PlantFiles: Seychelles Stilt Palm, Splendid Palm
Verschaffeltia splendida

I planted one in my garden 2 years ago. The cold weather that hit Boca Raton, FL last winter did not affect the plant much. It is a fast grower. The leaves are undivided and full of spines under the leaves and around the trunk. Loves the water, full sun, stilt roots are striking!

This palm is definatley worth a try in coastal areas of Southern California, and no one has tried it in the state in fear of that it is too tender, which is what they thought about the Copernicia Baileyana as well, but tehy were wrong. Other palms from the Seychelles turned out to be surpsiginly hardy, like the Roscheria, which thrives in Sydney Australia, but no one has tried it yet in Southern California. There is a Verischfaltia growing in Port Macquerie Australia outside that is growing quite well, and in that area, you can not even grow a coconut palm.

Magnificent palm with spiny trunk, large, mostly unsplit wide leaves and ALWAYS has stilt roots. This is the priemier stilt root palm to grow in the tropics- it's a reliable and relatively fast grower there (hopeless here in southern California). In its native Seychelles, it can grow up to 80', high on steep, moutain slopes.

FYI- this palm has been tried hundreds of times by dozens of individuals along coastal southern California (as has Roscheria- even by myself, along with many dozens of other growers... no way!)- most with way more palm-growing experience than I have, and so far... no success.