Phoenix Pygmy Date Palm catalog listing by Riparium Supply.
via Riparium Supply
Palms are among the most characteristic kinds of plants for the shoreline areas of tropical aquatic ecosystems. They may appear growing along the margins of tropical mountain streams and rainforest rivers, or emerging from the shallow water in peat swamp forests or savanna marshes. As useful as palms might be for aquarium biotope creation, it is challenging to select and source species appropriate for ripariums or paludariums. Most commercially-available palms grow to a large size rather quickly and most are likely to be upland terrestrial species that will drown and die if planted with their roots in wet substrate.
Riparium Supply has added a new plant selection to use as the palm element of planted ripariums. Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii) is native to riparian areas of Southern China, Laos and Vietnam. As a plant adapted to wet soil habitats, it roots well in riparium planters. It is much smaller than most palms and its fine, feathery palm fronds blend well with other riparium foliage. Pygmy Date Palm will look its best as the dominant riparium background foliage repeated in several planters. The Riparium Supply catalog listing offers a pair of Pygmy Date Palm shipped together as seedling plants: 2X Phoenix Pygmy Date Palm
Pygmy Date Palm is adaptable and easy to grow. Use it to replicate an aquarium biotope for its native range in Southeast Asia, or use it as a stand-in plant to represent the palms from many other environments. While it can eventually grow to about 30″ (75cm) wide, rooting in the restricted space of a riparium planter will keep Pygmy Date Palm more compact. If Pygmy Date Palm eventually outgrows its riparium planting, it can be repotted in to grow as a beautiful, no-fuss houseplant for many more years.
Planted riparium in a 50-gallon tank. This layout uses Chamaedorea Cat Palm as background foliage repeated in several planters. Phoenix Pygmy Date Palm resembles this plant, but its foliage is more delicate and shorter in stature.
About Riparium Supply
Riparium Supply pioneered the planted riparium concept for creative aquascape designs, relatively easy plant care, robust plant-based filtration and new aquarium biotope possibilities. Along with its sister brands, Aqua Verdi and Selva Terrarium, Riparium Supply offers a line of live plants, riparium planters and riparium plant-growing accessories at AquaVerdi.com.
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