Rhapidophyllum hystrix

Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Photo taken by Gil Nelson
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class:	Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae ⁄ Palmae
Genus:	Rhapidophyllum
Species:	R. hystrix
Binomial name
Rhapidophyllum hystrix (Pursh) H. Wendl. & Drude ex Drude
Natural range of Rhapidophyllum hystrix from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: needle palm

Description

A description of Rhapidophyllum hystrix is provided in The Flora of North America.

Rhapidophyllum hystrix is a perennial shrub with needles at the base of its leaves (FSU Herbarium).

Ecology

Habitat

R. hystrix occurs most frequently in shaded wet sandy or loamy soil (FSU Herbarium). It can be found in floodplains, as well as on the slopes of steephead ravines and on limestone outcrops (FSU Herbarium). It appears in several native community types, including mixed hardwood woodlands, Magnolia-Tilia-Hydrangea bluffs, and cabbage palm-hardwood hammocks (FSU Herbarium). It can also occasionally be found in disturbed areas like roadsides (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

Flowering has been observed in February and May, while fruiting has been observed in February and August (FSU Herbarium).

References and notes

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, Robert K. Godfrey, Lisa Keppner, Angus Gholson, James R. Burkhalter, R. Kral, Gary R. Knight, Mark Garland, Sidney McDaniel, Richard D. Houk, L.B. Thein, S.D. Latimer, Patricia Elliot, George R. Cooley, Carroll E. Wood, Jr., Kenneth A. Wilson, Leonard J. Brass, R.S. Mitchell, and A.F. Clewell. States and Counties: Florida: Citrus, Clay, Escambia, Gadsden, Jackson, Jefferson, Lake, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, and Washington. Georgia: Clay and Grady. Alabama: Baldwin.