Rhapis is considered one of the few “Japanese” palms, but it is actually a “naturalized” palm, with origins in China several centuries ago. However, it is believed that Japan originally introduced the rhapis palm to the west, as early as the Tokugawa era (1600s to mid-1800s).
I love this little part of Minami-Izu. This grove of Washingtonia and Date Palms sits on a spit of land off of Yumigahama beach. The benches allow people to sit among the trees and watch the sunset on the other side of the gracefully-curving beach.
The Bangalow Palm, also know as Archontophoenix Cunninghamiana, is a mainstay in Australia. Very common from the northwest to the northeast, this stately palm is comfortable from tropical to sub-tropical climates. It doesn’t typically like a lot of sun or wind exposure; it tends to look weaker and a bit ragged. But in a little…
Kentia Palms (as they are known in Japanese) thrive in areas that fall under the influence of Japan’s kuroshio current, a warm Pacific trade current similar to North America’s Gulf Stream. While rare in much of northern Honshu, they are commonplace in Tokyo’s more tropical Ryukyu and Bonin island chains. Here you see two species side-by-side:…