Hardiness zones
Sunset 12, 13, 15-17, 19-24
USDA 9 - 11
Landscape Use: Focal point, strong accent, vertical statement, tropical effect, good around water, bad in the dry desert air.
Form & Character: Evergreen palm, upright yet graceful
Growth Habit: Moderate fast to 50', rarely above 30' in Phoenix
Foliage/texture: Long, arching pinnately compound fronds to 10' with distinct frond sheaths and up to 200 leaflets per leaf, bright glossy green, partially self-shedding to reveal smooth light very straight gray trunk with prominent frond sheath scars, coarse texture
Flowers & fruits: Flowers are yellow to 3/8" long in long panicled, clusters, fruit are yellow to orange and are from 1" to 1.5" long in an ovoid shape, clustered.
Seasonal color: None
Temperature: Hardy to 25oF, killed at about
16oF
Light: Full sun to partial shade, avoid western exposures
Soil: Avoid rocky alkaline soils (hard to do in Phoenix) because of severe iron chlorosis problems. Queen palms in Phoenix need a regular nutritional program that includes supplemental micronutrient (Fe, Zn, and Mn) and magnesium (Epsom salts) fertilizers.
Watering: Regular
Pruning: Removal of old fronds
Propagation: Seed
Disease and pests: Mites, phytophthora root rot, ganoderma butt rot (enters through lower trunk wounds, no control), rarely palm leaf skeletonizer and scale
Additional comments: As palms go, queen palm is a poor choice for the Phoenix area because of it's sensitivity to winter cold, summer heat and alkaline soils. Also, frond tatter is a locally universal problem due to high transpirational water loss and drying winds. Otherwise, queen palm is a very graceful palm that is much better suited for landscape use in south Florida and coastal southern California. In Phoenix, queen palm is hardier than king palm (though frankly that's not saying very much).
