Common name: Nikau Palm, Shaving brush palm, Feather duster palm
Geographic origin: New Zealand
Map #F4
Year planted: 2003
Species notes: Southern-most palm species requires cool summers. Variable in form, slow growing.
Crown spread: 2.7 Meter, 1 Meter*
Overall height: 3.53 Meter, 2.4 Meter
Trunk height (BTH): 40 cm, 16 cm
# of leaves: 7, 6
Grower’s notes: Double planting, with eastern-most becoming significantly larger. Both trained to allow pedestrians full access to sidewalk.
*Trained to wall.
Hi
Nikau palms grow significantly larger than the sizes you have mentioned on here. South Island species grow to more than 10 metres. In my area on the east coast of the North Island where they grow in abundance in forests, Nikau can have very long fronds of around three metres, if grown in shade.
The North Island species can take hot summers (it gets to 30 degrees C. and more here in summer but require plenty of humidity).
There are strong regional variations in this New Zealand palm. Around my area, the fronds are very lax and long. On Great Barrier Island, near Auckland, they are quite slender with skinnier trunks. On the Chatham islands, they have very large trunks.
Thank you for your comment, Freddy. The size I quote on this page, like on all the pages, refers to this garden’s particular specimens, measured in 2008, not the maximum size.
The entire garden was planted in 2000 and later, generally in 5 gallon pots or smaller, so there is still a lot of time for them to mature. I planted these in 2003, and at first they grew slowly. Now they are constantly sending out new giant leaves. I am waiting for them to trunk, as I have seen in the San Francisco Botanic Garden.
These Nikaus create a wonderful effect on a north-facing sidewalk with a high pedestrian traffic. Most San Franciscans do not know how easy and lovely it is to grow this species. The purpose of this website is to show the variety of rare palms that can be grown in San Francisco, and to make connections with the places the palms originate. So thank you again, Freddy, for visiting and leaving a comment.