What Color are palm trees?

What Color Are Palm Tree Fronds?

Some palm species have leaves that make you do a double-take! 

Palm Leaves With Silvery Undersides

Because you were expecting to see green! For a variety of reasons, their fronds can look silver. Here are species like that:

Arenga Genera Fronds

Many Arenga species have silvery coloring on frond undersides.

They are A.brevipes, A.engleri, A.listeri, A.micrantha, A.obtusifolia, A.pinnata, A.wightii...

Arenga wightii - They say the inflorescences sap makes a nice alcoholic drnk!
Photo: Vinayaraj - CC BY-SA 4.0

And We're Not Forgetting Arenga caudata

Called the Dwarf Sugar Palm.

The epithet caudata means "tailed" in Latin. Named that because the leaflets have notable "tails" at their tips. 

• Within the species, the frond constructs can be quite different. Giving rise to species varietals.
• But inclusively all are narrow & limber. While flowing downward daintily. This 7' palm has thick clumping growth.
• All leaflets have silvery looking undersides.

Palm Fronds in Flamboyant Colors

Fronds can give you some colorful parts!

See the Lantania verschaffeltii Palm

You'll soon see why it's called the Yellow Lantan Palm.

• Newly emerging fronds have petioles in bright yellow. Trying to shine through a covering of white tomentum!
• Palmate segments are relatively thin.

But as you can imagine, yellow shines out. Amidst some darker contrasting green leaf areas. 

Lots of yellow amidst its palmate fronds.
Photo: S.Molteno - CC BY-SA 4.0

Amazing Fronds of Kerriodoxa elegans

Nicknamed the White Elephant Palm.

Because they have large round palmate leaves. Their segments taper to a somewhat droopy point.

The 3t/0.91m long petiole has a colorful contrast. Especially when deep purple. But can be black.
Frond coloring muted green or regular green. But look underneath to find thick white tomentum.

White Elephant Palm at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden.
Shaggy fronds on lower right may Have Tomentum oozing through.
Photo: David J Stang - CC BY-SA 4.0

Trunk gets to 15’ high, about 8” width. Newer sections hold onto narrow triangular leaf bases. As it ages, base leftovers ring a now smoothed bleached brown hue.

• Inflorescences grow in both genders. Males branch more, in 1' lengths. Females have few branches at 3' long. They're alike with color contrast from a feltish gray or tawny covering.

1. Flowers grow with a yellowish hue.
2. Round 2" fruits brighten this palm more with ripe yellow & orange colors.

The Hyphaene dichotoma Silvery Steaks

West Indian native Doum Palm has become threated from land clearing.

Yet it's quite cold & drought tolerant. Even ok for Zone 9b, in dry areas.

Large 3' wide palmate leaves.

• What color are this palm tree's fronds? Often deep green. But also shows some silvery green sheen.

What's really unique in the palm world's Genera: its trunk can branch out.

• The clustering stems grow slowly for years. Then finally branch 3-4 times.

Fruit typically take 1-2 years to ripen. They're large (for palms) & pear-shaped.
May be orange, deep red or dark reddish brown.
Photo: Scott Zona - CC BY 4.0

Doum Palm Tiny Pink Flowers

Have a look at these starring flowers of the Doum Palm. Like mini-stars throughout the inflorescence.

Flowers on the Inflorescence are so tiny!
How Do Such Tiny Blossoms Turn Into Such Large Palm Fruits?
Dinesh Valke - CC BY-SA 4.0

What Color are Palm Trees?
Any Orange Colors?

VIVIDLY COLORED CROWNSHAFT

Areca vestiaria

Nicknamed Orange Collar Palm. It's a multi-colored feathery stunner! If you can supply good light, with humidity & adequate moisture - it's a dazzling houseplant.

• Slim, gleaming crownshafts vary from bright orange to orange-red to red. With a striped top.

Orange Collar Palm - Well Named!
Photo: Malcolm Manners @Flickr - CC BY 4.0

• Pendants of yellow/orange flowers become oval golden-yellow or orange fruits. They grow from just below the orange crownshaft.
• You may wonder what color are this palm tree's short petiole & rachis. 

1. If so, good question! As they're also quite colorful. Often deep orange or dark yellow.

Hyphaene coriacea Has Multi-Colored Vivid Fruit

Coastal & dune growing native of Eastern Africa & Eastern Madagascar.

Where some say it looks dull! Do you think so?  We don't agree. It's gorgeous for its arching fronds.

Guess some compare it to cultivated specimens in Florida. There it's considered quite a beauty.

