A Foxy Tale

Since I have begun to feature palm trees, I find that there are actually so many interesting varieties here in my town itself. This one is a Foxtail Palm. There are many tales about the Fox Tail...

The trunk is self-cleaning and has a smooth appearance.

Tale # 1
The botanical world didn't know about the foxtail palm until 1978 when a man named Wodyeti brought it to the attention of Australian botanists.


Tale # 2
The palm was given the genus name Wodyetia after Wodyeti, an Aboriginal man.

It got its common name, Foxtail Palm, from the shape of the foliage.

Tale # 3
It was classed as a rare palm in Queensland.

Tale # 4

After it became known to the world, these palms became so sought after that a blackmarket trade formed for selling the seeds of the foxtail palm. Today. it is the world's most popular palm.

The flowers are produced when the palms are mature at 12 years of age!

Stalks of white flowers grow from the base of the crownshaft.

If you look close enough, you can see a yellow bird taking cover from my prying eyes. Too bad it didn't peek out at me...that would have been the perfect shot! This particular tree is about 20 feet high; Foxtails can grow up to a height of 30 feet.

The large, oval-shaped, green fruits turn orange-red when ripe.

Linked to:

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Macro Monday

Mosaic Monday