Foxtail palm trees are very similar in appearance to royal palms. Here's how you can positively identify Wodyetia bifurcata palms of any age or size. Large trees and seeds available for sale.
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The low hedge here is variegated Schefflera.
This fast-growing and highly ornamental palm tree is widely planted in South Florida. It performs well in the warmest parts of the subtropics and in drier tropical areas.
Wodyetia bifurcata can be found, in the wild, on the Cape York Peninsula in north-eastern Queensland, Australia where it thrives on the fast-draining rocky sand. The weather in this part of Queensland is tropical and there are distinct wet and dry seasons.
The South Florida climate is nearly identical to that of the foxtail's native environs. Southern Florida soil substitutes limestone for Queensland's granite but this makes little difference to the health and growth of foxtail palm trees as they will adapt to different types of soil as long as it drains quickly.
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View from the ground up into the crown of the foxtail palm tree. |
The foxtail's bushy crown is its most distinguishing feature. Like a woman sporting a beautifuly-coiffed head of hair, it draws the eye. The shapely, arching fronds are densely plumose, dark green when healthy and give the crown a cuddly, huggable appearance.
They sit atop a bright green crownshaft which may appear a lighter green due to a white waxy substance that sometimes covers it.
Mature fronds can reach 8 feet in length and are attached to the crownshaft by a petiole which is usually less than a foot long.
The foxtail palm can reach a height of 30 feet at maturity.
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In the Sarasota/Bradenton area, where the pictures on this page were taken, the trees are often seen planted in multiples of 2 or 3. |
Wodyetia and Roystonea bear more than a passing resemblance. They also enjoy similar growing conditions and are often planted together in the residential and commercial landscape designs.
It can be difficult to tell them apart when the trees are not in bloom or fruiting unless you know the secret.
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Here, young foxtail palms, planted singly, beautify a Sarasota front yard landscape design. |
Wodyetia bifurcata is so named in reference to the bifurcated or twice forked tips of its leaflets (depicted above).
As you can see from the image, not every leaflet is split as this occurs over time. The way the tips of the pinnae seem to have been cut straight across with a pinking shear is a more reliable sign.
A royal palm's leaflets always come to a sharp point at the tips.
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Emerging inflos or flower stalks appear where the crownshaft meets the trunk. The flowers are white. The mature fruit of the foxtail is orange to red in color and larger (2") than the fruit of most other palms. |
![]() Newly formed flower stalk. |
![]() Fruit beginning to ripen. |
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The foxtail palm tree's trunk is handsomely ringed, smooth and putty-colored. In some specimens it will form a perfect column. In others it will be slightly bottle shaped like the trunk of a spindle palm. |
Foxtail palms grow quickly in full sun but will also adapt to shade. In fact, even young seedlings can tolerate all-day sun.
The trees will survive drought, but perform best when regular water is supplied. They are adaptable to different soil types but prefer a slightly acid soil.
Fast drainage is the only critical soil characteristic.
The lowest winter temperature a Wodyetia palm should be exposed to is 30 degrees F.
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Small Palm Trees Useful for Small-scale Landscaping
The Bottle Palm Features a Shapely, Swollen Trunk
Return to South Florida Palm Trees
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