Looking for Unicorn Palm

[Xerarch]

Ok I'm looking for something that probably doesn't exist perfectly but maybe someone has a suggestion that can get close enough.  My microclimate is 9b/10a but is subject to periodic hard freezes between mild stretches.  I have a mix of hardy and more tender palms, ranging from Brahea and Mule on the very hardy side to Royal and Coconut on the tender side.  I'm trying to minimize the species that will keep me awake at night if it gets down to 27F. I need a palm that:

Is cold tolerant as a queen more or less, but isn't a queen or mule (I already have both)

Is pinnate, tropical looking, prefer with crownshaft but may accept without (sorry Phoenix genus)

Is large-ish in stature and with a trunk (sorry Chamaedorea)

Is reasonable fast grower, can't afford to have 10 years of mild winters, not have much to show for it, only for the thing to get nuked on a bad year.

Also has heat tolerance (very, very sorry D Decipiens and Rhopalostylis, very sorry indeed)

Has reasonable availability for me, I have to be able to acquire it and not pay thousands of dollars 

 

So maybe Archontophoenix would be nice, for sure not as hardy as queen but are they any better than Roystonea or Wodyetia? I have some small D lutescens, not sure if that is the best for this spot, I had in mind something single trunked and taller, but maybe.  Ravenea is said to be pretty bud hardy, so that might be ok, but not the most tropical looking, and the spot I have in mind the strip between the sidewalk and street, so not the best place for a water lover but I could deal with it.  Acrocomia might be ok, but spines next to sidewalk might not be best idea, not sure the overall look is what I'm after anyway.

Suggestions appreciated, thanks

 

 

 

[kinzyjr]

@Xerarch Most of these will be easier if there is any canopy in the area.  If not, some of them are a little iffy.

Crownshaft:

If there is any canopy in the area, Archontophoenix cunninghamiana and Euterpe edulis come to mind.  Chambeyronia (Kentiopsis) oliviformis?  Dictyosperma album 'conjugatum'?

Non-crownshaft:

Allagoptera arenaria or brevicalyx under canopy shouldn't cause you too many sleepless nights.  Arenga engleri?  Bismarckia nobilis?  Copernicia alba?  Cryosophila warscewiczii or stauracantha?  Hyphaene coriacea?  Thrinax radiata?  Wallichia disticha?  Lytocaryum weddellianum?

[Xerarch]

11 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

@Xerarch Most of these will be easier if there is any canopy in the area.  If not, some of them are a little iffy.

Crownshaft:

If there is any canopy in the area, Archontophoenix cunninghamiana and Euterpe edulis come to mind.  Chambeyronia (Kentiopsis) oliviformis?  Dictyosperma album 'conjugatum'?

Non-crownshaft:

Allagoptera arenaria or brevicalyx under canopy shouldn't cause you too many sleepless nights.  Arenga engleri?  Bismarckia nobilis?  Copernicia alba?  Cryosophila warscewiczii or stauracantha?  Hyphaene coriacea?  Thrinax radiata?  Wallichia disticha?  Lytocaryum weddellianum?

Thanks, so no canopy whatsoever but I am close to the water so I already have pretty good protection from radiational freezes, in a strong advective freeze I'm done for no matter what.  The palm formerly known as KO would be fantastic if it is hardier than things that I can readily get my hands on like Royal or Foxtail, both of those are available and beautiful.  So it's key to have something more hardy than those, Dictyosperma would be great too, provided its more hardy.  

[kinzyjr]

2 minutes ago, Xerarch said:

Thanks, so no canopy whatsoever but I am close to the water so I already have pretty good protection from radiational freezes, in a strong advective freeze I'm done for no matter what.  The palm formerly known as KO would be fantastic if it is hardier than things that I can readily get my hands on like Royal or Foxtail, both of those are available and beautiful.  So it's key to have something more hardy than those, Dictyosperma would be great too, provided its more hardy.  

