Zone 10 Palms in the Orlando Area Mega Thread

[palmsOrl]

Ficus religiosa and Schefflera actinophylla in the same booted Sabal palmetto in the neighborhood near Lake Highland. I have also seen a number of other misc. Ficus and Scefflera actinophylla and arboricola in trees, esp. Sabal palmetto in the area just north of downtown.

[palmsOrl]

Cocos nucifera, I am going to call green Malayan dwarf, along the sidewalk at a house near Lake Highland.

[palmsOrl]

And here is a house on the same street that has a number of large A. cunninghamiana in front.  I consider these barely even marginal in this area now, but they are still not quite widespread.

[Eric in Orlando]

11 hours ago, palmsOrl said:

Ficus religiosa and Schefflera actinophylla in the same booted Sabal palmetto in the neighborhood near Lake Highland. I have also seen a number of other misc. Ficus and Scefflera actinophylla and arboricola in trees, esp. Sabal palmetto in the area just north of downtown.

There is a good sized Ficus religiosa a few blocks south of there on the street behind Colonial Photo (Thornton Ave.) . Wonder if the seeds came from there.

[Eric in Orlando]

On 3/3/2019 at 10:02 AM, bubba said:

What a great thread! I was with a friend near Bay Hill, who pointed out a large full grown tree (40 foot +) about this time last year. It was covered with red flowers and really beautiful. I was not sure then but now I am almost certain that it was an African Tulip Tree (Spathodea campanulata). He also has one very old and knarly Meleuca but it does not appear invasive up in Orlando.

How many other tropical flowering trees are now established in Orlando? Delonix regia, Cassia fistula, etc as well as ficus establishment? What about tropical fruits like Barbado’s Cherry, Sapota, etc. Hey Eric !

There are established Delonix and Cassia fistula around here. I've mentioned it before but there were many mature established zone 10 trees around Orlando prior to the first '80s freeze (12/83). Some were killed after the 12/83 freeze, some perished after 1/85 and more after 12/89 but some survived. Zone 10 plants and trees around Orlando are not a new thing.

[Eric in Orlando]

Here is a Cocos  and Wodyetia down the street from me in Altamonte Springs. This is a colder area than in metro Orlando. These 2 palms were planted around 2012.

[Eric in Orlando]

And a Hyophorbe lagenicaulis in Altamonte Springs along 434 just north of 436. Its been there since about 2012.

[pj_orlando_z9b]

Areca and Christmas palms in Belle Isle.  Several homes have one or both growing. Several Christmas palms in this area have mature and bright red seeds now. The Arecas were about 25 to 50 percent burned in the 2018 freeze but all recovered. These pictured Christmas palms had minimal or no damage last year along the lake shore. 

Edited March 6, 2019 by pj_orlando_z9b

[pj_orlando_z9b]

Recovery. April 2018 post freeze vs Mar 2019.

[palmsOrl]

Nice PJ!

[pj_orlando_z9b]

Bob Marley coconut at Citiwalk. 

[Matthew92]

I noticed the coconuts at Volcano Bay had just a tinge of brown (similar to the brown seen on the Bob Marley coconut posted above) - I believe from that frosty night back in mid December. I noticed they were more healthy green looking before that night.

Edited March 9, 2019 by Matthew92

[Reeverse]

I'm in Port Orange which is always colder than downtown Orlando.

[Eric in Orlando]

Fruiting Normanbya normanbyi at Leu Gardens. 

[Jimbean]

Merritt Island is warmer than Orlando and Merritt Island is zone 9B

[palmsOrl]

Well, since officially at the both the Orlando Int’l and Executive Airports, the most recent 30-year annual average low is 30.0F+, we are indeed warmer by that measure, if Merritt Island’s most recent 30-year annual average low is below 30F.

[Jimbean]

2 hours ago, palmsOrl said:

Well, since officially at the both the Orlando Int’l and Executive Airports, the most recent 30-year annual average low is 30.0F+, we are indeed warmer by that measure, if Merritt Island’s most recent 30-year annual average low is below 30F.

I did a calculation of 15 years of lows of Merritt Island and the average was something like 35F or something like that.  I estimated that the 100 year average low was probably 32F to 33F.  The all time record low in downtown Merritt Island was either 21F or 22F; not zone 10A.

[palmsOrl]

I wouldn’t doubt that the 30-year average for Merritt Island is slightly higher than Orlando’s 30-year average annual lowest temperature.  The data should (and does for Orlando) indicate that both locations are a USDA zone 10a, by definition.  

The all-time record low is not a factor in determining a location’s USDA zone.  It is, however, certainly important information in determining what will survive in the very long-term.  

[Jimbean]

The trunk of that ficus was as big as that car in the foreground.  A ficus that size is not uncommon in places like Merritt Island, Palm Bay, and Melbourne, but in Orlando something like that is expected to be rare.  A heat island has it's limits and downtown Orlando is not warmer than average locations in Merritt Island or South Brevard (let alone the legitimate zone 10A areas of the barrier islands).

[palmsOrl]

 

 

Jim, I feel based on data from the past 30 years and just recent observations from the downtown area and points just north, that Orlando’s heat island has reached the point where it is comparable to Merritt Island and South Brevard.  Zone 10 plants are everywhere,  I mean everywhere and seldom get major cold damage in general.  I know it is a bold statement and that time will tell, but I think the climate of Orlando has changed for good (as long as human civilization exists) and will only get warmer as urbanization continues to expand.

