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This Cocothrinax was labeled as argentea or argentata, but when I posted it in past years I was advised it didn't key to either. I am still waiting for its first flowers. It does have some silver color on the leaf underside but it is modest. It has been a good grower. I thought it was time to solicit thoughts on a species id again. Here it is...

I originally bought this copernicia alba from Ken Johnson. It had 3'+ of trunk in mid august 2011, with a tiny crown due to sitting in 90 gal pot for years. Ken said nobody wanted it and he recommended it to me. It was delivered with a few other specimen palms(C oliviformis). Over the years I notice that each year a bunch of spears(~10 or more) at the same height rose up and pushed the previous years leaves down towards the horizontal. The new leaves open pretty quickly when the palm is ready. They can be seen separated against the sky fromt he old ones in a cluster. It reminds me of a new flush of flowers. SO I use the term "flush" when a good number of leaves open is quick succession( a couple weeks). A couple days ago against a story sky but some sun peeking through at my back I took a pic to show the "flush". The only other palm I have that does this is P, rupicola. The rest take a week or more between the opening of spears. This palm was hit by Hurricane Milton and lost some was as leaflets were bent. It was one of the better performers of the well exposed palms in my yard. Here it is with the dead leaves from Milton still hanging on. You can see this years flush is separated from last years by angle to the horizontal. As you can see its in sandy soil and has a little clay underneath at 2'. Its not in a wet spot irrigation or soil wise, and it did suffer in this drought but looks ready to go after the recent rains. The leaves are now self shedding to a smooth trunk the latest 3' of trunk(out of view here). Does anyone else out there have an alba story or a newly planted alba?

@JLM Haven’t posted in a while, so thought I’d give you a little yard update after the last few of not so good back-to-back winters. The only thing that’s been protected with just blankets (no heat) is my Pygmy Date. Still growing out half of it’s defoliated fronds but is otherwise doing good. The coastal areas have stayed within 9A throughout all these past few bad freezes, including the snow event, so no real palm losses here fortunately. Sorry to hear about your Queen! It looked beautiful and had good size to it.

Here you go, updated photos. This flush is going through senescence. No sign of the next flush yet but this plant can do that. My female one went bare between its last flushes too. I included a photo of a leaf on the female plant too.

I have very little experience with mules personally, but I have always liked them. I now own two. I have one that I bought last summer at roughly a 3 to 5 gallon size. I grew the other from seed. (It was the only one of 12 seeds I was able to germinate) Both have grown well in pots and in the ground for me thus far. Seed grown: March 2025 June 2026 (bottom right) Tonight 6 August 2026 (1st pinnate frond) Mail ordered mule: September 2025 March 2026 Tonight, 6 August 2026 This mule in the ground is the most marginal palm I have planted in my yard. My area is rated zone 9a. If you ask January 2021, it is an 8a. I have planted my landscape with the idea that I want my palms to be able to look good down to 20F, and survive 15F. I would like to think I am not being overly cautious or confident. Time will tell, I guess.

Phoenix palms are one of worst for being poisonous in my opinion, even more so when they are dead and dried up, absolute killers. Iam sure they have been the vain of many a trip to ER in the hospital. There can be some dangerous plants in the plant kingdom and many have been used throughout history for such foul play. But look on the other side of the coin at all the medicines derived from plants. Iam sure a bit of tennis elbow is a small price to pay for a thorn in the elbow. There is a fern in Australia called bracken fern and oh my step on a dead stem of that one and see what happens if you can’t dig it out, not a pretty picture in about 4 days time with more than a needle required for removal of that one. Home surgery at its best for that one. Richard

