Most sensitive Tropical Palm

[User00]

what are the most sensitive humid tropical palms in your opinion and experience 

sensitive to  climate, shade tolerance,humidity, temperature and fruit bearing out side natural habitat 

[Hamal]

To me, Dictyocaryum lamarckianum is one of the palms with very narrow climate conditions that they are willing to accept and grow under. I am very familiar with spontaneous death with this species.

[Panamajack]

One of my favorite palms, Cyrstostachys Renda. Extremely sensitive to cool/cold temperatures and low humidity. In my experience, a 100% tropical plant. 

[DoomsDave]

Pigafettas refuse to grow where temps get too low, no matter how good the climate is otherwise. Or at least they die in a cold spell of 50F . . . like in Miami.

Lepidorrachis hates any climate not like the high mountain of Lord Howe Island.

And, Juauania hates growing anywhere!

[PalmatierMeg]

Nephrosperma is reportedly so cold sensitive it wilts at temps below 60F. Absolutely off the table for me (aside from the spines). Same for Pigafetta and Pelagodoxa.

Areca macrocarpa supposedly hates temps below 50F (although my two have taken brief drops to high 40s after a winter of conditioning). Still, I bring them indoors below that, esp. if there is a string of chilly days and chillier nights. Earlier this month they were in for 4 days and nights, which can lead to other problems (spider mites). Just finished spraying for those critters.

[doranakandawatta]

3 hours ago, User00 said:

what are the most sensitive humid tropical palms in your opinion and experience 

sensitive to  climate, shade tolerance,humidity, temperature and fruit bearing out side natural habitat 

User00,

In your climate (like Doranakanda's climate) palms sensitive to drought can be the issue: With 2014 drought we lost Calyptrocalyx and Cyrtostachys .

I am now afraid of beetle attacks and wonder which species is more vulnerable.

[tropicbreeze]

I too have problems during the dry season, particularly in these El Niño years. The combination of high temperatures and low relative humidity play havoc with my plants that otherwise wallow in the high temperatures and high relative humidity of the wet season. Although, things like the Cyrtostachis renda seem to love those extremes, provided they have plenty of water. But My Licuala 'Mapu' struggle during the dry season even though they have good shade and plenty of water.

[Palmaceae]

Maybe not as cold sensitive as the others mentioned but tender nevertheless, Lodoicea.

[nitsua0895]

7 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Nephrosperma is reportedly so cold sensitive it wilts at temps below 60F. Absolutely off the table for me (aside from the spines). Same for Pigafetta and Pelagodoxa.

Areca macrocarpa supposedly hates temps below 50F (although my two have taken brief drops to high 40s after a winter of conditioning). Still, I bring them indoors below that, esp. if there is a string of chilly days and chillier nights. Earlier this month they were in for 4 days and nights, which can lead to other problems (spider mites). Just finished spraying for those critters.

Do you know if Nephrosperma is able to survive in Key West? It seems I've heard that places like Havana, Cuba go below 60F quite regularly during the winter. I've always wondered how plants can die unless there is frost or freezing temps.

[palmsOrl]

Discussions on Palmtalk over the years have included a number of species (some of which are listed above) as ultratropical and intolerant of above freezing cold temperatures.  Another contender for the world's most cold sensitive palm is the seldom seen or heard about Manicaria saccifera. 

I doubt the cold would ever kill any palm growing in Havana.  Maybe a very isolated case at most.  The city's official lowest temperature on record is 39F, registered in 2010.  I think a healthy, established Cyrtostachys renda would survive this, I don't know about Manicaria saccifera, but a breadfruit would almost certainly be killed.

I knew Nephrosperma made the list, but I hadn't heard it was quite that sensitive (suffering from sub-60F temperatures).  I am going to have to finally get one and do an experiment.

Areca catechu is supposedly an ultratropical, zone 11 palm, but I think it is a bit more cold tolerant than alleged (maybe 10b, bulletproof in 11).  Mine looks kind of rough but has survived the past month and a half in the Orlando area with at least 7 nights in the 30s, just being wrapped/covered thoroughly four separate times.  My small Licuala grandis has just had a blanket over it 3 times, and just has some minor burn on the edges of the older leaves.  We have been as low as 31-32F in my yard.

