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Pritchardia hillebrandii Blue Moon - Hillebrand's Fan Palm

Pritchardia hillebrandii Blue Moon
Hillebrand's Loulu, Hillebrand's Fan Palm, Pritchardia Palm

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A very beautiful compact form of the Pritchardia Palm, with blue foliage, appreciated for its very large fan-shaped leaves covered with a silvery wax film. It is a tender tropical plant, but easy to maintain and cultivate indoors or in the conservatory, where the winter temperature ranges between 10 and 15 °C. This palm tree thrives in neutral to acidic soils, partial shade when young, but mature plants tolerate full sun. The bluish colour of the leaves only appears after several years of cultivation. The Pritchardia Palm can be taken out on the terrace during the summer season.
Height at maturity
2 m
Spread at maturity
2 m
Exposure
Sun, Partial shade
Hardiness
Hardy down to 1°C
Soil moisture
Moist soil
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Best planting time April to May
Recommended planting time March to June
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Flowering time July to August
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Description

Pritchardia hillebrandii Blue Moon is a rare palm tree from Hawaii, sought after by collectors for its noble habit and the magnificence of its large fan-shaped leaves, which are coated with a superb light blue-silver patina in mature specimens. This magnificent plant is frost-sensitive and can only be grown in gardens that experience almost no frost, but it thrives and grows well in containers, where it makes an excellent choice for decorating a veranda or a large, well-lit, and minimally heated room in winter.

 

Pritchardia hillebrandii belongs to the family Arecaceae. It is native to the Hawaiian island of Molokai, where it is now believed to be extinct. This species, which thrives in a humid tropical climate, cannot survive temperatures below -2 or -3°C (28.4 or 26.6°F), but adapts well to indoor cultivation as long as winter temperatures range between 10 and 15°C (50 and 59°F). The 'Blue Moon' variety is distinguished by a more compact habit and foliage of a very pale blue-silver colour, which is extremely bright. Young plants, with green foliage, take some time to establish, but then their growth accelerates. The bluish colouration of the leaves is only observed in specimens that are a few years old. In the ground, Pritchardia Blue Moon can reach over 6m (20ft) in height, but it will not exceed 2m (7ft) in all directions if grown in containers indoors or in a greenhouse.

Pritchardia Palm 'Blue Moon' develops a single trunk, called a stipe, which is almost devoid of leaf scars, fairly slender, and light grey in colour.  At the top of this stipe, a beautiful leaf crown composed of large almost circular leaves, the shape of which is called costapalmate. Their margins are divided into many tough, rigid, and erect segments. An adult plant will produce 6 to 8 leaves per year, each of which can measure up to 1.80 m (6ft) in length when fully unfolded. They are light green to dark green in colour but are covered with a waxy film that gives them a beautiful pale, glaucous hue, almost white. The leaf stalks and veins are devoid of spines but covered with a woolly whitish down. The sheath surrounding the base of each leaf decomposes into a fibrous mass. Flowers occurs in summer on mature plants and under favorable cultivation conditions. It takes the form of arched inflorescences, longer than the leaves, bearing numerous small fragrant yellowish flowers. After pollination, small globose fruits, 1.2 cm (1in) in diameter, form and turn black when ripe. Each fruit contains a seed that germinates easily in a tropical environment, warm and humid. 

 

Pritchardia Palm Blue Moon is a very beautiful conservatory, veranda, or temperate greenhouse plant. It tolerates container cultivation in a very bright and not too dry space and can be taken out onto the terrace or balcony from May to September. Like all palm trees, it is difficult to pair with other plants due to its strong personality: reserve a corner of a pool or a prominent spot on the terrace, initially exposing it to partial shade to gradually acclimatize it to the sun.   Surround it with graphic and colourful  Phormium, precise and geometric Agaves, or perhaps Cordyline.

 

 

Pritchardia hillebrandii Blue Moon - Hillebrand's Fan Palm in pictures

Pritchardia hillebrandii Blue Moon - Hillebrand's Fan Palm (Plant habit) Plant habit

Plant habit

Height at maturity 2 m
Spread at maturity 2 m
Habit stalk
Growth rate normal

Flowering

Flower colour insignificant
Flowering time July to August
Inflorescence Panicle
Fragrance slightly scented
Fruit colour green

Foliage

Foliage persistence Evergreen
Foliage colour grey or silver

Botanical data

Genus

Pritchardia

Species

hillebrandii

Cultivar

Blue Moon

Family

Arecaceae

Other common names

Hillebrand's Loulu, Hillebrand's Fan Palm, Pritchardia Palm

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference899251

Planting and care

Pritchardia Palm Blue Moon shows fairly rapid growth, especially when regularly watered in a warm climate. It is a frost-sensitive plant, which perishes below -3°C (26.6°F), but adapts well to cultivation in a container or large pot. Young plants are sensitive to direct sunlight, while adult specimens tolerate it better. It thrives in tropical environments and non-calcareous soils (neutral to acidic), rich in humus, well-drained, and kept moist throughout the growing season, from spring to autumn. In winter, watering should be reduced. Easy to grow, it requires little maintenance except for pruning the oldest fronds close to the stem.

Container cultivation: 

Choose a large pot or a perforated bottom container with a capacity of 40 to 60 litres. Prepare a mixture consisting of 25% ericaceous soil, 50% compost or humus and 25% sand. Add some crushed bonemeal. Mix well. Place a drainage layer at the bottom of the container (clay balls, gravel, broken clay pots...) and then partially fill it.  Place your palm tree on the mixture, so that the collar (the area where the roots originate) does not exceed the pot's rim but is also not buried too deep. Add the rest of the mixture around the root ball, firmly compacting it. Water in several stages to thoroughly saturate the substrate and remove any air pockets. Place your palm tree in a very bright location, while avoiding excessive sunlight. In winter, the optimal temperature in the greenhouse or veranda should be between 10 and 15 °C. Regularly mist the foliage to provide humidity. Clean the leaves with a sponge to remove dust. Outdoors, initially place it in partial shade to protect its foliage. After two weeks in partial shade, gradually expose it to sunlight. Apply a liquid fertilizer for green plants once a month from March to August.

 

Planting period

Best planting time April to May
Recommended planting time March to June

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Woodland edge
Type of use Container, Greenhouse, Conservatory
Hardiness Hardy down to 1°C (USDA zone 10b) Show map
Ease of cultivation Amateur
Planting density 1 per m2
Exposure Sun, Partial shade
Soil pH Acidic, Neutral
Soil type Silty-loamy (rich and light)
Soil moisture Moist soil, Humus-bearing, well-drained

Care

Pruning instructions Remove the palmate leaves that are old and damaged.
Pruning Pruning recommended once a year
Pruning time April to May
Soil moisture Moist soil
Disease resistance Good
Overwinter Needs to be stored

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