White Sand Palm

The White Sand Palm is a slender, clustering palm associated with coastal white-sand forest in eastern Madagascar. A field report from cultivation describes plants to about 12 ft tall, with narrow leaflets and stems that darken as they age. A 2022 taxonomic treatment transferred the species to *Chrysalidocarpus* as *C. psammophilus*; older sources use *Dypsis psammophila*. [The Palms of Madagascar](https://palmpedia.net/wiki/books/16_Palms_of_Madagascar.pdf) · [Palm Beach Palm and Cycad Society growing report](https://paperzz.com/doc/9105138/dypsis-psammophila---palm-beach-palm-and-cycad-society) · [2022 taxonomic treatment](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/tax.12797) ## Form and placement Its narrow, bamboo-like stems and fine foliage suit a sheltered tropical garden or a large container where the clump can be appreciated. In habitat it grows in coastal white sand and, farther south, in open forest on thin soils over rock and ridge tops. The cultivation report found that its clumping remained moderate in one garden; allow room for a gradual spread without assuming it will behave like running bamboo. ## Light and soil A palm grower reports success in shade and describes its natural site as low-canopy rainforest on coastal sand. Provide a freely draining, sandy medium and steady moisture, especially in warm weather; the source reports frequent irrigation in its Florida garden. Salt exposure tolerance is not established by the habitat references, so coastal origin alone should not be treated as proof of salt-spray tolerance. ## Maintenance Keep the root zone moist but freely drained and remove only dead or damaged leaves. Check the clump’s spread periodically and protect it from cold, since a verified USDA hardiness range was not found in the reviewed sources.