Phoenix Robusta

[Tomsky]

In 1970, I bought a bunch of palms from Diegard Nursery in Santa Barabara. On the way out, the guy gave me two seedlings, each in one-gallon containers. One was Sabal parviflora and the other was called Phoenix robusta. I had never heard of this P. robust and couldn't find anything in the literature.

After I put it in the ground, it grew fairly fast. I wrote to Otto Martens and asked him about this palm. Otto said that he considers it to be a variety of Phoenix sylvestris with a heavier trunk and grayish leaves. Maybe Kris knows about this palm.

The fruit stalks are so short that I didn't notice them until I got up on the roof. To saw each leaf was a major project because they were very thick. After the tree grew above the reach of my 16 foot ladder, I would leave the dead leaves alone. Then during the winter storms, I would find the leaves crashing down to the ground. They self-pruned neatly close to the trunk.

The leaf bases of the leaves that I sawed off are solidly connected to the trunk. However, the newest ones on top would gradually loosen as I wiggle them from side to side. I think this is a phenomenon that Dick has mentioned resulting from the debris from the crown. I see this on other palms, such as Livistona Australis.

Below is a photo.

Jack

[Tomsky]

Here's another picture.

Jack

[Alicehunter2000]

Cool.......definitely not like my sylvestris........looks like a P. sylvestris X P. dact. (var. zahidi?) in my humble and untrained opinion.

here is a zahidi for those of you unfamiliar with this variation

http://www.datepalm.com/show.asp?show=palm...ah/5-LowRes.jpg

[Tala]

looks like sylvestris to me, there is a form "robustior" or somethin similar. If the petioles near the stem are orangy in color thats a sylvester. The silhouette matches but I can't see the color. These are easily the best Date Palm for Fl. purposes, or at least where cold is a consideration. They don't get all fungified like canariensis & dactylifera or fryed in the freezes like rupicola.

As to loose leaf bases I'm not sure why certain palms do that. Its certainly prevalent on old specimens of Cop. alba and many Liv's. I would think the older ones would be worn off first but while trimming the aforementioned palms its always those newer ones that fall. If they stayed on like the ones at the bottom I could almost climb up the stem and pick the fruit - wait a minute ...

[gilles06]

Hi Jack,

Your phoenix robusta seems to be phoenix silvestris sp "robusta".

Go on the link to read more about it : http://www.rarepalmseeds.com/shop/PhoRob.shtml

Gilles06.

[PalmGuyWC]

The only two palms that I grow that are truely self cleaning are Livistona Australis and Decora. The old lower fronds remain attached until the winter storms and then they all seem to come down at once. Some of my Washingtonias self clean in the winter, while others hold on to their old fronds.

Maybe I haven't given some of my palms a chance to self clean because I've always pruned them off when the fronds turn brown and hang down, but now most are so tall they can't be reached. Brahea edulis is another palm that tends to self clean while all the others seem to hang on to their old fronds.

My Phoenix canariensis has to be professionally manicured about every 3 or 4 years. I like the pineapple look and it takes a pro to do that. A lot of my palms are looking a little shaggy now, but it would take a 40 foot cherry picker to reach most of them. I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and have it done soon.

Dick

[Kris]

Dear Friends

since we are discussing about the Phoenix Sylverstris 'Robusta' form,i thought even i will drop in with visuals of my phoenix sylverstris..wheather its robusta or not its preety massive compared to what i see in our parks & public gardens...

And the above stills for me it appears a healthy normal sylversteris.

thanks & love,

Kris

By the way when my p.sylverstris was a kid it resembled like the one seen in the RPS site _ Phoenix sylvestris (Robusta)

[Tomsky]

Hi Jack,

Your phoenix robusta seems to be phoenix silvestris sp "robusta".

Go on the link to read more about it : http://www.rarepalmseeds.com/shop/PhoRob.shtml

Gilles06.

Thanks for the reference. The seeds do match with the ones shown in the picture. Now I know the real name.

Jack

[Tomsky]

Dear Friends

since we are discussing about the Phoenix Sylverstris 'Robusta' form,i thought even i will drop in with visuals of my phoenix sylverstris..wheather its robusta or not its preety massive compared to what i see in our parks & public gardens...

And the above stills for me it appears a healthy normal sylversteris.

thanks & love,

Kris

By the way when my p.sylverstris was a kid it resembled like the one seen in the RPS site _ Phoenix sylvestris (Robusta)

Kris, thanks for the photos. Yours looks similar to mine. I always thought of the standard P. sylvestris as having a slender trunk.

Jack

[Kris]

Dear Jack

now lets have a photo tour of the weak looking Standard form_Phoenix sylvestris .Iam not a fan of this type though...

this type of palm is seen here in our parks & gardens only,but in the wild we see only the heavy onces !

lots of love,

Kris

[Kris]

Continued...

[Kris]

.....

Love,

Kris

[Tomsky]

Kris, those pictures make me glad that I have the nice fat version. P. sylvestris is harvested for sap with alternating cuts along the sides of the trunk. Is the robusta variety also commercially used that way?

Jack

[Kris]

Dear Jack

i have heard that from this variety of phoenix & even borassus.F wine is prepared but i do not know for shure from cutting what they get the sap.but non-fermented drink is avaliable in cool drinks shops in road side only during summer.it taste & smells like sweet coconut water ! but the natural cooling is so intense,that people suffering from prickely heat,sun burns,urinery infection due to hot weather all gets cleared for shure.And if even if not it's consumed as energy drink as red bulls...

And in the following posts i will upload stills of the heavy trunking type for the benefit of visitors to this thread !

lots of love to you,

Kris

[Kris]

Here are few stills of the heavy trunking Phoenix Sylverstris _ Silver Date Palm..