It is easy to see why this South American native, commonly known as the queen palm, has become a very popular landscaping tree; it looks like it belongs more in an island paradise than here in the desert. However, it’s moderately drought tolerant, can handle the heat, and is fast growing. Rather than the climate, it is our alkaline soil that presents problems, since it can lead to nutrient deficiencies.
If the name ‘romanzoffiana’ seems odd to you, it should. This tree was actually named after Nikolay Rumyantsev, a Russian foreign minister who sponsored Russia’s first circumnavigation around the globe in 1806.