Sugar Cane Palm

The Sugar Cane Palm is a Madagascar palm whose clustered, ringed stems recall sugar cane. Kew accepts *Chrysalidocarpus baronii* and lists *Dypsis baronii* as a synonym; palm references record the common name Sugar Cane Palm along with the Malagasy names Farihazo and Tongalo. ## Form and habitat Plants usually form clumps of three to five stems and reach about 2–8 m tall. The feather-like leaves arch above pale green to yellowish crownshafts, with young leaf stalks sometimes showing red tones. In Madagascar it grows in moist montane and bamboo-dominated forests, often on slopes at 850–1,470 m. ## Growing notes A palm-growing guide recommends a lightly shaded, moist but well-drained position and notes that established specimens can tolerate several degrees of frost. It is grown as an ornamental in Madagascar. Leave room for the clump to widen, and avoid sites that stay saturated; local rainfall and drainage should guide watering. Sources: [Kew Plants of the World Online](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:665952-1) and [Palmpedia Palm Grower’s Guide](https://palmpedia.net/wiki/Dypsis_baronii). ## Maintenance Trim only dead or damaged fronds and keep healthy foliage on the plant. Check the clump’s spread over time and give each stem enough clearance from paths and walls.