That "Jungle Music argentata" is certainly not argentata. I used to live in a forest of them on Big Pine Key and we had large specimens on our property. C. argentata doesn't have those beautiful, neat, light-colored mummy-wrappings you show here, Tracy, and what fiber argentata does have doesn't extend down that far below the crown; and the leaves have a different form, they have a bit of a wave and the tips droop, it's not one of the "stiff" Coccothrinax. Also, I think you'd never see C. argentata attain the sizes you have here, when grown in coastal SoCal, in any reasonable time-span. It is slow even in a tropical climate. But these also don't look at all like the C. barbadensis/C. alta I know, which, as Bret notes above, doesn't have a blade fully encircling the hastula (mine here only cover a little over a half-circle). Though it's the species I always expect to see growing near the coast, since it may be the fastest-growing. This is why it's the one you really find in the trade in Florida on any sort of scale (often sold there as C. alta), it's maybe the only profitable one to grow. I have quite a few of them here in Palm Springs and have acquired them both from Phil and from Florida sources...and they match, so I think what Phil has sold (at least recently) as that species, does seem to be accurately labeled. I remember several decades ago, it seemed the most common one you'd see in SoCal was C. miraguama, and I have a feeling that may be what this is. The mummy-wrappings in particular on your beautiful specimen. I planted a miraguama at my old apartment-building in West Hollywood in the mid-90s (probably bought from Phil), and this looks somewhat similar in my memory, I remember how beautiful the wrappings were...unfortunately that one was removed at some point in the intervening years so I am relying on old memories. Some of the photos of miraguama on Palmpedia really resemble yours, though of course you have to assume that their pictures are accurate as well. But you might want to try to key it out in that direction (and note there are three subspecies with differences in the fibers...see Paul Craft's book on the Palms of Cuba). Phil has also carried C. montana in the past...I bought a "Coccothrinax sp." from him a year or so ago and spoke to Ricardo at the nursery about it, he said in his recollection they had carried C. montana in the fairly recent past, and I am inclined to believe what I bought there as "sp." may be that one, but it's very stiff, definitely looks different to me from what you're all showing here. Hopefully someone with some good Cocco-chops from Florida will chime in here with a more authoritative idea. This genus is a really underused one, in my opinion, just the right size for home gardens, especially courtyards, and I wish there wasn't so much confusion with all the species (and that more species were readily available)...also I wish they grew a little faster, but at least there are a couple of them that grow well in a variety of climates. The nice thing is that they're very ornamental from youth, so there's no reason to decide against planting them and enjoying them, at any size.

The wind heavily exacerbated the damage. This was also an odd freeze because the cold came more west to east than the more typical north to south or northwest to southeast. As such, the immediate gulf coast didn't experience much of an event since the cold air was modified by the warm gulf water. Further east, even very protected microclimates reached 25F-27F. An urban area with a lake to the west could typically stay 25F-26F, with some barrier islands on the east side of the state stopping the slide at 27F. Open areas had 40mph winds and temperatures in the low 20s. Some cold pockets reached the high teens. I didn't have more Coconuts surviving than Chambeyronia on my Next Big Freeze Bingo Card. We live and learn... I guess

Welcome ! You have chosen well , the Howea palms are great indoor choices . The Foresteriana being best suited for your situation. As was mentioned , Bell palms are much slower and probably would need more direct light . The Palor Palm ( Howea Foresteriana ) has been used for many years as a way to bring tropical foliage indoors . Use a pot with really good drainage ( I put smooth medium size pebbles in the bottom ), soil that has more of a sandy loam mixed with perlite , and a pot slightly larger than what it came home with. Do not over water , but they like regular watering . Let the top few inches dry to the touch in between watering , then water thoroughly ( you’ll want a nice tray under the pot ).The occasional outdoor shower and fresh air is a huge benefit . I would find a shady spot with a slight breeze for its holiday at least once a month , even over night if it isn’t below 50f or so. It sounds like a lot and they will survive with less , but to grow reliably , a bit of attention goes a long way. They will take low temps if planted in the ground and established but not cold. Good luck and enjoy . Harry Edit: interesting that you are finding them elusive where you are , they are quite common in Southern California . Most good nurseries have a few available. They are a bit expensive for anything over 3 gallon size. Howea Belmoreana are a bit harder to find.

Hopefully we have some warm years and they don't go under 20F for you. Mine took a lot of damage under 20F but less UV here for the next day warmup than you. Here is my Mule Palm playlist of the growth I had, https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpVDrk5W7jTdjQmxI4FEtmI7CrCvNqNKs&si=VFS-i1SLpo1BHruH

Wow. I knew you guys had it bad, but didn’t think it was that bad. Sorry to hear about the losses, a real kick in the stomach as a collector.

There are some good ones. I also believe Houston and Dallas are drier in fall/winter than summer, and trachies there are more fall/winter growers. Here, they are spring/fall growing. They idle in summer/winter. I have learned to look at the base of trachies here in the SW. The "decent" ones usually in an irrigated lawn situation. Soil type and ph could also be a major factor.

Supplied by equatorial exotics, and very cool tolerant even as tube stock not a problem in my climate.

Which is also no longer in use and is considered a synonym of P sessilifolia. But I don’t think that’s the same palm which has floated around in the nursery trade as P ‘sarawakensis’. I think the palm Richard is referring to is the highly mottled palm that has been posted on here before. Either way, I doubt any of these lowland Bornean palms would be the best choices for California. I’d be looking for ones originating from decent latitude away from the equator (P baviensis, P gracilis, P tashiroi, P sylvestris) or highland species (P capitata) or a mix of the two (P declinata, P annamensis, P kontumensis). As noted, some others seem to have some level of hardiness despite relatively tropical origin like some of the Philippines species, P javana and P coronata.

