Leaderboard

Just my self indulgent contribution to this thread - I’m pretty proud of this one. Comments above are correct. These are tolerant of cool and even occasional cold nights. Mind in Melb, Aus occasionally has frost settle on the fronds with temps down to -1.5C /29F. Last winter we had about 10 frosts with temps at or below 2C/36F and the monthly average minimum temperature during the coldest month was barely above 5C/41F. Only minor cold spotting as a result. It’s also seen a few days up around 44C / 111F with very low humidity this summer and shown no ill effects to occasional exposure to these conditions. Our night times nearly always cool down significantly which may help. For reference, this one is in an east facing garden. It gets filtered morning sun until about midday. Happy to have this one growing here. There aren’t many palms that can grow here with those huge pinnate leaflets divided at random which just appears so tropical like in many Pinanga and Areca sp.

Today the big sallehana I purchased at the recent pacsoa show went in the ground, I have others in my garden so iam confident it will live they are quite tough, there only weakness is lack of water!

Out in the scrub again running around. Getting in a swim before winter gets here, and as usual bangalows in the wet areas and creek beds. Such a tough palm, but they do like moisture. Even there native habitat some of the leaves can look a bit tatty. So if your plants need is not perfect fear not even in habitat they can appear a bit tatty.

First up sack the gardener for cutting of a bit of garden eye candy, they said it years the younger generation are not interested in things like gardening, pidgeon racing or anything outdoors. Heaven forbid nowadays they are only interested in a google pixel addiction, what will our palms become in the future. There will come a day when they will look at botanical gardens and go what are those things growing, that’s if botanical gardens exist in 200 years. Seeds are the future generations and without people germinating them a lot will be lost. Richard

That definitely doesn’t have fused leaflets, like Sabal ‘Lisa’ does. As for any variegation, I only see necrotic leaf tissue, and no variegation. Not sure if it’s just my phone or if I’m missing something here, but I see no yellow/white sections in the leaves at all. Can you please point exactly to what you’re looking at?

Need some Cold Hardy seedlings after the Freezing weather? My large palms in yard took 27F with ease, no damage. I counted about 37 seedlings in this pot, most have 2 leaves. $30 plus Shipping, Spaghum, Box, etc. Beachpalms@cfl.rr.com

At Mounts

A wonderful gift of some Ferox seedlings sent to me by a PACSOA member. They shall be greatly treasured and grown with love. If iam gifted a plant I never forget that gift and will always remember who gifted me that plant, always with great remembrance. Thanks Gary

Lisa or no Lisa it’s one crook palm!

Today the good old phoenix robellenii got my attention, fitting in so well as a landscape plant. They may be common but they have that tropical landscape feel about them!

Agree with the above. I don’t see variegation or fused leaflets. Looks like Borrasodendron.

@Merlyn Good luck on the palm recovery. Some stuff seems to respond, and others are past the pale. Now we have multiple gardens that are Darwinian in nature 😁

That looks more like a Borassodendron with cold damage

I lost my bet, dang. Just for s..ts n giggles, I'd like to see it. 😂

There is some good stuff in here, iam even starting to look at this thread and say oh that’s where I planted that palm, I better get back and water it after I forget where I planted them! Richard

I have a photo of the local mature specimen setting fruit, but it's difficult to make out the exact color of the petioles in the photo. There are some better photos on Palmpedia: https://palmpedia.net/wiki/Saribus_rotundifolia They tend to agree that the inflorescence should eventually turn brown. The fruit is a very striking red before it gets totally ripe and black.

This is one of our Syagrus right after trimming last year . This is as radical as it gets. The Roystonia Oleracae to the right of it trims itself. Harry

For the collectors here that are interested in hybrid palm trees, I have an online mail-order store with a few of my rare crosses. I'm certified to ship in-container to all lower 48 states and also internationally with phyto (extra fee). https://seabreezenurseries.com

At least they haven’t changed there name to some other obscure name. They had the sense to stick with beccariophoenix north south or windows or no windows, A B or c.

