Trunkless Cold Hardy Palms

[ahosey01]

Going to try and plant a small understory layer of small, trunkless, cold hardy palms.  Here’s my list so far:

Sabal minor

Rhapidophyllum histrix 

Serenoa repens

Guihaia argyrata

Are there any more worth considering? I already have Sabal etonia in a different part of the yard.

[Keys6505]

The Rhapidophyllum histrix is a trunking palm, although I believe it takes awhile.  I was at Moon Valley last weekend to put a warranty claim on something I bought from them and they had single trunked Needles about 5' tall.  I liked them alot but it IS Moon so they wanted $1200 each.

[ahosey01]

22 minutes ago, Keys6505 said:

The Rhapidophyllum histrix is a trunking palm, although I believe it takes awhile.  I was at Moon Valley last weekend to put a warranty claim on something I bought from them and they had single trunked Needles about 5' tall.  I liked them alot but it IS Moon so they wanted $1200 each.

For Moon Valley that’s almost a bargain!

They wanted to charge me $2300 for a P. rupicola that had like 4ft of trunk.  Nice palm. Not worth $2300 lol

And yeah point taken about the needle palm. Strictly trunkless isn’t necessarily what’s important to me, just trying to find this general class of palm.

[GregVirginia7]

31 minutes ago, Keys6505 said:

The Rhapidophyllum histrix is a trunking palm, although I believe it takes awhile.  I was at Moon Valley last weekend to put a warranty claim on something I bought from them and they had single trunked Needles about 5' tall.  I liked them alot but it IS Moon so they wanted $1200 each.

At 5-feet they’re probably about 300-years old so there’s that...mine grow slowly in both dry semi-shade and wet full-sun...the parent plant on the sunny one died a few years ago but the pups took over and I notice one of the three is beginning to trunk...the parent had about a 12” trunk before it croaked...but as an understory in AZ, not sure how it would handle a dry AZ climate as it is a southeastern native and does seem to like a lot of water.

[ahosey01]

5 minutes ago, GregVirginia7 said:

At 5-feet they’re probably about 300-years old so there’s that...mine grow slowly in both dry semi-shade and wet full-sun...the parent plant on the sunny one died a few years ago but the pups took over and I notice one of the three is beginning to trunk...the parent had about a 12” trunk before it croaked...but as an understory in AZ, not sure how it would handle a dry AZ climate as it is a southeastern native and does seem to like a lot of water.

Yeah I’m with you.  I keep the soil pretty moist and use an overhead sprinkler a fair amount to humidity the area. The ground is pretty heavily mulched and the soil is good.  Only partial sun too.  That’s why I’m trying - but I share your concern - I don’t know how it will do in AZ.  If Moon Valley sells them then probably better than totally impossible, but I’m not sure you can say much more than that about them. Lol. I guess we’ll find out!

Edited March 6, 2021 by ahosey01

[climate change virginia]

Nannorrhops ritchiana

[ahosey01]

31 minutes ago, climate change virginia said:

Nannorrhops ritchiana

Already got it!! Good suggestion though. Hence why I already have it.

[Chester B]

Non trunking form of Chamaedorea radicalis. 

[climate change virginia]

Chamaedorea microspadix

[Collectorpalms]

Trachycarpus Nanus.

Silver serenoa and silver Mediterranean  types usually take forever to form a trunk. And they are more cold hardy than green types.

Edited March 6, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[PricklyPearSATC]

I would try the Rhapidophyllum histrix in AZ.  It's worth a shot.  I have one in San Antonio.  It's in shade.   I've had it for 12 years.  I stumbled on it at Lowe's and took a chance with my alkaline soil.  It does not need supplemental water here. 

Sabal minors seem to have the same type of foliage as Yucca Recurvifolia --- a little greener, but they that same consistency.   Although native to wetlands, I do not give them supplemental water here. 
  

Edited March 6, 2021 by PricklyPearSATC

[Appalachian Palms]

Be sure to get the palms space. Although my 3g installation of Rhapidophyllum histrix 20 years ago is now 8 feet tall with a circumference of 48 feet, Im glad I gave it room.

