Dypsis sp. (Pink Crownshaft)

Very rare species

This highly attractive Dypsis from rainforests in Madagascar is one of the Island's most colorful palms. While similar and perhaps botanically not distinct from Dypsis pinnatifrons and Dypsis nodifera, it sports a beautiful, eye-catching, bright pink crownshaft that holds a crown of arching leaves with fanned groups of cupped leaflets. The new leaves unfold in a dark red color. As with Dypsis pinnatifrons, its trunk starts out with a diameter of only 1 cm (1/2 in.) and grows very quickly with long internodes. As the palm matures, the trunk gains considerably in substance, reaching a diameter of up to 10 cm (4 in.), (so much for the theory that palm trunks do not exhibit any secondary growth) and a height of ultimately up to 10 m (33 ft.), while the crown becomes large and spreading. In cultivation it is best suited to tropical and frost free warm temperate areas and likes a sunny, moist spot on well drained soil.