Sealing Wax Palm, Lipstick Palm

Cyrtostachys renda Blume

sir-toe-STAY-keys REN-dah

Arecaceae

Explanation of name: From Greek cyrtos, curved, and stachys, spike, referring to the curved inflorescence (JON). Renda is a local name (JON).

Synonym: Cyrtostachys lakka Becc.

Natural range: Southeast Tropical Asia

Natural habitat: Swamp or swampy to wet rainforest (JON, MEE)

Recognition: A clumping, pinnate-leaved eye-catching specimen with distinctive bright red stems and petioles. ELL lists the cultivar ‘Apple’ with a pale crownshaft, and lists another variant with an orange crownshaft.

Landscape uses: Striking water-loving clumping palm native to swampy habitats, with bright red petioles and stems. Although it can be cultivated under normal (moist) garden conditions with protection from from winds and from cold, the best specimens are in wet circumstances. Suitable for containers. ELL gives 2-4 “weeks” for germination (probably an error for months, as given for the color variants).