Blue vs Red Latan

[tank]

I have both of these planted within 20ft of one another with full exposure. While I don't think either of these experienced anything lower than mid to upper 30Fs last winter, the red is showing significant damage (nearly defoliated) while the blue is showing only slight leaf spotting. Last year both sustained significant damage from the cold that actually killed many of the coconuts growing nearby, but again the red latan fared much worse than the blue.

I'm thinking the Red may be a lost cause at this point. Even the two Pritchardia pacificas planted nearby faired better than the red latan. Both latans are growing in what is basically beach sand and each is about 5ft overall.

They are growing in southwest Florida along the coast just north of Charlotte Harbor.

Are the reds just not as hardy as the blues?

Thanks

[Mandrew968]

Not sure--I hear they are almost impossible to tell apart once they become adults. Is this the case for you(other than the cold damage)? I just hate that everything eats them!

[Kumar]

Very sorry to hear that - such a beautiful palm, the red latan - certainly the equal of a bismarckia in my view. the blue is so very dull in comparison.

Tank- you really must reproduce some photos.

[Mandrew968]

Really, Kumar? I find my dad's blue latania to have a nicer leaf than his Bismarkia(eventhough the bizzy dwarfs the latania and both are choice specimens). It is more oval in shape and less costapalmate--reminds me of a fallaensis leaf, albite a baby one!

[Kumar]

The blue is least costapalmate, the yellow most , but the red strikes a nice balance. Now if only the edges were not so very sharp

[peachy]

I only have yellow and red latans growing here and they both handled the worst nature here can throw at that....and lately thats plenty !! They have all taken freezes to minus 3C and a minus 5C frost episode. As long they are well fed and in a sunny spot they come through winters here relatively unscathed. Good doses of liquid seaweed in autumn always helps any palm with cold hardiness too. ( I should buy shares in the company the way I preach about the stuff)

Peachy

[Walter John]

I've grown all three in the past and the young blue has that waxiness of the leaves suggesting a certain hardiness with colder weather. The blue has pointier leaves that will stick you when you're not looking.

[Eric in Orlando]

Our red and blue (about 5-6ft) survived last winter and this winter with damage. The yellow died last winter.

[Mandrew968]

Maybe I'm used to Phoenix silvestris, but my father's Blue Latania leaves are not dangerous, at all--Watch out for that Phoenix though; it'll give Trithrinax a run for its money, anyday!

Edited March 10, 2011 by Mandrew968

[Geoff]

Here in southern California where all three are pretty marginal, a few have been grown to their grey-colored maturity, but not many (most succumb before they get that old)... I have only seen blue latans make it that far. Yellows and reds seem more cold sensitive, and the reds seem to keep their immature colors 'forever' here in California. Velez has one over 25 years old that still has its immature red and bright green coloration. Only holds 2 leaves at a time, though. All three are incredibly slow growers here.. taking at least 10 years to make a trunk and sometimes 20. Not generally good palms for southern California, unless you live in the 'perfect' microclimate.

[palmmermaid]

I have a young red that has been in the ground for 5 years. It has a little trunk starting. It has survived 2 brutal winters here in southeast Florida with no damage. I don't have either of the others so don't have any experience with them. Maybe it depends on where they are and if there is any canopy at all over them. Mine is under a couple of pines that provide some small amount of shelter. Not sure if that matters much.

[Kumar]

Fascinating descriptions but photos preferable please!

[Steve Mac]

[Geoff]

All right already... here is a shot of Ralph Velez's Latania lontaroides in the foreground, and right behind it, his Latania verschaffeltii (much larger). Both palms are about 25 years old if I recall, yet still retain their juvenile colorations. this photo is from 6 years ago but the don't look much different (or larger) today.

This is a shot of the leaf of the L verschaffeltii of his- remember.. this palm is over two decades old at this point... these are total slugs in California!!

But one thing I noticed about L lontaroides is it is slow to take on mature coloration even in Hawaii... here is a seedling about 6-7 years old there (already much larger than Ralphs 25 year old palms) with great seedling coloration

But here also is a maturing palm in Hawaii, that I unfortunately could not get all in the photo... but you can see some of the leaves drooping over still have a lot of green coloration- none of the grey of the truly mature palms I see in Florida of this species (that look, too me, nearly indistinguisable from the other two species)

[Kumar]

Beautiful photos Geoff ! I love this Latan genus. Thanks a lot.

I've noticed that verschaffeltii has droopy tips - this seems apaprent even in your photos (contrast with the rigid lontaroides). I hope mine will grow faster - can't wait 10 years to see it form a trunk.

[Steve Mac]

Thanks Geoff, great pics.

[Moose]

I am suprised how many have reported their experiences that the Blue Latania (Latania loddigesii) is more cold hardy? There were many mature Latania loddigesii that succumbed to the cold events of 2010 here in South Florida. A well established Blue Latania is a pretty tough palm in the S. Florida landscape. Perhaps my observations can be attributed to the fact that many of these that died were not being given nutritional supplements (fertilizer). Palms that have good levels of macro and minor elements in there system survive cold events and recover far better than those that do not. Also it must be noted that these specimen Latania loddigesii have experienced many cold events with lower temperatures over the years. But those cold events were short term. Day after day of 40F temperatures really put a hurting on many palms in this area.

My Red Latania (Latania lontaroides) faired much better. It was planted as a one gallon palm in 1998. It now has 15 ft of trunk. It stopped growing in the Spring of 2010 and pushed out a necrotic spear in the summer. Each additional leaf spear opened undamaged fan shape leaves (albeit smaller). The leaf base and necrotic petiole from the cold damaged spear are still on the palm. It was not until the summer of 2011 that vigorous full size leaves returned. It was my assumption because of observations of the Blues dying, that the Red was the more cold tolerant. This does not appear to be the case. The survivial of my Red may have been a case that it was healthy enough to make it through that horrible winter.

I know of only one Latania verschaffeltii (Yellow Latania) that was in the ground during the 2010 season that survived. Latania verschaffeltii is a difficult species to grow in South Florida to begin with in my opinion.