[2][3][4][5][6] It is one of the most cold-hardy palms in the world, and can be found growing in several areas with warm temperate climates.

The English name likewise refers to the needle-like spines produced at the petiole bases; for similar reasons, it is also occasionally called "porcupine palm".

Some reports have claimed survival of temperatures as low as −26 °C (−15 °F) with heavy damage, but with the palm recovering.

Recovery of winter damage of needle palms is much more precarious in climates with cool summers like the Pacific Northwest and northwestern Europe.

Across the interior of the USA, large well-established specimens have been growing in Tennessee, the southern Ohio Valley, and Washington, DC at the United States National Arboretum since the 1960s.