Dictyosperma album 'conjugatum' is probably the best bet.  They take less damage than Foxtails or some of the others without canopy.  The one drawback is that you have to be sure you're getting a conjugatum.  The other varieties have hardiness similar to a Foxtail.  Chambeyronia oliviformis tends to perform well with long cool, but all of ours here in town are growing in canopied areas and they grow a bit slower than an established Dictyosperma. 

This little bugger took a 28F advective freeze without a blink.  It's now setting seed.

[Xenon]

I know you said no queens or mules, but this hybrid is different: coco queen (Syagrus schizophylla x Syagrus romanzoffiana). I've been told it grows well in the RGV and is better adapted to the alkaline soils there vs queen. It's very pretty and is available if you look for it. 

There was a jaw dropping "white triangle" (Dypsis decaryi x Dypsis cabadae) in Harlingen that was pretty much the embodiment of unicorn palm that survived the freezes prior to 2021. You might also look into Dypsis decaryi x Dypsis leptocheilos. 

Aside from Dypsis decaryi, Dypsis madagascariensis is the other Dypsis that survived 2021 freeze in the RGV. It's not the most attractive palm imo, but it is pinnate, fast growing, and has a crownshaft 😄

[idontknowhatnametuse]

Acrocomia Aculeata or Totai

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, Xerarch said:

  Ravenea is said to be pretty bud hardy, so that might be ok, but not the most tropical looking....

 

 

 

😂  Ravenea r's  ~Not~  tropical looking?🤔    ...Them' rr' Almost  cussin' words,  haha 😁      Cold, and fairly heat tolerant.  ...Fast growing? -if treated right? 


  I'm sure you get far more rain then the California grown ones below will ever see..
 

 

[Fishinsteeg234]

The first unicorn palm that came to mind is a Foxylady, (Wodyetia bifurcata x Veitchia arecina). Checks all the boxes. Cold hardiness is still debated, said be to hardy to 9B. I am testing two on my property zone 9b. They are hard to find though. 

[Merlyn]

B.Alfredii takes mid 20s with a bit of leaf burn, and checks all the other boxes except a crownshaft...

[tim_brissy_13]

Chrysalidocarpus onilahensis? Probably ticks all boxes other than large stature although they do eventually get some size to them. The weeping form in particular looks really tropical, while the upright form is more robust and generally a bit larger. 
 

Cyphophoenix elegans? Again not the largest but really tough once established and really nice and tropical looking. 
 

Jubaeopsis? Obviously no crownshaft but a great cold hardy coconut substitute. 
 

Chrysalidocarpus hybrids do tend to show good hybrid vigour in general so I also support some of the suggestions above. 
 

 

[96720]

The problem is finding Chrysalidocarpus hybrids!!!

[GottmitAlex]

An alfie

[Xerarch]

4 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

😂  Ravenea r's  ~Not~  tropical looking?🤔    ...Them' rr' Almost  cussin' words,  haha 😁      Cold, and fairly heat tolerant.  ...Fast growing? -if treated right? 


  I'm sure you get far more rain then the California grown ones below will ever see..
 

 

Yes they are quite beautiful, and I do have one planted in the yard. I’m not sure it’s what I want in this spot, but it is a contender. 

[Xerarch]

5 hours ago, Xenon said:

I know you said no queens or mules, but this hybrid is different: coco queen (Syagrus schizophylla x Syagrus romanzoffiana). I've been told it grows well in the RGV and is better adapted to the alkaline soils there vs queen. It's very pretty and is available if you look for it. 

There was a jaw dropping "white triangle" (Dypsis decaryi x Dypsis cabadae) in Harlingen that was pretty much the embodiment of unicorn palm that survived the freezes prior to 2021. You might also look into Dypsis decaryi x Dypsis leptocheilos. 

