Starter Plant of this spectacular specimen plant Dioon edule or Virgin Palm. Virgin Palm has stiff, upright blue green to gray green leaves. The virgin palm is not a palm but rather a cycad, belonging to a group of cone bearing plants. Growing to about 11 feet the trunk may reach 4 to 12 inches in diameter. Each tree has 15 to 20 leaves that are about 6 feet long. This slow growing cycad prefers moist sandy soil. Dioon edule prefers regular watering and partial shade. The Virgin Palm is hardy in zones 8 to 11 and is the most cold hardy of all the cycads. Dioon edule thrives and grows best in partial shade.