This is the photo of a nikau palm in my back yard in Southern California that I used for my creative series of photos "Maori Ancestral Spirit and Nikau Palm.  I bought this and another in about 1999 from a guy in Central California whom I found online. At that time at least he grew New Zealand natives, having developed a love for them after a period of years he spent living in New Zealand. They arrived in a FedEx box, and were no more than 12" (30cm) tall at that time. They've obviously adapted well to their new home.

About Nikau Palms

The Nikau grows up to 15 m (49ft) tall, with a stout green trunk which bears grey-green leaf scars. The trunk is topped by a smooth bulging crown shaft up to 1m long. The fronds are up to 3m (10') long, and the closely-set, sometimes overlapping leaflets are up to 1 m long. The inflorence is multi-branched and from 200 to 400 mm long (8"-16"). The tightly packed flowers are unisexual and colored lilac to pink. Male flowers are borne in pairs, and have 6 stamens. The female flowers are solitary. The fruit is elliptic or oblong, and generally measures about 10 by 7 mm, and is red when ripe. The Nikau produces flowers between November and April, and fruits ripen from February to November, taking almost a year to fully ripen. These are a favorite food of the Kereru, the native wood pigeon.

Propagation

Ripe fruit of the Nikau makes an excellent pot plant, and is quite hardy. It tends to be slow-growing. The Nikau is easy to grow from seed if the fruit is soaked in water for a few days and then gently scrubbed to remove the flesh. The seed will then germinate readily if placed in sealed plastic bags in semi-shade, after which they can be planted in deep pots. The pots should be tall and narrow to provide room for the taproot and to lessen the likelihood of root damage when transplanting. Transplanting juveniles is generally successful if the taproot is left intact.

Contrary to popular opinion, established Nikau do not have a tap root. It seems once the tap root has been established (to a fairly shallow depth, say 400 mm) their roots take on form more consistent with other palms. Successful transplanting is possible but they are very fickle if there's any trunk. It is best done in summer but a substantial root ball should be preserved, and shade should be provided at the new location - at the very least by tying the outer fronds closer to the centre. Ground watering is recommended because crown watering can induce terminal rot at the very slow growing new spike. Delays should be avoided in getting the Nikau into its new ground and substantial die-back of all but the central spike can be expected.


Content quoted under Wikipedia GNU Free Documentation License See Nikau Palm