Alexandra Palm, King Palm

Scientific Name : Archontophoenix alexandrae (F. Muell.) H. Wendl. & Drude
Common Name : Alexandra Palm, King Palm
Chinese Name : 假檳榔, 亞力山大椰子
Family : ARECACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species

Anecdotes on plants

Origins	Eastern Australia.
Applications	The species has been widely adopted as street trees and ornamental plants owing to its elegant tree form, sense of the tropics and small space requirement.
Meanings of names	The Alexandra Palm is different from Areca Palm (Areca catechu L.) and are distant relatives classified under different genera. Perhaps due to their similar looks, the Alexandra Palm is called “False Areca Palm (假檳榔)” in Chinese for differentiation. In Taiwan, the fruits of the Areca Palm are popular chewing snacks, but they have been verified as carcinogens that cause oral and esophageal cancer. In Hong Kong, the Alexandra Palm is much more common. The species epithet “alexandrae” is named after the Queen of the United Kingdom and also the Princess of Denmark, Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia. Therefore, “Alexandra (亞力山大)” in its both Chinese and English names refer to the Queen Alexandra. Because of its exquisite tree form, the Alexandra Palm is dubbed “the King of the Palms”, giving its common name “King Palm”. In contrary, “the Queen of the Palms” is the Queen Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.) Glassman).

Traits for identification

Previous Slide

Stop / PlayNext Slide

Remarks

Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=3652

Scientific names from other databases
― Plants of the World Online : Archontophoenix alexandrae (F.Muell.) H.Wendl. & Drude

Reference

• Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). (2018). A Photographic Guide to Common Urban Trees of Hong Kong. 3^rd edition. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong. ISBN: 978-988-12021-3-0.
• Hong Kong Herbarium, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department & South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. (2007-2011). Archontophoenix alexandrae (F.Muell.) H.Wendl. & Drude 假檳榔. Flora of Hong Kong. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 25^th March 2020, from: https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/FloraOfHK/Species/3652/3652_S_E.pdf
• Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), HKSAR Government. (2017). Archontophoenix alexandrae. Tree walk at Yeung Siu Hang Garden, Tuen Mun. Retrieved 26^th March 2020, from: https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/tc/parks/yshg/archontophoenix-alexandrae.html
• 中國科學院仙湖植物園。（2016）。《深圳植物誌》（第4卷）。北京 : 中國林業出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-5038-8309-5。
• 中國科學院植物誌編輯委員會。（1959-2004）。〈假檳榔Archontophoenix alexandrae (F. Muell.) H. Wendl. et Drude〉。《中國植物誌》。[網上版本]。於2020年3月25日擷取自 : http://www.iplant.cn/info/Archontophoenix%20alexandrae?t=z
• 中國科學院華南植物園。（1991）。《廣東植物誌》（第2卷）。廣州 : 廣東科技出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-5359-0361-4。
• 呂勝由。（2019年3月26日）。〈台北植物園好花共賞134－雅莉珊卓椰子－以丹麥公主命名的椰子樹，公告訊息〉。《行政院農業委員會林業試驗所》。於2020年3月26日擷取自 : https://www.tfri.gov.tw/main/news_in.aspx?mnuid=5425&modid=529&nid=11020
• 國民健康署。（2014年6月30日）。〈檳榔是致癌物；我不嚼檳榔！，6月新聞，103年衛生福利部新聞〉。《衛生福利部》。於2020年3月26日擷取自 : https://www.mohw.gov.tw/cp-3202-21961-1.html
• 衛生福利部。（2014年6月30日）。〈檳榔是致癌物；我不嚼檳榔！〉。《6月新聞，103年衛生福利部新聞》。台北 : 衛生福利部國民健康署。於2020年3月26日擷取自 : https://www.mohw.gov.tw/cp-3202-21961-1.html
• 陳虎彪、楊永平。（2019）。《香港行山植物探賞徑（增訂版）》。第一版 : 2019年5月。香港 : 萬里機構。國際標準書號 : 978-962-14-7037-9。