Copernicia alba

[annafl]

Eleven years ago I was even more clueless about palms, except after seeing a few photos I knew I wanted a Copernicia hospita.  Well, I bought this one in a three gallon container and it took more than a year to realize I had a Copernicia alba.  I've still loved the thing and it has responded accordingly.  This little palm is beautiful to my eye and the highlight of my garden in this little area.  Not rare, but it can be pretty and eye-catching too.  Please show yours too.  Thanks!

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

I'm a big fan of C.Alba myself. 

[Josh-O]

Great job on Growing that tree Anna. I would love to have a specimen that perfect in my garden.

[Palmə häl′ik]

Here's mine:

[annafl]

6 hours ago, Josh-O said:

Great job on Growing that tree Anna. I would love to have a specimen that perfect in my garden.

Thanks so much, Josh.  You've got quite a few different perfect specimens of your own!

[annafl]

5 hours ago, Palmə häl′ik said:

Here's mine:

A beautiful example, Ray!  You live an hour or so from me.  What a great little Palm for our area.  I don't know why we don't see more of these around.  There is a city street in Saraota that has about a dozen of them in a row, but they look awful.  Obviously not taken care of in the least.  Too bad, because they give this Palm a bad rep.  They are such pretty little things.

 

[Palmə häl′ik]

Thanks Anna.  I know of two local nurseries with C.Alba's around me...   I think we'll start seeing more and more in the near future...   I noticed that they're field growing them tho....   I wonder if that's a good idea?   I know how Copernicias's are somewhat root sensitive and all....

[smithgn]

14 hours ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

I'm a big fan of C.Alba myself. 

Are they hardy where you are? I would contribute some pictures, as I have 2 C. Albas, but they're in pots. Not so cool. I had a dream that one day, once they're big enough, to put them in ground and see what they can take. Unfortunately, even 8B is optimistic. How cold tolerant are they compared to CIDP's?

[edbrown_III]

I have them in  9A 

[annafl]

13 hours ago, Palmə häl′ik said:

Thanks Anna.  I know of two local nurseries with C.Alba's around me...   I think we'll start seeing more and more in the near future...   I noticed that they're field growing them tho....   I wonder if that's a good idea?   I know how Copernicias's are somewhat root sensitive and all....

Wow, I've never seen them up our way, but that's encouraging.  I don't know how they transplant- mine was purchased in a pot and adapted quite easily without incident.

 

8 hours ago, smithgn said:

Are they hardy where you are? I would contribute some pictures, as I have 2 C. Albas, but they're in pots. Not so cool. I had a dream that one day, once they're big enough, to put them in ground and see what they can take. Unfortunately, even 8B is optimistic. How cold tolerant are they compared to CIDP's?

I think they can take to low 20's at best.  9a for sure, but it may be worth trying in 8b in a protected microclimate?  Not sure.

 

57 minutes ago, edbrown_III said:

I have them in  9A 

Wow, beautiful, Ed.  And in Jacksonville, 9a.  That's encouraging.  Definitely should be grown more, IMHO.  They are beautiful to my eye.

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

I have one that has 3' of trunk in the ground but i wrapped it this year. I tested a few small plants outdide though but I won't have results for a few months.  

[edbrown_III]

I actually think they look better when they are younger ----- the boots are on and it gives such a geometrica appeal to the trunk symmetry

 

 

[annafl]

5 hours ago, edbrown_III said:

I actually think they look better when they are younger ----- the boots are on and it gives such a geometrica appeal to the trunk symmetry

 

 

Yes, I really love the texture the boots give.

[Eric in Orlando]

I wish this palm would get used more in central and south FL. I see nurseries field growing them but they haven't made it out into plantings like Livistona decora and L. nitida. This is a great palm. Disney has used some in the Magic Kingdom in the landscape by The Little Mermaid ride.

 

 

[annafl]

4 hours ago, Eric in Orlando said:

I wish this palm would get used more in central and south FL. I see nurseries field growing them but they haven't made it out into plantings like Livistona decora and L. nitida. This is a great palm. Disney has used some in the Magic Kingdom in the landscape by The Little Mermaid ride.

 

 

I don't understand it either, Eric.  Could it be they're just more costly than alternatives?  It can't be that they're more difficult to grow.  Maybe they're not as available in bulk either?  I don't know.

[annafl]

22 hours ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

I have one that has 3' of trunk in the ground but i wrapped it this year. I tested a few small plants outdide though but I won't have results for a few months.  

Joseph are you in zone 8a or 8b?  Is it in a protected spot?  

