

Get some Majesty palms. They grow faster. About the hardiness I think they are slightly less hardy than a Kentia. 

[Harry’s Palms]

Majesty ( Ravenna Rivularis) get very large trunks. For narrow trunks I would go with Archontophoenix Cunninghamiana. They are fast growing once established and tolerant of a bit of cold . A Howea that size would either be prohibitively expensive or take decades to reach a decent height. Harry