Aside from Dypsis decaryi, Dypsis madagascariensis is the other Dypsis that survived 2021 freeze in the RGV. It's not the most attractive palm imo, but it is pinnate, fast growing, and has a crownshaft 😄

I’ve seen a coco queen in The Valley, I would consider having some if I could find. There used to be a good size D. decaryi here in the neighborhood and a few others around town pre-2021. I may be interested in D madagascariensis if I could find some, is it hardier than Royal? Because I know many royals survived in The Valley. 

[Xerarch]

3 hours ago, Merlyn said:

B.Alfredii takes mid 20s with a bit of leaf burn, and checks all the other boxes except a crownshaft...

Seems like I’ve read so much conflicting information on this one, I get excited about it when I hear it takes mid 20’s, but other reports seem to have it more tender than that, so not sure what to think. Also I was under the impression that it doesn’t grow that fast. 

[Xenon]

41 minutes ago, Xerarch said:

I’ve seen a coco queen in The Valley, I would consider having some if I could find. There used to be a good size D. decaryi here in the neighborhood and a few others around town pre-2021. I may be interested in D madagascariensis if I could find some, is it hardier than Royal? Because I know many royals survived in The Valley. 

I don't think you're going to find any palm with a crownshaft that is more hardy than a healthy, fat, and mature royal. Foxtail is similar surprisingly despite its smaller mass. Archontophoenix sp. survived in McAllen, Brownsville and SPI too. A. maxima is supposedly the largest/most robust. John/Mr. coconut palm had a really nice specimen before the freeze. 

 

[Billy]

7 hours ago, GottmitAlex said:

An alfie

I second this.....

[Merlyn]

7 hours ago, Xerarch said:

Seems like I’ve read so much conflicting information on this one, I get excited about it when I hear it takes mid 20’s, but other reports seem to have it more tender than that, so not sure what to think. Also I was under the impression that it doesn’t grow that fast. 

The early damage reports were on seedlings and smaller potted ones, and they were understandably more tender than adults.  They are also pretty slow as seedlings, taking several years to get to a plantable 3g size.  But once they are in the ground they are fairly fast.  Not as fast as something like a Queen or Foxtail, but definitely one of the faster out of the ~320 palms I have in the ground here.  I have 5 large Alfredii, now between 15-25' tall each.  These were 5' tall 3g plants planted in September 2018.  This one is the largest of the 5, photographed a week or so after the January 2022 cold front here.  The backyard had about 4 hours of 24-26F with medium frost, and the three back there had less than 25% leaf burn.  The front yard was 27-28F and the one up there had almost no damage, just a little leaf tip burn.  In contrast, I had several Foxtail single/double/triples from 6-12' tall...100% mortality.  The three Foxtails that survived were 15-20' trunking ones near the house on the SW side, and had canopy from a neighbor's 70' tall oaks.  The 9 Foxtails out in the open...all dead. 

As a reference on Royals, there are two I spotted about 5 miles South of me in a warmer area.  They were 100% defoliated but opened new spears about a month later.  Today they look fine.

This one is on the East side and grew from 5' to 22' in 4 years = 4.25' per year.  It's not rocket-fast, but that's pretty quick!  This one is probably trunking at this point, though I haven't tried pulling off the lowest leaf bases yet.  I didn't have a thermometer on this side, I'm guessing it was in the 27-28F range.  As a graphic example of how hardy it is, here's this one looking pristine with some torched palms around it.  There's a Lutescens, Bottle, and a Caryota Mitis just behind it to the left:

[96720]

Mine doesn’t grow that fast but I’m in Phoenix. To get a faster start instead of growing it from seed get a 1 gal from Flouibunda they are as big as a 3 gal!!!