Yes @Hu Palmeras, it is a very beautiful island. But we did have a little weather after my arrival. I arrived on March 10, then lots of rain. Lots! Saturday, March 14 at 8:30 am the power went out as winds picked up to very intense gusts and rain fell in sideways-blown sheets. We wisely decided to skip our usual trip into Hilo for lunch and grocery shopping. Friends brought a small generator to keep the refrigerator going and we had dinners by candle light.. This lasted through Sunday and finally Monday at 2:30 in the afternoon the power came back on -- but not for everyone. Sleeping at night during the storm sounded like an oceanfront condo with storm waves crashing. The interminable wind and rain had quickly become exhuasting. When things finally calmed, I walked the garden to find big dead, very heavy! ohi'a logs had fallen and broken up into pieces in several places in the garden, but amazingly no real damage. I have a lot of cleanup to do, but am so grateful for friends and neighbors pulling together here to make sure everyone is safe and not stressing too much. I realize how addicted I have become to my devices for weather reports, news, and virtually every kind of information. With no power and no internet we were cut off from the world -- but we could drive into town, buy a delicious coffee from Kohala Coffee Company, and catch up on the essentials, then vacate the table for others in the same situation. Our area had more than 20 inches of rain from Saturday through Sunday but some areas of the island had in excess of 45 inches, and damage from rain was worse on Maui and Oahu. This kind of storm is known as a Kona Low, for you weather buffs out there. 😉 A friend on the Kailua-Kona side said it was the worst storm she had experienced in her 33 years here!

Howea fosteriana and if you like the curved look of the leaf get a bellmoreana. A much better choice for indoors!

Hard to see if there’s an embryo there. Make a clean cut with some sharp pruners. But there’s a pretty good chance that they are viable seeds.

I'll add a vote for 'Boyette'. Bottlebrushes usually have quite a short flowering season in spring/summer, but this cultivar is genuinely repeat-flowering. Mine usually flowers 3-4 times per year, sometimes in the middle of winter. It is quite cold sensitive though and probably needs some protection if temperatures are going to be at the low end of z9a. Feijoa and Cordia boissieri are also great options.

I have seen the same palm a year ago in the summer and it was the same color. It does have a large look to it.(Borass...) but it definitely is not cold related. The leaves are similar to pictures of Sable Lisa that I have seen, but I can't understand the variegated color.

B. macrantha ( and lunaroides ) are great ..and stay on the smaller side. B. forficata is another good option too. B. purpurata might suffer some cold damage during any colder winters, but typically bounces back. If it succeeds, Hong Kong Orchid ( B x blakeana ) should be trial- able. Have seen pictures of Desert Willow growing in Colorado ..so cold shouldn't be an issue.. Wonder why Eric had issues w/ any he'd tried.. While you usually find them growing along seasonally flowing washes, plenty of specimens growing next to permanent ponds / lakes in neighborhood parks here that i've never seen being effected by such a " wet " placement. Cultivar you mention is nice ..and stays at a reasonable size.. ..and doesn't set tons of seed like others can. Type in Desert Willow Palmtalk " nd you'll find tons of shots i've posted through the years regarding the various color forms seen ...everywhere.. here. Agree, don't see why x Chitalpa should have any issues there. Texas Ebony is fantastic. . Big, woody pods it can drop aside, I really can't find a fault w/ that tree. While it might get nipped during your cooler winters, esp. when younger, imagine it should push out of any damage quickly w/ any heat afterward. ...If it is still there, there is a HUGE specimen growing ..very close.. to the shoreline of Sarasota Bay at Selby Botanical in Sarasota. No doubt it probably taps somewhat salty water from the bay yet doesn't seem to mind that one bit. Was a little surprised myself when i first observed that. One of the greenest trees in view, even when it is 105++ here for ..months.. While it can take plenty of drought and ..practically now extra water, once established, Calliandra eriophylla ..and californica, our red - flowered sp. , can get HUGE if provided deep but regular water ..which, to me, suggests they should be able to tolerate wetter areas.. Trial -worthy there ..at least.. True, ..both of these do want organic - rich soil conditions, which is why ..if you have the space, you could dedicate a small bed for such plants.. Say a bed near a house, where runoff accumulates, and where it is easy to dump leaves / other yard cleanup debris in to help keep the soil in such a spot enriched. ..An idea at least..

Super rare exotic I will plant at the end of winter, but it’s fair game for anything to get planted now right up until next summer, planting all winter, but autumn is the best time for me in my climate!

Oh Draceana goldieana I can’t get enough of them absolutely beautiful plant, and yes they do love the water!

I always get the two mixed up, originally I purchased some from Rich as north and south beccariophoenix, but has little windows forming.

Variegated palms you either like them or you don’t like them. I myself like them, not as uncontrollable like its green cousin. Slow growing, most of these ones are all around 30 years old in my garden. Easy to care for and grow, just add water, perfect for rocky soil helping to bonsai them. Iam slowly removing all my green excelsia varieties and are replacing them with more variegated ones. A great tropical look palm either in the ground or in a container on a balcony!

