I only learned its name today, this plant that I’ve seen for the last four years I’ve been coming to this Gulf Coast beach town.

It’s a palm that stood out for its blue-gray color, the hue of Nordic seas, a subtle note among the tropical oranges and yellows.

At first it was little more than a tall frond, a shrub. But as the years  have passed it has added to its heft and hue and now stands  quite proudly, as befits its rather hefty name.

I looked it up online. Named for the first chancellor of the German Empire Otto von Bismarck and native only to Madagascar (an odd combination!), this plant is grown throughout the tropics and subtropics.

Which is why I’ve found it here in subtropical Florida, where a brief rain shower drove me inside to finish the post.