The genus Phoenix, in Latin phoenix corresponds to the translation of the Greek phoinix = palm tree. In Greek phoinix is the feminine of phoenix, the name given to the mythical bird.
| Common name | Elegant Palm (Winter) |
| Origin | Beautiful palm, obtained by horticultural hybridisation of male P.canariensis with female P.reclinata. Probably the mother plant was in the Winter nurseries in Bordighera. |
Description | Cespitose palm, with numerous stipes larger than P. reclinata, pinnate leaves, recurved, with glossy dark green pinnules like P.canariensis, but with smaller petioles armed with spines. A monoecious palm, with male inflorescence consisting of small creamy white flowers. Female floral raceme with a yellow stalk that turns orange. The fruits (drupes) are yellow-orange with a sugary pulp. The seed is marked, like all Phoenix, by a longitudinal groove. It is a very ornamental palm with a slender and exuberant development. The elegant habit is similar to the recumbent species, but the height and size of the jambs and leaves are reminiscent of the Canary Island palm. The specimen growing in the gardens of Villa Ormond was planted in the 1930s and is considered monumental. |