Pritchardia hillebrandii Blue Moon - Hillebrand's Fan Palm

Pritchardia hillebrandii Blue Moon is a rare palm tree from Hawaii, sought after by collectors for its noble habit and the magnificence of its large fan-shaped leaves, which are coated with a superb light blue-silver patina in mature specimens. This magnificent plant is frost-sensitive and can only be grown in gardens that experience almost no frost, but it thrives and grows well in containers, where it makes an excellent choice for decorating a veranda or a large, well-lit, and minimally heated room in winter.

Pritchardia hillebrandii belongs to the family Arecaceae. It is native to the Hawaiian island of Molokai, where it is now believed to be extinct. This species, which thrives in a humid tropical climate, cannot survive temperatures below -2 or -3°C (28.4 or 26.6°F), but adapts well to indoor cultivation as long as winter temperatures range between 10 and 15°C (50 and 59°F). The 'Blue Moon' variety is distinguished by a more compact habit and foliage of a very pale blue-silver colour, which is extremely bright. Young plants, with green foliage, take some time to establish, but then their growth accelerates. The bluish colouration of the leaves is only observed in specimens that are a few years old. In the ground, Pritchardia Blue Moon can reach over 6m (20ft) in height, but it will not exceed 2m (7ft) in all directions if grown in containers indoors or in a greenhouse.

Pritchardia Palm 'Blue Moon' develops a single trunk, called a stipe, which is almost devoid of leaf scars, fairly slender, and light grey in colour.  At the top of this stipe, a beautiful leaf crown composed of large almost circular leaves, the shape of which is called costapalmate. Their margins are divided into many tough, rigid, and erect segments. An adult plant will produce 6 to 8 leaves per year, each of which can measure up to 1.80 m (6ft) in length when fully unfolded. They are light green to dark green in colour but are covered with a waxy film that gives them a beautiful pale, glaucous hue, almost white. The leaf stalks and veins are devoid of spines but covered with a woolly whitish down. The sheath surrounding the base of each leaf decomposes into a fibrous mass. Flowers occurs in summer on mature plants and under favorable cultivation conditions. It takes the form of arched inflorescences, longer than the leaves, bearing numerous small fragrant yellowish flowers. After pollination, small globose fruits, 1.2 cm (1in) in diameter, form and turn black when ripe. Each fruit contains a seed that germinates easily in a tropical environment, warm and humid. 

Pritchardia Palm Blue Moon is a very beautiful conservatory, veranda, or temperate greenhouse plant. It tolerates container cultivation in a very bright and not too dry space and can be taken out onto the terrace or balcony from May to September. Like all palm trees, it is difficult to pair with other plants due to its strong personality: reserve a corner of a pool or a prominent spot on the terrace, initially exposing it to partial shade to gradually acclimatize it to the sun.   Surround it with graphic and colourful  Phormium, precise and geometric Agaves, or perhaps Cordyline.