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

The plant is in 8B(just barely although the USDA interactive site officially calls me 14.6F) and on the south side of a brick wall; basically the warmest spot that I have.  I recorded a low of 17 this year and 14 in 2011 on the weather station 150' away from this spot in the middle of the back yard.  All of the other years we briefly hit 18-19 for an hour in the morning but last year our winter low was 28.  I'm almost positive the area where the Alba is located never dropped below 16-17 degrees in 2011 or much below 20 any other year.

[Eric in Orlando]

19 hours ago, annafl said:

I don't understand it either, Eric.  Could it be they're just more costly than alternatives?  It can't be that they're more difficult to grow.  Maybe they're not as available in bulk either?  I don't know.

 

I just looked in Plantfinder. They are more expensive than Washingtonia robusta. But cheaper they than Phoenix sylvestris which is getting used everywhere now. I think most landscape architects and designers are super lazy or unknowledgeable about plant diversity and use they exact same thing as everyone else.

 

 

[Mike Evans]

On 1/4/2017, 1:31:49, annafl said:

I don't understand it either, Eric.  Could it be they're just more costly than alternatives?  It can't be that they're more difficult to grow.  Maybe they're not as available in bulk either?  I don't know.

I can tell you a few reasons why you do not see them more.  First, Harry Homeowner sees the armed petioles and immediately starts complaining that their Kid and the Dog will get hurt.  I do not want that one!  Second, Eric is correct,  the so called Landscape architects.  I work with a few architect firms in the Tampa Bay area and they send their drivers out to pick comom things up.  I show them all the other tropical palms they could be using and they try to tell the guys back in the office to come out and look so they know what is out there different to use.  The guys in the office do not seem to want to leave the cozy AC surroundings, therefore keep designing with the common things they used before.  Therefore most growers do not grow them.

Here are a few in the garden that never get supplemental watering, only fert.  Note the one on the right bending out to get more Sun.  Tough, cold hardy, drought tolerant palm that is under utilized IMO. 

[Palmə häl′ik]

Could it be that they're so slow that juvenile palms may have never been introduced to the "common market"...   The "instant gratification" on these probably have just come around.....    Landscapers would want sizable material right off the getgo.  C.Alba's of decent size were probably not around until recently.  

 

 

[Alan_Tampa]

They've been around plenty long. There is one on Hillsborough Ave near town and country (tampa area) that's been there for many years. Planted at entrance at subway division. 

 

They don't seem all that slow to me. Seen them double in 2 years. 

[Palmə häl′ik]

So your telling me pretty much every nursery you'd goto 15 years ago had LARGE C.Alba's Alan?  

If you say yes, I still wouldn't believe you.

And if you don't think they're slow, you obviously haven't grown from seed.

[annafl]

On 1/4/2017, 10:08:21, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

The plant is in 8B(just barely although the USDA interactive site officially calls me 14.6F) and on the south side of a brick wall; basically the warmest spot that I have.  I recorded a low of 17 this year and 14 in 2011 on the weather station 150' away from this spot in the middle of the back yard.  All of the other years we briefly hit 18-19 for an hour in the morning but last year our winter low was 28.  I'm almost positive the area where the Alba is located never dropped below 16-17 degrees in 2011 or much below 20 any other year.

It will be interesting to see how it does over the next couple of winters.  Let us know.

[Alan_Tampa]

You are right about slow from seed, but after the first couple years, not that slow.

 

I should say that I saw them at nurseries with some frequency,  not every one, of course, but enough that with some promotion we should be seeing more bigger ones today. 

Didn't mean to seem that argumentative,  that's what I get for posting before nap time!

 

[Tampa Scott]

2002...

2017 has cleared roof of my second floor...

 

 

[Palmə häl′ik]

I honestly would've considered C.Alba to be a "rare" palm in the 70s,80s and prolly even into the 90s....   But I guess that's just me.

 

[annafl]

On 1/4/2017, 10:08:21, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

On 1/6/2017, 7:37:35, Tampa Scott said:

2002...

2017 has cleared roof of my second floor...

 

 

Yes, I don't find these to be slow at all either, Scott.  Nice one!

[Really full garden]

This is mine from the beach garden. 14 years from seed .It has about 6 feet of trunk. It is slow, but speeding up.

[Palmə häl′ik]

I agree once these trunk they speed up, but I know for a fact that these along with other Copernicas are slow as juveniles.

[annafl]

6 hours ago, scottgt said:

This is mine from the beach garden. 14 years from seed .It has about 6 feet of trunk. It is slow, but speeding up.

It's a beauty, Scott!  I love how you've trimmed up the boots- it gives it such a nice, textural look.