Common Name:  Cyrtostachys renda x elegans

Sun:  Full sun

Growth Rate:  Slow (fairly fast for a Lipstick Palm)

Fertilizer:  Low

Water:  High (Do not allow soil to dry out; it will grow with root ball partially or fully submerged in water too.)

Cold Tolerance:  USDA Zone 10b (can reportedly handle temps in the high 30's in humid climates)

History:  This palm was a natural hybrid that originally came from seed from Pauleen Sullivan's garden in Hawaii which was damaged by lava flow and is no longer there. Seed was collected from one of her C. renda palms and germinated in Hawaii by growers and they noted some seedlings growth was different than C. renda. These seedlings were then distributed to other growers and collectors. Years later, as seedlings matured into trees, it was surmised that a flowering C. elegans in Pauleen's garden was likely the father to this exciting new hybrid.

Production:  Only reproduced through vegetative reproduction

Benefits:  Faster-growing and more cold-tolerant that pure C. renda. Also has some neat streaking on the trunks. Trunks tend to be thicker and fronds larger and more robust.

Identification:  Widely-spaced leaflets and streaking (variegation?) on the crownshaft and trunk.