Pritchardia hillebrandii - Hillebrand's Fan Palm

Pritchardia hillebrandii, also known as the Pritchardia Palm, is a magnificent tropical plant, sought after by enthusiasts for its noble habit and the beauty of its large fan-shaped leaves, which are adorned with a silver wax film that gives them a magnificent silky sheen. Although not very hardy, this palm tree is relatively easy to cultivate in a large pot, which allows it to be protected from frost in winter. It can only be grown in the ground in the most sheltered gardens along the Mediterranean or Atlantic coast. It is a great choice for decorating a veranda or a large, well-lit, and minimally heated room in winter.

Pritchardia hillebrandii belongs to the family of Arecaceae. It was native to the Hawaiian island of Molokai where it is now extinct. This species thrives in a humid tropical climate and cannot survive below -2 or -3°C, but adapts well to indoor cultivation when winter temperatures range between 10 and 15 °C. Young plants take some time to establish themselves, but then their growth accelerates. The bluish colouration of the leaves is only observed in plants that are a few years old. In the ground, Pritchardia hillebrandii can reach over 8 m (26ft) in height, but it will not exceed 2 m (7ft) in all directions if grown in a container indoors or in a greenhouse.

The Pritchardia Palm tree develops a single trunk, called a stipe, almost devoid of leaf scars, quite thin 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 green-blue hue. 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 aged 10 to 15 years, under favourable growing 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. 

The Pritchardia Palm is an architectural plant that will make a statement on a veranda, in a temperate greenhouse, or in a very bright and minimally heated room. It tolerates container cultivation well and can be taken out onto the patio or balcony from May to September. Like all palm trees, it is difficult to associate due to its strong personality: reserve a corner of a swimming pool or a prominent place on the patio, initially exposing it to partial shade to gradually acclimate it to the sun. Surround it with graphic and colourful  Phormium, precise and geometric Agaves, or perhaps Cordyline.