Zombia antilarum

 

common: zombie palm, toothpick palm, ghost palm
Definitely one of our five favorite palms here at Exotic Palms, it’s a clumping, salt and drought tolerant palm with palmate leaves that grows to a height of about 15 feet. The trunks are covered or wrapped in a gorgeous very intricately woven fiber which form rings of toothpick like spines over the length of the entire trunk. It can of course be planted in full sun, even at an early age, however we find it incredibly beautiful when planted in filtered light where the toothpick ringed stems spread out and twist gaining more visibility as they seek out more light. In applying fertilizer one must be very careful… it’s best to feed smaller amounts more often rather than periodic heavy doses as it’s easy to burn the roots.