Help me buy a Sylvester Palm

[Montengro]

Hi,

I am looking to buy a Sylvester Palm with 4-5 foot of wood.  

1. What are some things I should look for before buying this Palm. (this palm is in the ground).

2. What questions should I ask the palm installer?

Thanks. 

Edited October 27, 2017 by Montengro

[Insomniac411]

I have two Sylvesters and they are completely different. One is a sylvester Phoenix the other sylvester robusta, so definitely know the difference and which type you want.

[Montengro]

5 hours ago, Insomniac411 said:

I have two Sylvesters and they are completely different. One is a sylvester Phoenix the other sylvester robusta, so definitely know the difference and which type you want.

I'm trying to match photo. I think this is a robusta?

[Montengro]

This is the Palm I am thinking about buying to match the other one.

What do you guys think? Looks healthy and same Sylvester specie as mine? Why do the fronds &color look different? Not same specie? 

Edited October 28, 2017 by Montengro

[Insomniac411]

Im a rookie at this but pretty much think that's the Phoenix . I have the 2 variations and from my perspective, the fromds on the Phoenix is more dense and full, and the fronds seem to bend more as opposed to my robusta which has more space between fronds and it's fronds are very straight and erect. I'm not home to take pictures but I'll look in my folder and see what I can find.

[sonoranfans]

Phoenix as a species are highly inclined to hybridized.  the phoenix sylvestris in pure form has curvature in petioles, is silver green, and is plumose in leaflets.  the first palm looks to be a hybrid, not much leaf curvature.   the second one also looks a hybrid as its plumosity seems a bit marginal for a sylvestris.  If you really want a pure phoenix sylvestris, keep looking.  I had a "sylvestris" that I grew from a 5 gallon and as it grew it was obvious the crown was too wide and not enough curvature in the leaves to be sylvestris.  I have two others I bought bare root by mail that look like pure sylvestris, smaller palms, curved leaves, and many plumose leaflets.  These palms are a trimming nightmare as even leaflet tips, let alone the thorns, will puncture skin, ouch!  But they are also solid 9a palms, very drought and heat tolerant, and can be a very pretty silver green, a color that sets them apart in a 9a landscape.  I dont see why palms need to match, to my eye assymetry in the landscape ages more gracefully.

Edited October 31, 2017 by sonoranfans
punctuation

[Insomniac411]

So these are my two sylvesters.  The fist is my Phoenix which like sonoranfans mentioned they are commonly hybridized. I always felt my Phoenix looked a little different than others, when I had a Palm Specialist at my home confirmed it could be a variety of things such as cross pollination of similar species. I refuse to cut mine like others do. I love how full and healthy it is. The second is my Robusta. I just recently moved it so it's lost a bit of it's erect stature, but you can see the difference.  It will also be fuller as it matures.

[Phoenikakias]

9 hours ago, Insomniac411 said:

So these are my two sylvesters.  The fist is my Phoenix which like sonoranfans mentioned they are commonly hybridized. I always felt my Phoenix looked a little different than others, when I had a Palm Specialist at my home confirmed it could be a variety of things such as cross pollination of similar species. I refuse to cut mine like others do. I love how full and healthy it is. The second is my Robusta. I just recently moved it so it's lost a bit of it's erect stature, but you can see the difference.  It will also be fuller as it matures.

 

 

First one is very stocky, almost like a theophrasti.

[Insomniac411]

Good eye. Makes me wonder if that's the cross.

[Phoenikakias]

5 hours ago, Insomniac411 said:

Good eye. Makes me wonder if that's the cross.

If you search for a potential parent, then if the plant remains solitary, parent most probably should not be theophrasti but rather pusilla or loureiroi.

[GMann]

Choose ones you like the look of, because they can range from having very stiff leaves to very flowing leaves. If the seller has cut off a lot of leaves so that only the ones that point upwards are still on the palm, that may be a sign that the palm did not look very nice with the older leaves still attached, so I would be suspicious of those ones.

Edited November 1, 2017 by GMann