NAME: Howea forsteriana HARDINESS: 26˚ ORIGIN: Lord Howe Island HEIGHT: To 20'-30' GROWTH RATE: Very Slow ................................................ The Kentia Palm is arguably the most beautiful tropical plant that can be reliably grown outdoors in the SF Bay Area. It features a smooth, ringed trunk with elegantly drooping feather shaped foliage of dark green. The palm can grow to 30' and even 40' tall but it will take over a hundred years to do it. Hardy in frost free zone 17 and in the shade of evergreen trees or overhead structures in zones 15-16. Effective as a solitary specimen or in a jungly grove.