Tallest Cocos nucifera in Florida?

[Ubuntwo]

Recently I wanted to get out and try and find the tallest coconut palm in Florida. However it seems this task is not as easy as it may seem. The champion tree registry only lists the tallest trees in Hawaii and the state registry does not include coconut palms. The highest I've seen is maybe 70 feet? But I imagine this would be limited by the lethal yellowing killing the oldest individuals throughout the state. Anybody have more info on this?

[Jimbean]

There's one about that tall in Merritt Island.

[RedRabbit]

Naples has a lot of old coconuts growing there, I suspect one of theirs might be the tallest in Florida. Its tough to say though because there could easily be a few really tall outliers scattered throughout South Florida. Case in point, @Zeeth posted about one really big Jamaican Tall growing in Lummus Park a few months ago so there aren't a lot of big cocos out there but they do exist.

Edited February 25, 2019 by RedRabbit

[Ubuntwo]

15 minutes ago, RedRabbit said:

Naples has a lot of old coconuts growing there, I suspect one of theirs might be the tallest in Florida. Its tough to say though because there could easily be a few really tall outliers scattered throughout South Florida. Case in point, @Zeeth posted about one really big Jamaican Tall growing in Lummus Park a few months ago so there aren't a lot of big cocos out there but they do exist.

I was looking at those in Miami Beach, maybe up to 80 feet? I imagine the oldest and tallest cocos are in some private collection or garden where they might be a little less vulnerable to LY. 

[GottmitAlex]

This was back in 2015, I have no doubt, they still subsist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpMlfRRZuzQ

 

[ck_in_fla]

In addition to LY, I would think they would be susceptible to lightening once they get that tall.  So there are at least two factors that work to limit them getting really tall in Florida.

[Ubuntwo]

12 minutes ago, ck_in_fla said:

In addition to LY, I would think they would be susceptible to lightening once they get that tall.  So there are at least two factors that work to limit them getting really tall in Florida.

I know that's one of the reasons you don't see crazy tall Washingtonias in Florida like you do in Cali. If it is a big factor though you might have the best odds of finding a really tall cocos in some isolated island, perhaps in the keys.

[NOT A TA]

I've noticed some tall ones near tall buildings, perhaps because of the protection during storms and lightening rods. I've lost Cocos to both lightening and hurricanes.

[Ubuntwo]

Stately individual in Matheson hammock

Just like those at Lummus park, this one caps out at just over 60 feet. 

[GottmitAlex]

1 hour ago, Ubuntwo said:

Stately individual in Matheson hammock

Just like those at Lummus park, this one caps out at just over 60 feet. 

Oh wow!

[Zeeth]

The tallest in Hawaii are the Kapuaiwa Coconut Grove in Molokai, planted by King Kamehaha III. The tallest individual in the grove topped out at 110 feet last time I found the record.

I don't know if any in Florida that really rival those. The one in Pahokee is pretty tall, but I don't know if it's any taller than the ones in Lummus park. Between the impact of LY in the '70s, freezes in the '80s, hurricanes, and lightning, there's a lot of things going against the 100' tall coconuts in Florida that Hawaii doesn't really have to worry about. 

[hbernstein]

I think that the Jamaica Talls in Lummus Park were planted from the 1860s-1890's by  the Lums or Collins for commercial production.

[SilverDragon]

Christian Faulkner did a great video on tall coconuts in Florida and why they are rare: 

 

[palmsOrl]

I don’t know about the tallest Cocos in Florida, but this one just might be a contender for the tallest Cocos specimen in the world.  With as many Cocos as there are around the world, it is unlikely this one is literally the tallest, however, it is definitely in the 99.9999th percentile. 

Anyone care to guess how tall this one might be? 

[Nj Palms]

I saw these large ones last year in siesta key. I didn’t get a picture but luckily there is google maps. There are many old ones incorporated into the condo landscaping.

[RedRabbit]

1 hour ago, Nj Palms said:

I saw these large ones last year in siesta key. I didn’t get a picture but luckily there is google maps. There are many old ones incorporated into the condo landscaping.

Thanks for sharing! Those are taller than a 4 story condo so I’m guessing they survived the 80s freezes. Sarasota County doesn’t have many survivors, but I’ve seen a few on Lido Key and Venice right by the beach.