PalmScapes: The Ponytail Palm

As I Wander...

Welcome!

Living in tropical Malaysia, we tend to take the hot humid weather, thundery rainstorms and the spectrum of wild evergreen plants as a given.

Recently, I noticed more exotic plants making its way into landscaped home gardens, recreational parks, frontages of shopping malls and

commercial buildings.

Along kerb sides of residential streets and busy motorways, palms, trees and flowering plants make pleasant and interesting fringes.

This is a record of the various species "as I see it" for I am in awe of palms. Hence, my premise for this blog is that the global garden,

i.e. every physical garden (tended or untended), becomes a part of my, simply said, cyber palm garden. ;-)

Please feel free to share your thoughts or comments.

Thank you for visiting!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

The Ponytail Palm

Botanical Name : Beaucarnea recurvata

If there's ever a TV reality series "I'm Not a Palm - get me out of here", this 'palm' would be one of the contestants!
So often mistaken for a palm, this Mexican native is also known by other names like the Bottle Palm or Elephant Foot Tree. It's pretty unique - with a bulbous base, tall thin stem and a tuft of smooth edge, flat and strap-like leaves.

It.s a lovely plant, to have in the home or on the patio, as each specimen is different (no 2 alike). However, I found these attractive specimens in a landscaped park at residential Setia Eco Park, Shah Alam. Given the great and fresh outdoors, they've grown into bigger plants as opposed to limitations in a potted condition.

Generally, it's a very hardy plant, easy to grow and almost maintenance free. With hectic lifestyles, one need not worry if one has gone away for long periods or simply too busy...