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Lipstick Palm Tree


The lipstick palm is a beautiful, versatile tree that will add multiple colors to your landscape.

They are extremely popular grown in containers, as a clump, or a privacy screen.

It is also known as the red palm and sealing wax palm.

The reason is their crownshaft had the same bright color of the special wax used to seal documents.

This is one of the palms that can tolerate very wet areas.

The soil should be well drained but can remain flooded for quite awhile without hurting this palm.

This water hungry tree shouldn't ever have the soil go dry.

lipstick palm tree, cyrtostachys renda

Lipstick Palm Appearance

This beautiful palm has feather leaves of a deep emerald green on top and a bit lighter green underneath.

The leaves get to be 5 feet long with widely spaced leaflets.

The best feature is the bright red crownshaft that extends below the leaves up to 3 feet down the trunk.

The red color continues into the stem of the leaf.

This is the source of the name lipstick palm.


Only a name given to this red variety.

The rest of the trunk is green.

There are scars from old leaves leaving white rings all the way down.

This tree bears white flower clusters of both sexes on each tree.

Once pollinated the flowers turn to a small round fruit blackish in color once ripe.

Cyrtostachys renda (ornamental) - Suva, Fiji

Care and Growth

The lipstick palm is a water lover and needs a lot of moisture.

Your Ultimate Palm Tree Handbook

One place to put this tree is in a container that is partly submerged in a water feature.

Make sure to leave the top of the soil exposed for the best results the rest of the soil can be downright soggy.

 It is perfect if you are trying to add color to a pond when you are looking for the tropical look.

Not the easiest tree to start from seed. It could take some time for it to sprout. A better way is to split of some off the suckers from the cluster to start elsewhere.

University of Puerto Rico Botanical Gardens 01
Lipstick Palm Tree - Medium

Quick info:

  •  Scientific name:  Cyrtostachys renda
  • Minimum temp 35°F, zones 10-11
  • 25-30 feet tall, gets 10-15 feet wide
  • clumping variety
  • Any type of soil but should contain some sand & humus or peat for moisture retention
  • water needs are high
  • Part shade when young will tolerate full sun once mature

It is considered a slow grower getting up to 25-30 feet tall and 10-20 feet wide. Can get to over 50 feet tall in it's native habitat.

The clumping effect will produce multiple stems or trunks at varying heights giving you one of the best looking privacy screens you could ask for.

They have very little salt tolerance and needs to be kept out of any freezing conditions.

This tree prefers part shade but will do okay in full sun when it is a bit more mature.

It will grow in any type of soil as long as it stays wet enough.

Same goes with containers. Keeping them moist will be your only challenge but perfect for those spots where some other palms won't do well.

The lipstick palm originates from the swamps and rainforests in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Malaysia.

You may have already guessed that it has become very popular for gardeners and landscapers around the world.

It can be planted anywhere you may need water hungry plants and want a mix of beautiful color.

You might like these

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  • Ruffled Fan Palm

    The Ruffled fan palm is hard one to miss. It’s a super choice for containers indoors or out and in landscapes. This one is sure to attract some attention.

  • Sabal Palmetto

    The Sabal Palmetto is a beautiful fan palm with glossy green leaves. It's drought, wind, cold and salt water spray tolerant.

NOTE :  About Buying Palms

If you are looking to buy palm trees of any kind then I would highly recommend purchasing through the Real Palm Tree Store.

They are a huge nursery based in Florida with connections to many quality growers.

Whether you are ordering from inside the United States, Canada or another part of the world-- ordering one tree for your landscape or many for a commercial project-- I’m confident you won’t be disappointed.

Their customer service is second to none; all products are high quality and backed by a money back 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Make sure to visit real palm trees, ask questions and read the reviews before buying anywhere else.

Palm Tree Store

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You may also find these articles helpful:

For ideas on placement of palms in your yard visit landscaping with palms.

Planting explains how to get your tropical beauty off to the best possible start.

Growing : learn the plant hardiness zones, soil and lighting conditions and commonly used terminology.

Palm tree fertilizer: find out what the numbers mean, what kind is best and  how to figure out the correct amount to use.


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