This flush is almost hard now. The leaves will get darker green than they are now but I don't think this flush's leaves will get any bigger.

Kerriodoxa elegans, Johannesteijsmannia altifrons, Geonoma atrovirens, iguanura wallichiana var major, Areca vestria red form, sabinara magnifica, reinhardtia gracilis, chamaedoreas are must have, variegated rhapis. Then there are Zamias, Cerotazamias they all compliment palms and there are many of them to collect. Good luck once the palm bug bites you it’s a whole new world of plants!

A.engleri can take up a lot of space as it suckers.

Red Latania

My Carpoxylon caught my eye, I think I’ve had it 3 years ish…

watering every day for 30 mins could well be a problem. When I was in Gilbert arizona we always planted in the fall so root development could proceed without the great 110-115F heat. I also used 4, 2gph emitters and watered 9-10 pm at night(minimizes evaporation) for 4 or 5 hrs every 2-3 days. Maybe your drainage is faster so 3 hrs could work. I have friends in PHX that watered hours longer than I with 1gph drippers, but those clog easily so you have to make sure they are delivering 1gph. So lower flowrates for longer periods of time and not every day. Remember the depth of watering in clay soil depends on time not flowrate even with berms. Supplemental water at the end of the day on the super hot/dry days once or 2x a week for 10-15 mins manually by rainbird broadcast sprinkler cools whole the yard off at but doesn't make the soil soggy. Deep watering of phoenix species in the desert is recommended, and its also true for the true dates(dactylifera) though they are more tolerant. I would definitely not water every day, roots need oxygen too(soil microbes need oxygen). Am assuming your soil is clay and doesn't drain very fast. 30 mins or even 45 mins doesnt go deep. ANd an shallow depth dries out faster int he heat. what is going on at 2-3' depth is critical. You should get good moisture and a dryout. In the super not summers in phoenix, 115F or more, I watered 3x a week for established palms. Google AI on the canaries AI Overview No, established Canary Island date palms cannot take everyday watering. Daily shallow watering suffocates the roots, leading to root rot and fungal disease. Instead, they need deep, infrequent soaking once the soil dries out a bit. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Watering Needs in Nevada Established trees: Water deeply 1 to 2 times a week during peak summer heat, and every 2 to 3 weeks in winter. [1, 2] New transplants: Brand-new palms need frequent moisture to establish roots, but even then, a daily soaking is only common for the first very few days before transitioning to a few times a week. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Soil type: Nevada’s desert soil must drain well; daily irrigation combined with heavy or compacted clay will trap water and destroy the root system. [1, 2] My phoenix yard which saw 122F once, 117F a couple times, 115F at least half a dozen times in 6 years, and 30 days a year of 110F or over was typical. Even the queen palms do well with deep watering.

Next year, those lower fronds will clear the fence. The year after, you’ll be walking under the fronds.

Arenga micrantha and Engleri, two species that grow very well here and are also resistant to light frost

Hey Harry, it’s a little bit difficult to tell in your picture, but my observation is that barbadensis has a leaf that is not fully circular. Sorry for the less than great picture, but here’s a couple shots I took this morning.

I only have A. Engleri and it does well here too @gyuseppe . Yours looks beautiful. Harry

Looking good Garret! THese are my widest canopy crownshaft outside the royals. THey do throw some nice shade as they tend to hold more leaves than most. Mine were slow till that size then they started to add trunk about a foot a year.

Rained much of the day yesterday, the total in my straight walled bucket open to the sky was 2"+ yesterday. The ground is soaked, I sink a little walking on it in the garden areas. There is a glow to the yard this morning that I have not seen in a year. The retention ponds and the canal I haven't seen in a week look near full, not overflowed onto the grass but !6" below the lowest grass. It was 2' plus a couple months ago. The canal is higher than Ive seen in a year and the water is barely moving, a leaf on top moves about half a foot in 3 seconds. More rain is predicted for today late. We were in a severe drought still a week ago, the next update should be interesting.