Do not ferilize. If its getting enough water it will shoot out nice new spears soon due to the heat. The transition from shade grown nursery palms to sun is rough at first om many palms but notoriously the Kings.. The old leaves will go ragged. Unfortunately March is breaking all time record high temps and low humidity across Southern California, in what would normally be an ideal time to plant a King palm. Once temps get over 90, the palm's capacity to pull in water fast enough through the roots is diminished. Plus the roots are not yet in the. native soil. It may look rough for awhile but it will eventually take off if you soak it daily when highs are above 85. At least its March with less UV and daylight hours, so it will help transition better

Good looking hospita! The leaves look huge, like bailey size. Trunk also looks thicker than I thought, based on some mature 25 footers I saw in a miami garden years ago that had 6-7" clean trunks. On the transplant root sensitivity, going from a pot into the ground is not a transplant, far less trauma. I have severed a root or two removing from a pot, no issues. Transplant means many root tips are cut, With palms some roots die back to the trunk when cut and send out another root, some continue to grow the damaged root. I am not sure which behavior is consistent with cuban copernicias. Transplanting a copernicia, digging from the ground and replanting is the tricky one.

I planted this Hospita a couple of years back from a 7g. Soil was loose, and I inadvertently busted off a couple of big carrot-like main roots. Planted in full all-day sun, gave it plenty of water and fertilizer…. no ill effects. It’s now 8 feet tall and has done great. You have to be careful, but I’m not sure Copernicia are really as root sensitive as people say.

I had a 9 footer transplanted from a shady lot in homestead and planted in full sun in 2011 at my place. Ken johnson took 5-6 months to prune it and deliver. Any time you cut roots in a transplant the palm will give up some leaves. Many nurseries will do that for you, cut off a few extra before they deliver a recently dug palm. This is because after transplanting the palm has less roots, some were cut. And there is not enough water uptake capacity in the remaining roots to supply the leaves which continuously transpire water. So the palm sacrificially drops older leaves. Looks like you did a painstaking job there Toni, only the lowest leaves browned, and it is growing. Keep it moist in the heat, and get a good palm fertilizer recommended by locals. I have brought (2)fallaensis, (3)hospita, (2)macrofglossa, and (1)baileyana out from heavy shade to full sun in pots( not a transplant, a plant) with zero leaf burning from sun exposure. My bigger problem is they tend to get fungal attack here in the shade, maybe too much dew for shade here. Roots are easier to handle on a small copernicia than a big one as the mass of the rootball can bend/sever the roots at the trunk during handling. I have found all the cubans copernicias want plenty of water or rain in the heat, though they be can be drought tolerant(florida drought tolerant). Good you got it in the right spot Toni. Maybe some humic acid a few times a year and some dolomite around the root area along with a good palm fertilizer. Enjoy the view from above, one day you may have to walk away a bit to get a better view. Here is my large fallaensis still recovering from a hurricane hit.

Doesnt Jonathan have easy warm weather for growing his sabinara, I hear it’s a growers tropical paradise @Jonathan. I gave him two calmus varieties I got from last years show, so I hope this large one fits in his mailbox, I had to buy it for you Jonathan, hope you don’t mind.🤣

My first C. baileyana arrived from I don't remember where in a long skinny box that once held a baseball bat. When I opened the box I almost had heart failure. The seller had unpotted it, hosed it off then tossed it into the box - no padding, wrappings, nada. Just a 6-8" baileyana with 18" of bifurcated root rattling around its cardboard shipping container. I gave him what-for and detailed instructions on packing/shipping. He immediately went ballistic and reported me to eBay for having the nerve to diss him. Upshot to this kerfuffle: I potted my Copernicia, then held my breath. In 2 months it sent roots out of the drain holes. I planted it on our unirrigated Garden Lot. It's trunking now. This is a tough palm.

Thanks Colin. Useful to have your input on this. I’m still a bit confused about C graminifolia vs C schippii. In Hodel’s 2013 paper (see below), he distinguishes C graminifolia from C schippi based on its solitary habit and one nerved thin leaflets. When I dig into previous history, it seems they were lumped into synonymy based on the study that all C schippii in cultivation were hybridised with C potchutlensis (C x Irving Cantor). Is it possible that C graminifolia and C schippii are one and the same (the solitary or open clump forming palm you describe) and those that are now thought of as C schippii (the large clustering palm you describe) is actually C x Irving Cantor or Irving Cantor backcrossed with the parents? Interestingly, both species are currently accepted on Kew’s checklist and described as caespitose. Photos of seen of C ‘schippii’ are very nice large clumps, but I find it hard to believe that Schipp would’ve described it as one of the most beautiful and elegant palms especially considering there are many other visually similar Chamaedorea (C costaricana, potchutlensis etc). I’d have thought that description would apply more to what I know as C graminifolia with the very dainty leaflets resulting in a unique looking palm. Not meaning to be provocative in any way and I definitely bow to the experts on this but I love a good palm mystery! I’d be curious to know whether the clumping forms of C graminifolia out there always send new stems up via rhizomes away from the main stems as described (like R rhizomatosa) and whether C schippii is any different. Photos I’ve seen of supposed C schippii look to be more traditional style clump forming like C costaricana, potchutlensis, hooperiana etc)

Ok, lets talk about Chamaedorea graminifolia, 1, the C.graminifolia can be single trunk. 2, most are open cluster 3, they are not C schippi which can look like grow into large clustering plants. 4, Don Hodel separated them from schippi in a later paper 5 All C graminifolia came from 1 source.

