Cyrtostachys renda (Lipstick Palm)
Monoecious clumping palm with brilliant scarlet or red crownshaft, slightly swollen at base; height to 20 m, smaller in cultivation; fine texture; slow to moderate growth. Slender, smooth stems, 5–7.5 cm in diam., arising from base; distinctly equidistantly ringed, sometimes reddish or brownish. Bright green pinnately compound leaves, ca. 60 cm long, with many pairs of opposite elliptic leaflets, each 50 cm long; green glabrous above, waxy white beneath; petioles short, rachis and petiole same colour as crownshaft.
Cultivation: Requires rich, moist soil and does not tolerate drought. Propagation by seeds, which are slow to germinate.
Etymology: The genus name “Cyrtostachys” is derived from the Greek words kyrtos, meaning curved or bent, and stachys, meaning spike, referring to the plant’s characteristic curved inflorescences. The species epithet “renda” comes from the Malayan aboriginal word for palm, reflecting its native origin.
