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Acanthophoenix is a genus of three palm species from Mauritius and Réunion, known locally as palmiste rouge, with solitary, ringed trunks and spiny leaves. Its wild populations are nearly extinct because the palm hearts are harvested unsustainably, so it is grown mainly as an ornamental elsewhere.
Acanthophoenix is a genus of flowering plants in the palm family from the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean, where they are commonly called palmiste rouge. A genus long in flux, three species are currently recognized, though unsustainable levels of harvesting for their edible palm hearts have brought them all to near extinction in their habitat. They are closely related to the Tectiphiala and Deckenia genera, differing in the shape of the staminate flower. The name combines the Greek words for "thorn" and "date palm".
They are restricted to Mauritius and Réunion though the populations have been so disturbed that their ecology is poorly known. Because the islands were volcanically formed, the palms are often found on sloping terrain from sea level to 1350 meters. They are cultivated around the world.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Acanthophoenix by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