Native to So.Africa. Like This in Kruger National Park.
Photo: Bernard Dupont - CC BY-SA 4.0

H.coriacea Commonly Named

Nicknamed the Lala Palm.

It can do some amazingly colder climes. Like Zone 10.

Hyphaene coriacea produces variable fruits. With an oblong shape, with a little squeeze around its middle.

The notable color is the strong orange skin. As you'll see there's many other vivid colors, too!

Even more fruit colors
Like chestnut brown, potato-like ted & light green!
Photo: Nick Marmont @identify.plant.net - CC BY SA

Newest Palm Article

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1. Uplighting for Palm Trees: A Guide to Safe & Beautiful Landscapes

   
   Uplighting for palm trees transforms your outdoor space by creating a warm, inviting, and safe environment that stands out after sunset. Learn what's involved.

   Take me there>

The Color of Palms When Multi-Hued

Some palms have various colors on their Palm Tree Parts. They may have striping color on their trunks. The colors might be on their leaves. Definitely palms have fruit & flowers in an array of hues.

There are notable, vivid examples of what colors palm trees can have.

Different Shades on Palm Fronds

Cyrtostachys renda

Nicknamed Lipstick Palm & Sealing-Wax Palm. Very narrow diameter, but grow it to 30' tall. Reaches 60' in native lands of Southeast Asia. In lowland rain forests & coastal swamps. Every part of this palm is stunningly colorful!

If you ask: What color are the palm trees that win the award for the most colorful?

This must be it! 

Glowingly colorful crownshaft - You'd notice it right off!
Photo: Dick Culbert CC BY 4.0

Yet There's More Coloring!

• The Lipstick Palm's crownshaft bulges slightly at bottom. Usually glowing reddish-orange to lustrous scarlet. But some are straight orange, dark yellow, or even light green.

• Variable green trunk coloring when young. Turning light brown, gray, even white as it ages. Stunning rings along the length.

Fronds add to this palm tree colors.

Has six or eight pinnate leaves. The top ranges from lightest to darkest green. But below it's an obviously contrasting light gray-green.

• Then for added thunder, a very short petiole. Plus the rachis are quite stylish. By taking up the same color as the crownshaft!
• The inflorescence comes out under the crownshaft. It has wiry, short branches in gorgeous red coloring. Flowers bloom in either greenish red or greenish white.

Pinanga coronata

Common name: Ivory Cane Palm. Native in Indonesia’s rainforest undergrowth. Clustering pinnate can get 20’ tall, but usually half that. With palm tree colors that may give Lipstick a run for its money!

• Trunk begins with light green color. Like humans, when older it begins graying! Adding an interesting look are the brown rings from leaf scarring.
• Crownshaft is so light green it has a yellowy sheen. Slightly fatter than the main trunk, takes no more than a foot of trunk height.

1. Crownshaft color turns, as old leaf bases below get ready to fall. A papery brown hue colors over the yellowish green.
   

Petiole 1' long, covered in tiny cinnamon colored scales.

• Leaflets begin at the rachis, often with light pinkish tinge.

1. Once established they start turning solidly pale green or emerald green.

• Inflorescence branches hang out for 1’ below the crownshaft. With muted pink blooms. Branches are stunning, turning deep red as fruits mature.

Already it's Clustering - What? 3 or 4 Stems??

Teeny Pinks - Look a Bit Like Tiny Horns

Dypsis leptocheilos

Endemic in Madagascar. Teddy Bear Palm is a common name. This is a palm that manages, for what color are palm trees that can do well in zones 10b-11.

You'll see the colorful crownshaft right away!

• About 2’ tall, with that conspicuous dark reddish brown color. On some it's orangy-brown. 
• If you touched it, you'd note it's kind-of velvety.

Trunk can grow to 35' tall & is also colorful. Here, this one has variations of green. Those white rings are leaf base scars. This palm cleans up & ditches its old leaves when they die.

• Off its trunk, leaf petioles can match the crownshaft color of reddish brown. Or can be just a dark shade of plain ole brown!

1. The rachis contrasts as a brilliant green, comparable to leaflet colors.
   o Have wide, closely spaced pure white rings of leaf base scars.

Dypsis leptocheilos has another nickname: Redneck Palm!
We think now you'll figure out why.

Takeaways for What Color are Palm Trees

Now you know, when you ask: What color are palm trees? 

There can be quite variable answers! They're not only green leaves and tan trunks. But there's a lot more colors in the mix.

Just be sure the colors you're seeing aren't telling you there are some Palm Tree Problems! That's not good.

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