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The needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) belongs to Aracaceae (the Palm family). It is the sole member of the genus Rhapidophyllum. It is a small evergreen tree that is native to the southeastern United States. This tree grows in moist to wet woodlands, slopes, ravines and stream bottomland, and up to 3 m in height. It is one of the most cold-hardy palms in the world. The leaves are large, glossy green, fan-shaped with 5-12 narrow segments. This palm is covered in dense long needle-like spines from the leaf sheaths. Three-petaled, yellow-brown flowers in small dense clusters bloom in early summer. Flowers are usually hidden by the foliage. Fruit is a reddish brown drupe, about 2 cm long.
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