[GregVirginia7]

3 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

Yeah I’m with you.  I keep the soil pretty moist and use an overhead sprinkler a fair amount to humidity the area. The ground is pretty heavily mulched and the soil is good.  Only partial sun too.  That’s why I’m trying - but I share your concern - I don’t know how it will do in AZ.  If Moon Valley sells them then probably better than totally impossible, but I’m not sure you can say much more than that about them. Lol. I guess we’ll find out!

Sounds like you have it covered...for my east coast zone, it’s the perfect no protection, no fuss palm and if I can get it to trunk a bit, well that’s a bonus...hope your understory fills in the way it’s supposed to...working on some Sabal Minors myself to the same end. They’re my first attempt at sprouting seeds that I collected from some Sabal minors I have growing in Delaware...was as easy as sticking them in dirt.

[Jubaea_James760]

Brahea Decumbens & Brahea Moorei stay small. There's quite a few Dwarf Sygarus but really hard to come by. Sygarus Campestris, Sygarus microphylla, Sygarus Glaucescens ( maybe 6-8ft. high?) As well as some Butia's like Matogrossensis, Lallementia etc. 

[Xerarch]

5 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

Yeah I’m with you.  I keep the soil pretty moist and use an overhead sprinkler a fair amount to humidity the area. The ground is pretty heavily mulched and the soil is good.  Only partial sun too.  That’s why I’m trying - but I share your concern - I don’t know how it will do in AZ.  If Moon Valley sells them then probably better than totally impossible, but I’m not sure you can say much more than that about them. Lol. I guess we’ll find out!

I have a needle palm that is in a pot that I've had for many years.  I had it when I lived in AZ, actually I wasn't that far from Wickenburg.  I kept it outside in the pot in a shady spot, I took care of it-ish but also neglected it for periods.  It never flinched, it was fine.

[Vic]

On 3/6/2021 at 3:57 PM, climate change virginia said:

Chamaedorea microspadix

This forms a substantial trunk fairly quickly. 

[Vic]

On 3/6/2021 at 3:10 PM, ahosey01 said:

Already got it!! Good suggestion though. Hence why I already have it.

It’s also very much a trunking palm too, although ‘snaking’ would probably be a better word to describe it over trunking. 

[buffy]

Trithrinax campestris. Won't trunk for a long time, if ever. 

Also Syagrus camplyospatha. Makes a nice grasslike thicket. 

[ahosey01]

1 hour ago, Vic said:

It’s also very much a trunking palm too, although ‘snaking’ would probably be a better word to describe it over trunking. 

Branching, too! Lol

[ahosey01]

39 minutes ago, buffy said:

Trithrinax campestris. Won't trunk for a long time, if ever. 

Also Syagrus camplyospatha. Makes a nice grasslike thicket. 

I like the Syagrus suggestion!

[Vic]

14 minutes ago, ahosey01 said:

Branching, too! Lol

Indeed. Check this out from Rome Botanical Gardens 

[necturus]

Wish Syagrus camplyospatha were available. It's pretty much a pipe dream.

[climate change virginia]

2 hours ago, Vic said:

This forms a substantial trunk fairly quickly. 

true but is still fairly low to the groud

[DAVEinMB]

1 hour ago, climate change virginia said:

true but is still fairly low to the groud

One of mine is about 7' tall. They can get 10' to 12'.

[climate change virginia]

3 minutes ago, DAVEinMB said:

One of mine is about 7' tall. They can get 10' to 12'.

woah thats big

[buffy]

On 3/8/2021 at 4:45 PM, necturus said:

Wish Syagrus camplyospatha were available. It's pretty much a pipe dream.

I've had mine in the ground for about 5 years. Of course, it's in very bad shape after -5F, even protected. 

[necturus]

I think most of my C. microspadix froze to the ground. Some look a little better. The worst are the ones that were encased in ice. Hopefully they'll come back.