PlantFiles: Solitary Sugar Palm
Arenga pinnata

Supposidley, there was a flowering one at the Catamaran resort in San Deigo, that had about 20 feet of trunk.

Massive palm only for large yards. Trouble with salty air or high winds, too. Has 20'+ long feather leaves with long, straight leaflets that flop a bit near the ends. Trunk thick with woven fibers and long (1') but not very sharp or strong, spines that protrude in all directions. Solitary Arenga (one of only two solitary Arengas). Fast grower. Unlike the other Arenga species, once this one flowers, that's it. There are no other stems to continue on, and removing this massive dead thing can be a huge challenge, so think about that before deciding where to plant it. Fortunately here in So Cal plants appear to live for many decades before flowering (haven't seen or heard of one flowering yet here).

The palm at the Catamarran is an older palm and is a good example of why this species shouldn't be grown that close to the ocean (tattered sad foliage). However, I think at this time (2006) that palm is pretty much a goner.