It will take time for zone 10 trees to get massive here.  I am, however, seeing some getting quite large already, I will start taking pictures when I can or at least posting the address.  The other day I noticed a rubber tree that must easily be 50 feet tall next to a large home just north of downtown.  It doesn’t even have any dead branches mixed in near the top which would indicate recent cold damage.

Edited March 12, 2019 by palmsOrl

[pj_orlando_z9b]

7 hours ago, palmsOrl said:

 

 

Jim, I feel based on data from the past 30 years and just recent observations from the downtown area and points just north, that Orlando’s heat island has reached the point where it is comparable to Merritt Island and South Brevard.  Zone 10 plants are everywhere,  I mean everywhere and seldom get major cold damage in general.  I know it is a bold statement and that time will tell, but I think the climate of Orlando has changed for good (as long as human civilization exists) and will only get warmer as urbanization continues to expand.

It will take time for zone 10 trees to get massive here.  I am, however, seeing some getting quite large already, I will start taking pictures when I can or at least posting the address.  The other day I noticed a rubber tree that must easily be 50 feet tall next to a large home just north of downtown.  It doesn’t even have any dead branches mixed in near the top which would indicate recent cold damage.

I believe the heat island plays a role to an extent. It won't help much in advective cold situations as it does during radiational events. I think it is great we experience z10a winters occasionally or even frequently. But it just takes 1 event to damage or wipe out the tender plants. I am always hopeful for my plants but know the reality. My coconut is large enough that it will be a chore to remove it one day. One can hope though, right?!

[donalt]

Bubba, watch in the coming weeks (May-June)for royal poincianas to bloom their bright red flowers. There are more of them around than you would believe.....but you can't tell until they bloom.

Also, big, beautiful banyan tree on Mizell in Winter Park down near the lake. It's gorgeous!

[Eric in Orlando]

11 hours ago, donalt said:

Bubba, watch in the coming weeks (May-June)for royal poincianas to bloom their bright red flowers. There are more of them around than you would believe.....but you can't tell until they bloom.

Also, big, beautiful banyan tree on Mizell in Winter Park down near the lake. It's gorgeous!

That Ficus on Mizell is awesome, I have been watching it for several years now.  I believe it is a Ficus altissima. There is a young specimen in Mead Gardens that is getting large. There is also one in Winter Park in Kraft Azalea Park on Lake Maitland and a good sized Ficus religiosa in that park. What is interesting is the F. religiosa survived the 1980s freezes with just canopy damage, the trunk survived. All other large Ficus around the Orlando area either froze back to the roots or died. I remember a bunch around. Most had severe damage after the 1st bad freeze in 12/83. There was a really big banyan south of downtown along Orange Ave. It was killed back to a stump. I took cuttings from in in 1993 and we have 2 banyans at Leu from this specimen, around 40ft tall now. There is a large Ficus macrophylla and F. aurea at Disney's Polynesian Resort, both planted in 1971 that survived intact . Also 2 big F. microcarpa at Sea World planted when it opened in 1973.

[Eric in Orlando]

Back to palms... fruiting Archontophoenix myolensis at Leu Gardens. 

[Eric in Orlando]

Flowering Licuala spinosa growing in shallow water at Leu Gardens. 

[Eric in Orlando]

Licuala ramsayi growing along the stream  under Archontophoenix cunninghamiana at Leu Gardens. 

[donalt]

actually, there are several large ficus specimens around and they are beautiful! several very large around lake holden. 

and of course, the coconut palms just off S.Orange Avenue at Drennon.....very beautiful.

[Eric in Orlando]

Satakentia liukiuensis at Leu Gardens. 

[annafl]

12 hours ago, Eric in Orlando said:

Licuala ramsayi growing along the stream  under Archontophoenix cunninghamiana at Leu Gardens. 

So beautiful!!!  Eric, we just got a small Licuala ramsayi after seeing yours at Leu.  There have been so many plants we have gotten after seeing they survived at Leu!  Thanks for all your posts.  It helps those of us who live in very similar climates as you.

[Eric in Orlando]

Roustonea borinquena at Leu Gardens. 

[Eric in Orlando]

Triple trunk Howea forsteriana growing along the stream at Leu Gardens. 

[Jimbean]

You know what, this thread gave me the idea of doing Florida's zone map as a video of a 30-year moving average, say, from 1960 onward.  It would show how the zones have moved over time.  One could do a screen shot of the most conservative map or the most liberal map.

[ck_in_fla]

Looks like Roystonea installed professionally at the corner of South Orange Blossom Trail and Consulate Drive in Orlando.  These have been put in recently.

I have also seen five Cocos nucifera planted at the southwest corner of Orange Avenue and Kaley just south of downtown Orlando.  I will try to get some pictures of that but it's always so congested there and there aren't many places to pull off the road.  :-(

[Eric in Orlando]

Some more palms at Leu Gardens. 

Roystonea regia

[Eric in Orlando]

Pritchardia hillebrandii . To the left is a young Cyrtostachys elegans x renda and to the right is Mauritiella armata. 

[Eric in Orlando]

40ft Archontophoenix cunninghamiana in front of a 50ft Ficus macrophylla. 

[Eric in Orlando]

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana on the far left, Ravenea rivularis on the far right. That is a Livistona chinensis in the middle, also a 20ft fruiting Pandanus tectorius. This area is adjacent to a nature seepage spring and has black, mucky soil that is always wet. 

[Eric in Orlando]

Saribus rotundifolius (Livistona ) in College Park. 

[Eric in Orlando]

Not palms but nice white Shaving Brush and Seagrape trees in College Park. 

[Eric in Orlando]

Dypsis lutescens along Orange Ave. by Lake Ivanhoe.