Rhapidophyllum hystrix

Common name

needle palm, hedgehog palm, vegetable porcupine

Description

Stems: Clustering, more or less trunkless, but sometimes with a very short stem hidden by a crown of matted fibers that can sometimes elongate to about 1 m in height. Sharp, stiff, needle-like fibers, 15-20 cm long, cover the stem and protect the inflorescenceinflorescence:
the reproductive structure of a flowering plant, including palms, consisting of flowers and associated bracts
. Leaves: Palmatepalmate:
like the palm of a hand; fan palms have palmate leaves that are usually divided into leaf segments arising from a central point, although a fan palm may have entire leaves (e.g., <em>Licuala grandis</em>)
, or very slightly costapalmatecostapalmate:
a fan-shaped leaf with a midrib (costa) extending into the blade, sometimes extending far enough into the blade to cause it to curve (e.g., <em>Sabal palmetto</em>)
, induplicateinduplicate:
Most palm leaflets or leaf segments are obviously folded. If the folds create a V-shape, with the midrib lower than the margins (so that rain might fall "into a valley"), the folding is induplicate.
, with blades over 1 m wide divided very deeply by numerous, stiff, linearlinear:
term to describe leaves and leaflets that are narrow with nearly parallel margins; like a line
segments that split between the folds, with 2 to 4 veins. Upper leafleaf:
in palms -- the leaf blade (which is usually divided into leaflets or leaf segments), the petiole (or leaf stalk) and the sheath (which forms the attachment of the leaf to the stem)
surface, dark green; undersurface, silvery; leaftips jagged. The hastulahastula:
a flange or collar-like flap of tissue extending from the petiole where a palmate leaf blade joins it; often seen on the upper (adaxial) surface, but may also be found on the lower (abaxial) surface in some palms
is very short and rounded or triangular. Flowers and fruits: Separate male and female inflorescences (ca. 30 cm long) are usually on separate palms (but reportedly can occur on one), branched once and usually hidden within the leaves. They may be yellow or pale lavender in color. Fruits are 1.5-2.5 cm in length, spherical to oval, covered with brownish, wooly hairs, and maroon-brown when ripe.

Diagnostic features

Field: Clustering, more or less trunkless fan palm with sharp, stiff, needle-like fibers, 15-20 cm long, covering the stem; leafleaf:
in palms -- the leaf blade (which is usually divided into leaflets or leaf segments), the petiole (or leaf stalk) and the sheath (which forms the attachment of the leaf to the stem)
segments divided between the folds with 2-4 veins.

May be confused with

Serenoa repens perhaps, but the saw palmetto has armed petioles and no needle-like spines.

Distribution

Native to the southeastern United States

Additional comments

Native to the southeastern United States (South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi), this is a cold hardy palm that can survive north of this range. In Florida, this palm is included on the state's list of Commercially Exploited Species, which controls harvesting of wild-collected plants.

Scientific name

Rhapidophyllum hystrix (Pursh) Wendl. & Drude

Family

Arecaceae/Palmae

Synonyms

Chamaerops hystrix Pursh

Rhapis caroliniana Kunth

Sabal hystrix (Pursh) Nuttall