almost perfect Archontophoenix cunninghamiana specimen

[Eric in Orlando]

This Archontophoenix cunninghamiana is growing by my front door. I planted it in Sept. 2005. It was a 1 gal. specimen about 2ft tall. It has thrived. Only cold damage was after a frost in the cold winter of 2009-10. It had some slight damage on 2 horizontal fronds. It has started flowering this summer for the first time.

[awkonradi]

Beautiful palm. Cool to see it next to a Sabal.

[Mike Evans]

Good to see these thrive so well in Orlando, Eric. Thanks for posting a good specimen, it is good info. Does not look like it has any canopy for protection.

[DoomsDave]

Magnificent!

I take them for granted, of course, they're everywhere.

That's why I like all the Archies . . .

[Dave-Vero]

Yours has grown faster and better-formed than mine, which hasn't flowered yet. Mine was tiny when plopped into the ground in spring 2004, next to a mass of Philodendron selloum, which were removed after hurricane Frances battered them later that year. An Archontophoenix tuckeri was added in August 2006.

A. cunninghamiana has suffered only negligible cold damage, while A. tuckeri had serious browning of the leaves thanks to the freeze of December 2010, when we were about as cold as Orlando.

Here's the A. cunninghamiana (left) and A. tuckeri (right) today. The tall bush on the right is a beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), which is kept better-trimmed now. On the palm's left is a Simpson stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans), which has reached nearly its full natural height :

And July 2006, with a leaf poking out of a fast-growing thicket:

I planted an A. maxima propagated at Leu in the front yard a couple of months ago.

[Walter John]

Great palm....

[Jeff in St Pete]

Nice Eric. Perfect looking palm

[ghar41]

That's a beauty!

[gilles06]

très joli!

[Tassie_Troy1971]

You must be in a wind free area to see fronds like that , very nice !

[Raniked]

very nice!

[Eric in Orlando]

It isn't directly under tree canopy but my neighborhood is heavily wooded so lots of wind protection.

The only thing I do to it is water it occasionally during very dry spells. I just fertilized it for the first time a few days ago. I used to rent a house a couple blocks away about 15 years ago and planted one there too. It is about 25ft tall now.

[redant]

They don't look any nicer then that, a great palm IMO.

[chris.oz]

This palm grows best in deep valleys in riparian zones. IMO the palm needs wind protection to look good. Your palm looks just like

the ones I have seen in the Queensland valleys where it reaches the peak of its beauty of symmetry and the perfection of the arching curve

of the petioles on your palm is a joy to see. Many specimens here in Melbourne ( Australia)look terrible because of the strong winds in our area.

[richnorm]

Is that a silvery cast I spy on the undersides of the leaflets (third shot at the right)? Might just be a misty photo? Anyway, great to see how awesome this species can be when well sited.

[brodklop]

Nice Archontophoenix, but I think it is a aAlex. The colour of the inflo gives it away and the crownshaft is Alex colour as well. Richnorm has pointed out the underside of the leaves are silver.

[Eric in Orlando]

No silver on it, its just the lighting. It is an Illawarra-type A. cunninghamiana.

[LJG]

The twisted fronds held at a perpendicular are a dead give away for Cunninghamiana.

[AusJude2]

What a beautiful garden. Love your Palms,Archontophoenix cunninghamiana is one of my favourites...I have a few growing here but they don't look near as nice as yours, they don't get much in the way of humidity. Humidity seems to make all the difference!

[tikitiki]

Not as much as ramenta. A. cunninghamiana has ramenta. While A. aleaxandrae has the twisting fronds it does not have ramenta.

The twisted fronds held at a perpendicular are a dead give away for Cunninghamiana.

[Eric in Orlando]

There are nice A. cunninghamiana planted downtown at Orlando City Hall.

[Dave-Vero]

Here's the crownshaft on my A. cunninghamiana. There's definitely brownish ramenta, but not enough to be really conspicuous. It's not yet producing flowers, despite being bigger than a couple of A. tuckeri that are.

Like Orlando, we get plenty of summer humidity, but dry winters. The current wet spell has palms in the yard unfurling new leaves and dropping old ones at an impressive pace. They (and nearly everything else) seem to like rain much better than irrigation.

And here's the crown, showing the vertical leaves (eucalyptuses and some North American oaks do the same thing with dangling leaves). Good to hear there's some nice ones at Orlando's City Hall. Maybe the theme parks have some to entertain the tourists. I'll be in Orlando at the end of the month to take a look at the world bromeliad event (they're running a field trip to Leu).

[brodklop]

It could be an Alabang. The inflo is not lilac enough for a true bangalow. But photos can be deceiving.

[Eric in Orlando]

Has anyone tried crossing. any other Archontophoenix with A. purpurea ? It could make some slighty hardier, faster growing purple crownshaft palms.

[redant]

Has anyone tried crossing. any other Archontophoenix with A. purpurea ? It could make some slighty hardier, faster growing purple crownshaft palms.

Even the true purpurea don't seem to show much purple, atleast not mine, rather crappy looking overall compare to other kings such as the peach river or cunninghamiana .

[TropiPalmGuy]

Beautiful tree Eric. You give me hope as I am growing several a. Cunninghamia in 1 gal. pots. I was wondering and doubting how they would do here after I lost several in a friend's greenhouse. I am observing these as young plants do much better outside where I grew them in shade, than in the greenhouse, although I suspect they weren't getting watered daily in the greenhouse.

[Eric in Orlando]

They will grow well in the warmer areas of Orlando, especially if sheltered from frost, grows best under a tree canopy.

They like as much water as you can give them. We have some growing here at Leu Gardens in black mucky soil that stays wet and swampy all year and they love it.

[Eric in Orlando]

Has anyone tried crossing. any other Archontophoenix with A. purpurea ? It could make some slighty hardier, faster growing purple crownshaft palms.

Even the true purpurea don't seem to show much purple, atleast not mine, rather crappy looking overall compare to other kings such as the peach river or cunninghamiana .

A. purpurea really vary in coloring. Some have little but some will have lots. We had a very nice specimen with lots of purple coloring but lost it in Hurricane Charley. But they are much slower growing and less cold tolerant than other Archontophoenix.

[FlaPalmLover]

How is she doing now? 

[RainforestCafe]

I'm interested to see how this guy is doing too. The pictures from 2012 are amazing! I feel like I rarely see a king palm looking that good here in Florida.