Aiphanes, a palm tree to be very careful with

We are used to seeing palm trees that if we handle them improperly they can do us a lot of damage, as is the case with the date palm. But in South America there is a botanical genus that could well serve as a protection hedge: the Aiphanes.

These plants they have thorns on the leaves and, above all, on the trunkSo we have to be very, very careful with them.

Origin and characteristics of the Aiphanes

Our protagonists are plants that are found in the Caribbean islands and in South America, particularly in Colombia and Venezuela. The genus is made up of a total of 34 species, all of them having the common characteristic of being well armed with thorns. They reach a height between 8 and 20 meters, with an erect and solitary stem very thorny crowned by pinnate leaves, whose sheath, petiole and rachis also have thorns.

The flowers are grouped in interfoliar inflorescences and are small, yellow, white, pink or purple. The fruits are globose in shape and are red when ripe.

How are they cared for?

If you would like to purchase an Aiphanes, we recommend that you provide it with the following care:

• Climate: it has to be soft, without frost.
• Location: if the climate is warm you can have it all year round, in semi-shade; otherwise it will be protected inside the house in a room where a lot of natural light enters.
• Substrate or soil: it must be rich in organic matter and have very good drainage.
• Subscriber: from the beginning of spring to the end of summer, it must be paid with specific fertilizers for palm trees following the indications specified on the packaging.
• Planting or transplanting time: in spring.
• Multiplication: by seeds in spring-summer. Direct sowing in a seedbed with vermiculite. They germinate after approximately two months.
• Pruning: only the dry leaves have to be removed.

Did you know this palm tree?