Family: Arecaceae

Native to the Philippines, this compact palm is commonly known as Manilla palm. A fast grower, this single-trunked palm will reach heights up to 25 feet — one of the most frequently used palms in tropical landscapes. 

The green crownshaft and showy trunk nicely contrast the striking scarlet-red fruits. Twelve gracefully arching fronds sit atop a slender trunk. Born from where the crown shaft meets the stem, brilliant, ovoid-shaped fruits grow in bunches. The glossy fruits turn from green to red in December, reminiscent of Christmas decorations, hence the other common name Christmas palm. 

It lives 25 to 50 years and will tolerate moderate wind gusts. Beekeepers prize the Manilla palm due to their abundant flowers. It is a bee-pollinated palm that grows from seed rather than root suckers. It does best with well-drained soil. Drought tolerant once established and doesn’t create much litter.

According to A Tropical Garden Flora, Manila palm should have shade while young and full sun as an adult. The fronds become strongly arched in full sun, less so with partial sun.

This palm is especially susceptible to the “Lethal Yellowing” disease, which is present in Florida, Central America, and parts of the Caribbean and Africa.

Plant Uses:

• Container plant
• Edible
• Indoor plant
• Ornamental
• Specimen

Plant Dangers:

• No dangers

High Risk Traits:

• Broad climate tolerance (zones 10B–11; sea level to 1000 m)
  
• Native to tropics & widely introduced as ornamental
  
• Host for 14 fungi + coconut pests
  
• Shade-tolerant when young
  
• Grows in clay, sand, loam, and limestone
  
• Produces viable seed
  
• Bird-dispersed fleshy fruits; seeds survive gut passage

Low Risk Traits:

• No naturalization
  
• Not a weed (garden, ag, forestry, or environmental)
  
• No spines, thorns, burrs, or allelopathic effects
  
• Not parasitic, toxic, or a fire hazard
  
• No vegetative spread or runners
  
• Large seeds – no wind/water/external animal dispersal
  
• Low seed output; no persistent seed bank
  
• Susceptible to lethal yellowing disease (local biocontrol)