Washingtonia Identification

[PlantDad]

These Washingtonias are in front of someone's house in Salem, Oregon and are very healthy. I have never seen Washingtonia that look so good in this area. I am curious what they are. I was thinking robusta but I'm not sure. Thank you for the help.

[jwitt]

I saw some in February in Salem, 16th/17th st, NE of the capital.  I thought they were robusta at the time.  I can say the ones in your pics are not filifera, maybe a cross tho.  I was surprised to see them, but it was a mild winter in the Portland area.

[Chester B]

Wow those do look good.  I've not seen any Washies anywhere here in the ground.  Maybe they protect them.

I'm sure those are $25 HomeDepot specials but they must be a few years in the ground.

The purple on the base of the petioles is a robusta trait.  I don't know if there is any real way telling if they are pure Robusta or not.

[Chester B]

Here’s my fillifera for comparison

 

[PlantDad]

8 hours ago, jwitt said:

I saw some in February in Salem, 16th/17th st, NE of the capital.  I thought they were robusta at the time.  I can say the ones in your pics are not filifera, maybe a cross tho.  I was surprised to see them, but it was a mild winter in the Portland area.

I think those are the same ones. I took these pictures around that same area. The fact that they are doing so well makes me think they are a hybrid but they have a lot of robusta traits

[PlantDad]

5 minutes ago, Chester B said:

Here’s my fillifera for comparison

 

Wow it looks really good! It does look a bit different from the ones I took pictures of. How do you care for your filifera?

[PlantDad]

12 minutes ago, Chester B said:

Wow those do look good.  I've not seen any Washies anywhere here in the ground.  Maybe they protect them.

I'm sure those are $25 HomeDepot specials but they must be a few years in the ground.

The purple on the base of the petioles is a robusta trait.  I don't know if there is any real way telling if they are pure Robusta or not.

They look so healthy here. It makes me think they are hybrids but they do have a lot of robusta traits. Where did you get your filifera?

[Chester B]

I got the fillifera at Homedepot a couple years back.  I find one store will get only robusta and another will only get fillifera.

I keep it in the pot, and if I leave it out it will get fungus in the crown.   This winter I left it out the whole time because I wasn't interested in keeping it but we didn't get as much rain and it pulled through pretty well.  Now I feel bad for it so I'm going to throw it in my little greenhouse in Decemeber.

If you're interested I have a Youtube Channel with a bunch of videos of my palms and other plants.  I've been adding content regularly.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCggoFyiUOrl-1047MBD_w0Q

 

 

[PlantDad]

49 minutes ago, Chester B said:

I got the fillifera at Homedepot a couple years back.  I find one store will get only robusta and another will only get fillifera.

I keep it in the pot, and if I leave it out it will get fungus in the crown.   This winter I left it out the whole time because I wasn't interested in keeping it but we didn't get as much rain and it pulled through pretty well.  Now I feel bad for it so I'm going to throw it in my little greenhouse in Decemeber.

If you're interested I have a Youtube Channel with a bunch of videos of my palms and other plants.  I've been adding content regularly.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCggoFyiUOrl-1047MBD_w0Q

 

 

That's interesting. I need to go up to the Portland home depot's. How fast does yours grow? Also I subscribed to your channel. I am looking forward to seeing your videos!

[Chester B]

They're all out of palms for the year.  Usually they show up end of May or early June.

It's done about 4 fronds this year so reasonable growth.  It takes it a while to recover from winter though.  Eventually it will go in the ground and I'll try and keep it dry over winter.

And thanks for subscribing!

Edited August 10, 2020 by Chester B

[PlantDad]

3 hours ago, Chester B said:

They're all out of palms for the year.  Usually they show up end of May or early June.

It's done about 4 fronds this year so reasonable growth.  It takes it a while to recover from winter though.  Eventually it will go in the ground and I'll try and keep it dry over winter.

And thanks for subscribing!

You're welcome. Wow you have some very nice plants. I'm jealous. I will have to check the home depots at that time then. Your filifera should look good in the ground if you fix the winter cool and moisture problem. Good luck

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

100% robusta not question about it.

[PlantDad]

4 hours ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

100% robusta not question about it.

Wow. I'm impressed. They are so healthy. I've never seen some look so good in this area. 

[PlantDad]

How cold hardy are robusta?

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

In oregon probably as hardy as they are here. Theyll leaf burn around 19-20 full defoliation around 16. Dead around 12-14 depending on duration of cold. 

[Chester B]

Again we don't really get cold enough to bother them, but the constant wetness with the cold weather causes fungus to develop in the crown.   They will rot out.  Home Depot sells hundreds of them every year in the Portland area and I've yet to see a single one. in the ground.  Those ones in Salem are a rarity, but I wouldn't be surprised if they get some sort of protection in winter.

You won't see them in the ground unprotected until you get around Gold Beach.  From there south they are common.

If I see any robusta around I'll buy one and stick it in the ground and provide updates on it's progress.   I've never bothered to buy one because I know it will fail without protection.  I do have a filibusta from trees growing in Bend, Oregon that I am growing out to trial as well as people indicate they are hardier than both parent species in our climate.

Edited August 13, 2020 by Chester B

[Palmfarmer]

Defintly Robusta. it might have a tiny bit of Filifera in them, but mainly Robusta. arent all wasingtonias a hybrid in some way or another outside of habitat? 

[Fusca]

12 hours ago, Palmfarmer said:

arent all wasingtonias a hybrid in some way or another outside of habitat? 

For the most part - the majority of Washingtonias at local nurseries and big box stores are hybrids.  Lots of ancient ones are pure or appear to be (at least here in San Antonio with filifera majority) but with how easily they hybridize there's no telling with the ones for sale here in North America due to the sheer volume of the 2 species planted near each other.  Unless the seller can verify where the seed was collected it is likely a hybrid.  For example the filiferas that @TexasColdHardyPalms sells can be verified pure due to Joseph collecting a lot of the seed himself.