Common name: Mount Lewis King Palm.

Archontophoenix purpurea is a stunning relative of the more common King Palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana). It's natural habitat is limited to the Mount Lewis area of northeast Queensland, Australia, where it grows in montane rainforests at up to 1200m/3900' above see level. The attractively ringed trunk grows to 25m/80' tall and up to 300mm/12" in diameter with a nice basal flare. The slightly recurved pinnate fronds have a fairly flat leaflet arrangement and grow to 4m/13' in length. Leaflets are anywhere from a bright mid green to dark green, varying with light exposure and have a silvery underside. This species is easily distinguishable from other King Palms by it's long, purple, slightly bulbous crownshaft, which can be almost red immediately after an old leaf base has fallen or been removed. Although still fairly rare in cultivation compared with the normal King Palm, it shows similar adaptability being suitable for tropical right through to some cool temperate climates. This adaptability combined with it's stunning features, should help to improve it's popularity in cultivation, although it is somewhat slower growing than some of the other palms in the genus. Archontophoenix purpurea looks best grown in partial shade, but will handle full sun with an abundance of water and can even sit happily in fairly wet, poor draining soils. Whilst it will handle pot culture, it's eventual size makes it unsuitable for most interior settings, although it's relatively slow growth and ornamental features may be enough for some people to use it in a large greenhouse or conservatory during it's early years. It will survive minor, short term frosts, but will require some protection in most cool temperate areas, which will obviously become a difficult proposition as the palm gets larger.