Pygmy Date Palm – Phoenix roebelenii

"From Laos, on the Mekong delta in Vietnam, and Yunnan in southern China, comes this beautiful, small species, which has been popular as a house plant for over a hundred years. It has a slim solitary trunk (clustering in the wild), up to only 10cm or so in diameter and covered with old leaf bases, and a delightful crown of soft, feathery, pinnate leaves, though with spiny leaf bases. The flower stalks are produced from among these and the small flowers are creamy yellow. They go on to bear small inedible oval fruits. Male and female flowers are on different plants." - Martin Gibbons