Colorful Palms: Beyond Green—Blue, Red, Variegated, and Neon Tropical Foliage

With over 2,500 species in the Arecaceae family, palms offer far more than green foliage. From electric-blue leaves to neon-red new growth, variegated fans, and brightly colored crownshafts, trunks, and fruits, palms can rival any ornamental for visual drama.

Blue and Silver Foliage

Many palms exhibit stunning blue or silver leaves—sometimes the whole plant, sometimes just new growth. Notable examples:

• Bismarckia nobilis: intensely blue to pale silver forms
• Chamaerops humilis (Mediterranean fan palm): blue cultivars
• Copernicia hospita and other Copernicia species
• Pritchardia (Hawaiian): waxy blue cast
• Nannorrhops (Iran/Iraq): very blue leaves
• Sabal yapa: blue seedlings

Spectacular New Leaf Colors

Many tropical palms produce brilliantly colored new leaves (possibly to deter herbivores):

• Actinokentia, Areca vestiaria (maroon form)
• Calyptrocalyx species: C. pauciflorus, 'Kainlas', C. sancuim, C. elegans, C. hollrungii
• Gronophyllum pinangoides
• Chambeyronia macrocarpa ("Flame Thrower Palm")
• Laccospadix
• Dypsis 'Super decipiens', D. fibrosa, 'Monalingo'
• Geonoma epetiolata, G. undata
• Metroxylon sagu (true sago palm)
• Ptychosperma, Pinanga densiflora, Pholidostachys
• Lemurophoenix, Marojejya darianii, Phoenicophorum

Variegation and Juvenile Foliage

Variegated palms range from spontaneous mutations (Chamaerops) to stable, highly sought cultivars (Licuala 'Mapu', variegated Rhapis). Some palms display colorful juvenile foliage that greens with age: Latania lontaroides (red/youth, grey/adult), Livistona mariae (red seedling, green adult). Others have colorful leaf undersides: Brahea pimo (pink/orange fuzz), Kerriodoxa (white), Livistona fulva (copper).

Colorful Petioles, Trunks, and Crownshafts

Petioles (leaf stems) can be vivid: Borassus flabellifer, Copernicia baileyana, Actinokentia divaricata, Copernicia glabrescens, Dypsis 'Brown Mealy Bug', Lemurophoenix halleuxii, Raphia farinifera, Veitchia, Pholidocarpus, Licuala aurantiaca, Livistona carinensis, Pigafetta filaris.

Trunks: Pinanga species, Ceroxylon ventricosum (white waxy), Welfia regia (red).

Crownshafts (the smooth upper trunk sheath) are the crown jewels of palm color:

• Adonidia merrillii 'Golden', Archontophoenix purpurea (Purple King Palm), Basselinia gracilis
• Dictyocaryum lamarckium, Cyrtostachys renda (Lipstick Palm), Carpoxylon macrospermum
• Areca genus: A. catechu 'Golden', A. macrocalyx, A. vestiaria
• Dypsis: D. paludosa, D. baronii, D. pilulifera (Orange Crownshaft)
• Euterpe: E. precatoria, E. catinga, E. oleracea
• Pinanga: P. caesia, P. modesta, P. philippinensis, P. insignis, P. speciosa
• Wettinia hirsuta, Roscheria, Neovetchia storckii (dark), Oenocarpus mapora

Flowers, Fruits, and Even Roots

Some palms have colorful flowers/spathes (Bismarckia, Basselinia pancheri, Dictyosperma album, Dypsis pinnatifrons 'Pink', Pinanga modesta, Wettinia quinaria). Fruits are often bright to attract dispersers: Areca species, Butia capitata, Howea forsteriana, Livistona chinensis, Arenga engleri, Phoenix, Sabal minor, Pinanga, Ptychosperma, Raphia farinifera, Syagrus romanzoffiana, Socratea, Rhopalostylis sapida. Exposed roots of Mauritiella armata and Clinostigma exorrhizum add unexpected color.

For more, explore Dave's Garden PlantFiles (Arecaceae), Palmpedia, PACSOA, and PalmTalk.org.