Palm vs Palm (USDA Zone 9b/10a)

[Sandy Loam]

If you were located in a borderline USDA Zone 9b/10a region and wanted to choose between either Veitchia Arecina and Ptychosperma Elegans, AND your ONLY criterion is how the tree will look in winter (not survivability, but just leaf damage alone), which one would you choose? 

 

SCENARIO 1:  For example, if the temperature suddenly dropped to 28 degrees Fahrenheit for a single night, which of these two trees is going to look better a month later after the cold damage has finally become visible.  Would either one show only minor cold damage on a rare 28 F night?  (Nobody wants to be looking at brown palm fronds) 

 

SCENARIO 2:  same two palms. However, in this scenario, the lowest temperature all winter was 30 degrees Fahrenheit as an overnight low. Yet, what if that 30 F has happened seven or eight times over the course of a winter? Which of these two palms is going to appear less damaged (still only minor browning of leaves) once winter is over? 

 

Thank you! 

 

[kinzyjr]

My bias would be toward Veitchia arecina due to speed of growth, but overall I'd have to give a small edge to Ptychosperma elegans based on your criteria.  For comparison, this winter saw a couple of nights between 28F-31F depending on siting here in Lakeland.  The palms below were subjected to roughly 30F for two nights with no cloud cover.

Ptychosperma elegans: Not much damage at all and no interruption of flowering.  These are downtown, and as such, benefit from a rolling landscape and a very strong UHI-effect considering the city's small size.

 

Veitchia arecina: Up to 40% damage, but not against a building either.  These are on my lot with less UHI-effect.  Since the cold was advective, what canopy was left after Ian was less effective.

  

The full freeze report for the Florida Christmas Freeze 2022 is helpful as well:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/76409-florida-christmas-freeze-2022/

[Sandy Loam]

Thank you. 

[Sandy Loam]

Does anyone else here have experience comparing Ptychosperma Elegans with Veitchia Arecina in terms of cold-damage? 

[sonoranfans]

Glad to have more than those two choices!  Frost could be another lethal factor at 28F

[DoomsDave]

Elegans are MUCH tougher to the cold, hands down. They'll handle CA okay, arecinas turn into compost, or at least sad suffering sacks.