[rprimbs]

8 hours ago, Palmaceae said:

Maybe not as cold sensitive as the others mentioned but tender nevertheless, Lodoicea.

I've never tried that one.

[Palmaceae]

7 hours ago, palmsOrl said:

Discussions on Palmtalk over the years have included a number of species (some of which are listed above) as ultratropical and intolerant of above freezing cold temperatures.  Another contender for the world's most cold sensitive palm is the seldom seen or heard about Manicaria saccifera. 

I doubt the cold would ever kill any palm growing in Havana.  Maybe a very isolated case at most.  The city's official lowest temperature on record is 39F, registered in 2010.  I think a healthy, established Cyrtostachys renda would survive this, I don't know about Manicaria saccifera, but a breadfruit would almost certainly be killed.

I knew Nephrosperma made the list, but I hadn't heard it was quite that sensitive (suffering from sub-60F temperatures).  I am going to have to finally get one and do an experiment.

Areca catechu is supposedly an ultratropical, zone 11 palm, but I think it is a bit more cold tolerant than alleged (maybe 10b, bulletproof in 11).  Mine looks kind of rough but has survived the past month and a half in the Orlando area with at least 7 nights in the 30s, just being wrapped/covered thoroughly four separate times.  My small Licuala grandis has just had a blanket over it 3 times, and just has some minor burn on the edges of the older leaves.  We have been as low as 31-32F in my yard.

I have a Areca catechu and it is about 12' tall and still doing great.  We did not see anything below 40 this year and still looks good. It is a bit tattered because of the cold winds we had but still chugging along. It is in the most protected part of my yard next to the house on the south side where is saw 44 this year, as I have a thermometer right next to it.

[User00]

20 hours ago, doranakandawatta said:

User00,

In your climate (like Doranakanda's climate) palms sensitive to drought can be the issue: With 2014 drought we lost Calyptrocalyx and Cyrtostachys .

I am now afraid of beetle attacks and wonder which species is more vulnerable.

it's usually a dry seson from January to April with few rain. small palm trees and seedlings need watering .  now im watering my palms but 2014 and 2010 droughts were worst, 

[hbernstein]

On 2/16/2016, 7:38:35, Palmaceae said:

On 2/15/2016, 11:51:20, palmsOrl said:

Discussions on Palmtalk over the years have included a number of species (some of which are listed above) as ultratropical and intolerant of above freezing cold temperatures.  Another contender for the world's most cold sensitive palm is the seldom seen or heard about Manicaria saccifera. 

I doubt the cold would ever kill any palm growing in Havana.  Maybe a very isolated case at most.  The city's official lowest temperature on record is 39F, registered in 2010.  I think a healthy, established Cyrtostachys renda would survive this, I don't know about Manicaria saccifera, but a breadfruit would almost certainly be killed.

I knew Nephrosperma made the list, but I hadn't heard it was quite that sensitive (suffering from sub-60F temperatures).  I am going to have to finally get one and do an experiment.

Areca catechu is supposedly an ultratropical, zone 11 palm, but I think it is a bit more cold tolerant than alleged (maybe 10b, bulletproof in 11).  Mine looks kind of rough but has survived the past month and a half in the Orlando area with at least 7 nights in the 30s, just being wrapped/covered thoroughly four separate times.  My small Licuala grandis has just had a blanket over it 3 times, and just has some minor burn on the edges of the older leaves.  We have been as low as 31-32F in my yard.

Montgomery Botanical Center in Miami had Manicaria a few years back. I don't know if the plant(s) survived. They were quite small and planted in a protected upland location, not swampy, although they were getting plenty of water. They didn't look that great.

 

[Jeff Searle]

Nephrosperma can take into the 50's and easily in the low 40's. And Areca catechu will grow here in south Florida all day long. Areca macrocalyx "Red Crown" is very sensitive to cold. So are most Geonomas.