Trunk of Phoenix Rupicola

[GMann]

All along US-1 in Hollywood, Fl. south of the circle, there are some nice looking Phoenix, which I think are Rupicolas. The taller one have thing trunks and the shorter ones have thick trunks.

Does the trunk of Rupicola get thinner as it gets taller? Or are either the taller ones or the shorter ones hybrids with something else?

I really like the look of the shorter ones, but not so much the taller ones. So what type of Phoenix do I need to get for my garden to mimic the look of the shorter ones with the thicker trunk?

Here are the pics:

[Patrick]

Not sure if those are actually rupicolas or not. The cliff's I've seen all seem to have longer, more relaxed leaflets. Maybe what's pictured is a sylvestris-roebelenii hybrid? I'm not as well-tuned at ID's as most folks here, though.

My rupicolas are 12 years old from seed, and still no trunks- very slow; but then I'm on the west coast, they could grow a little faster with a better climate. They're looking to have 8-10" diameter when they do trunk- maybe a couple more years...

I think you could have cliff dates for upwards of 25 years without the trunk getting too tall, and once they get too tall for your taste you could probably get a pretty penny if you sold them, assuming you find the right person who knows what you have... they ought to transplant well (I believe)

I saw a pic of one a few years back that was like 25 years old and was just getting trunk near the top of a single story roof.