Hey! I bought one from Phil as well . Mine was not labeled and when I posted pics here I was told it was C. Barbadensis. Mine is about the same size . It grows slow and steady. Jungle Music had a few Cocothrinax species when I was there about 20 years ago so not sure if mine is the same as yours. Very small when planted and full afternoon sun . The fronds on the one I got don’t stay stiff and tend to relax with age . It has an orange-ish hastula . Harry Trunk is pretty typical Cocothrinax The fronds are more relaxed a year or so after opening Orange colored hastula. I’ve got this one labeled Cocothrinax Barbadensis. I was at one of Jungle Music’s sales many years ago and Phil had some that had no label and were too little to identify . These pics are from when I posted a while back ( couple of years?) . Someone on PT said it was Barbadensis. Since these photos were taken , and seeing others , I started giving it more water and feeding it . I believe mine is a different species than yours.

palmenthusiast100 Welcome to Palmtalk !

I have one too!

Tracy, was that a Jungle Music purchase? I have a spitting image from them; argentata if I recall..

@George N Welcome to PalmTalk! Looks like some kind of fungal rot or maybe a lethal disease like fusarium wilt or Lethal Bronzing. Another forum member may be able to narrow it down, but the future for that one doesn't look good.

Great choice! Although a very slow grower, it's well worth the wait..A very durable, compact palm, that fits right into today's smaller yards. Here's one of mine, flourishing in the Arizona desert. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

@Banana Belt your jubaeas are truly inspiring. To have a specimen similar to that in the yard would be incredible. it’s putting out its 5th frond of the year and I’ve only trimmed one completely brown frond so far. All I used for protection the last two winters was a sting of C9 Xmas lights around the trunk for the dead of winter (mid dec-February) and I through a moving blanket around the trunk while I was out of town in January. That and a thick layer of bark mulch. Hoping for another molding winter this year 🤞. It clearly appreciated a lack on nights in the teens.

No not that common, this is the only one I have seen being used as hedge, and it’s one heck of hedge I will say, I reckon there would be few seeds in there as well!

Still chugging along here. Has opened 8 leaves so far this year. Averages one a month. Still not a fast palm for me but is one of my favorites. Nice canopy with a superb tropical look. Has almost 3 foot of wood. Nice, thick trunk. Lowest leaf brown now. Getting ready for that new color on the crownshaft when it drops. Very wide canopy. Picture taken today after a rain and the sun setting. Looked nice so thought I'd share. Definitely greener than the pic shows. Setting sun gave it a cool color. Full, all day sun. 9 years planted from a small 7 gallon pot. At first in near full shade. Hardly grew until I removed all the areca palm hedges in 2023.

Similar to @flplantguy, I'm west of US-27, so I consider the location West Central FL. Here on the ranch, the only survivor is a Chambeyronia oliviformis (syn. Kentiopsis oliviformis). The Houailou held on for dear life for a while, but eventually gave up the ghost. The Chambeyronia macrocarpa and the Watermelon variety died about 2 months after the cold from their injuries. There may be some survivors in the city gardens, but we'll see as my schedule permits. My guess is that there are probably some survivors on the east and southeast sides of large lakes in Orlando. A few of those locales stayed at or above that magical 26F mark where stuff like these tends to skate by with some damage.

Please join me in celebrating my larger Chambeyronia Houailou for two accomplishments: 1. a dazzling new red leaf 2. one foot of clear trunk Arching green Houailou leaf frames canal Trunk details

I had three total. Two died and the third was making a recovery, but would have never looked right with pretty severe narrowing of the trunk where all the damaged leaves fell off post freeze, in light of that, I cut it down. Two of three were large about 20-25ft. My yard got down to about 28. I removed a bunch of palms because of how disfigured their trunks would have been.

They are not a small understory palm that’s for sure!

Variegated Rhapis excelsa ; 4 inch pot. $85. plus shipping. No sales to CA or TX.

I have both cunninghamiana and alexandrae shooting new bronze fronds but seems to only happen in winter.

I would be interested in what a Archontophoenix teracarpa actually is too as it’s not something I’ve ever seen here in Australia. However there are reportedly some paler cunninghamiana somewhere out there in the wild.

A nice young carpoxylon macrospermum!

They will work if you are brave!

Definitely a thread worth reviving. Aechmea comata. One of my favourite Aechmeas. Under some canopy (Heliconias and native honeysuckle) but endured three nights of Z9a temps in January with only minor damage. I don't think it gets enough sun to flower here though, but it is slowly spreading out. I would love to see some more photos of cold hardy bromeliads people are having success with. Or some more unusual Rhapis species... @Alicehunter2000

Pinanga sp.’Thai mottled dwarf’, or at least sold as such.

SWEET

Ever so subtle.

Probably either red-crowned or lilac-crowned amazons.

It's not the cool rainy conditions so much but the colder weather. The freeze and thaw cycles on tender emerging spears. Snow sitting deep in the crown where the fronds develop. A dry growth point even with some dry burlap tucked in during extremes goes a long way while these establish and settle in.