Update 03.15.26 Older fronds show sun acclimation stress, but not surprised since this palm was basically living in filtered light before. I'm ok with it looking a bit ugly for now. Newest frond appears healthy. Growth does seem to be faster in the sun, as indicated by the distance between the two sharpie marks.

Yes, those are Pseudophoenix vinifera. Pseudophoenix ekmanii is more carrot shaped; very thin proportionally at the base, and thick at the top when mature - then reverting to a very thin crown shaft area. Fairchild planted out about 25 ekmanii years ago at 3 gallon size and may only have 4 or 5 survivors at this point. They just do not seem to do well anywhere outside of habitat. Here's the ones left at Fairchild with a pic of a habitat specimen next to me to compare. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

It's one of those thick trunk Chamaedoreas

Thanks to all my friends. I actually already had these seeds. The person who sent me the seeds had sent them to me. He had already sent me these seeds in 2017/2018. They germinated but then died while I was in the hospital. I don't remember what size the seeds were, but the person who sent them to me is a great chamaedorea expert (you Australians already know who he is), and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank him. I almost never thank him publicly.

I purchased Chamaedorea schippii from Jungle Music. They were 5 gallon size, and had a main stem axis, and two or three clustering stems. It resembles C. hooperiana in this stem arrangement.

The best Phoenix in Houston imo are in the gritty neighborhoods where the pruners don't come. These are actually within "the Loop" but far far to the east haha

Second time recently, we’ve had to disconnect our water catchment system because we have tephra and Ash landing on the roof which gets into the gutters which gets into the water tank, but other than that, no problems here.

Yike! Someone oughta slap em!

I think this plant is from the initial batch of seeds distributed to nurseries around the world shortly after the discovery. It went into the ground from a 2 gallon pot almost five years ago. January 2018 Today it is about 3.5 ft (1 M) tall. Sorta slow by my standards, but keeps chugging along. Temperature range about 60-83 degrees F. Rain about 130" per year with supplemental irrigation during dry spells. Dappled light morning and afternoon with direct sun overhead at mid-day. Growing in black volcanic cinder with generous mulching. Starting to resemble a Kerridoxa with fronds split down the middle. I have high hopes for the next five years.

I certainly hope the sabinara has some cold tolerance it’s such a spectacular palm the ones I have survived in hothouse with temperatures getting down to almost 3 degrees with the calyptrocalyx pachystachys (noda noda) Johannesteijannia Altifrons but being so rare time will tell if iam game enough to plant outside in the ground temperatures on the mid north coast in Australia can get Cold with black frost the unique microclimate I have with black sandy soil and sandstone is a help as it warms up a lot faster in winter but the cold wet weather will be a test for the sabinara

I have the same problem with my lipstick palm. She is growing like crazy to a stunning 9ft plus. She can’t stay anymore under the shade and I have no other shade anywhere. So I had to be creative and attached a shade cloth to 2 palms and pushed it up with a long mango grabber to keep the shade cloth higher. It’s not perfect but she is under shade. You can create the same oblique so the Sabinaria is protected. See pic. Hope that helps. I have 2 Sabinaria happy in the shade, nice dark green. They need shade and lots humidity !

Pictures of Sabal minor growing in habitat at Honey Creek State Natural Area, Texas (approximate GPS coordinates: 29.859131138720375, -98.48455621328327). These were taken on January 29, 2022. There are some other specimens growing along the river at the adjacent Guadalupe River State Park; however, they are not as prevalent, or grow as large there. These Sabal minor were observed growing in three distinct environments: 1. Along the creek side and close to water; 2. Along and on top of the rocky hillside/cliffs; and 3. Out in the open in the Live Oak savanna.

About 4-5 years ago I got this Sabal minor from Plant Delights in NC. S. minor Emerald Isle Giant is a variant of Sabal minor whose ancestors were rescued from a construction site near Emerald Isle, NC. It is notable for growing very large (up to 7' tall and 10' wide) with exceptionally blue 5' wide leaves. It is slow growing even compared to other Sabals. My mother palm is flowering and setting lots of seeds. Is there any interest for germinating and growing this palm on the forum? If so, I will clean them when ripe and post them for for sale. This is a very beautiful Sabal and quite cold hardy (see photos below). The rescued ancestors have been growing in Raleigh, NC. Sabal minor Emerald Isle Giant, Cape Coral, FL