Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

Trithrinax campestris

This is a slow-growing palm native to Uruguay and northern Argentina, and we have 2 different forms of it at the Ruth Bancroft Garden. One of these is multi-stemmed and has silvery leaves (pictured here), while the other is single-stemmed and greener. In fall, they burst into flower quite suddenly, with multiple inflorescences ringing the upper part of the stem. The flowers are very sweet-smelling and attractive to bees, and they are followed later on by round green fruits about the size of a large cherry. It is reported that in South America the fruits are sometimes fermented to make an alcoholic drink. It is a very handsome palm with good cold-tolerance (down to at least 20 degrees F, or -7 degrees C).