[Xerarch]

22 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

The early damage reports were on seedlings and smaller potted ones, and they were understandably more tender than adults.  They are also pretty slow as seedlings, taking several years to get to a plantable 3g size.  But once they are in the ground they are fairly fast.  Not as fast as something like a Queen or Foxtail, but definitely one of the faster out of the ~320 palms I have in the ground here.  I have 5 large Alfredii, now between 15-25' tall each.  These were 5' tall 3g plants planted in September 2018.  This one is the largest of the 5, photographed a week or so after the January 2022 cold front here.  The backyard had about 4 hours of 24-26F with medium frost, and the three back there had less than 25% leaf burn.  The front yard was 27-28F and the one up there had almost no damage, just a little leaf tip burn.  In contrast, I had several Foxtail single/double/triples from 6-12' tall...100% mortality.  The three Foxtails that survived were 15-20' trunking ones near the house on the SW side, and had canopy from a neighbor's 70' tall oaks.  The 9 Foxtails out in the open...all dead. 

As a reference on Royals, there are two I spotted about 5 miles South of me in a warmer area.  They were 100% defoliated but opened new spears about a month later.  Today they look fine.

This one is on the East side and grew from 5' to 22' in 4 years = 4.25' per year.  It's not rocket-fast, but that's pretty quick!  This one is probably trunking at this point, though I haven't tried pulling off the lowest leaf bases yet.  I didn't have a thermometer on this side, I'm guessing it was in the 27-28F range.  As a graphic example of how hardy it is, here's this one looking pristine with some torched palms around it.  There's a Lutescens, Bottle, and a Caryota Mitis just behind it to the left:

Yeah that looks great, and good performance overall for mid 20’s 

[Xerarch]

7 hours ago, Xenon said:

I don't think you're going to find any palm with a crownshaft that is more hardy than a healthy, fat, and mature royal. Foxtail is similar surprisingly despite its smaller mass. Archontophoenix sp. survived in McAllen, Brownsville and SPI too. A. maxima is supposedly the largest/most robust. John/Mr. coconut palm had a really nice specimen before the freeze. 

 

I think that’s why I know that what I’m looking for is a unicorn,  I don’t know of any crownshafted palm that is as beautiful as a Royal that is also more cold tolerant than Royal. There are some candidates that are about as hardy, but none that are significantly hardier, like a queen. I’m already getting anxiety about the freeze this coming weekend. It shouldn’t be too catastrophic for me here, but it’s looking more and more likely that it will be below freezing. I was hoping for a mild winter so all my new stuff would have a chance to put on more bulk before being put to the test. 

[Merlyn]

4 minutes ago, Xerarch said:

Yeah that looks great, and good performance overall for mid 20’s 

Yep, I was impressed!  At the same cold front I lost several small palms up to about 2' tall: Dictyosperma Album-Rubrum, Allagoptera Caudescens, K.O., Chambeyronia Macrocarpa, Copernicia Hospita, Dypsis Lanceolata, Dypsis Cabadae, Pinanga Coronata, a couple of 4-6' tall Spindles, and the 9 previously mentioned Foxtails.  As a reference there are basically no Foxtails, Royals, or Archontophoenix on the North side of Orlando.  Outside of my yard (and the epic Cocos at the lakeside in Sanford) it's all Phoenix, Queens, Livistona, Bismarck, and Sabals.  I'm only aware of 3 Royals in the Lake Mary/Sanford/Longwood area, and they've only been in the ground for 1-2 years.  I think the yearly upper 20s + frost just kills them off.  There are a lot of them in central and South Orlando, the urban heat island definitely helps.

I know what you mean about the coming storm.  It's supposed to rain here for 4 days and then get down to 29F on Friday night and 32F on Saturday night with a high of only 46 on Saturday.  It'll be guaranteed frost both days.  This front has the possibility to be as bad as the 2009 one here, maybe worse.  I'll be selecting my cardboard boxes today to cover up a few sensitive ones from the inevitable frost.

[Foxpalms]

Archontophoenix purperea? I don't know if it's easy to get in the USA since it's hard to get here. Here's one from the canary Islands.