Syagrus Pseudococos

[rizla023]

Anyone growing s. pseudococos? I have been pleasantly surprised by mine. Purchased as a 15 gallon with no pinnate leaves. Planted in ground last year and now is a beauty. I have a thing for Syagrus.. I know a lot don't. But I also grow sancona, the hybrid coco queen, picrophylla, schizophylla, romanzoffiana. 

Santa Ana, CA

[Phoenikakias]

I am surprised that Syagrus coronata is not included already in your collection. Do fronds of your picrophylla grow in roughly 5 rows like coronata?

[rizla023]

10 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

I am surprised that Syagrus coronata is not included already in your collection. Do fronds of your picrophylla grow in roughly 5 rows like coronata?

Coronata, that would be nice. I also like amara or oleracea. My picrophylla is still a seedling, but it is growing very well! Just planted this Spring. 

[rizla023]

Pseudococos had a good year and I wanted to share updated photos.

 

[mnorell]

Nice S. pseudococos! I grew one in the Florida Keys (killed in Hurricane Irma) and it was just painfully slow, but still in strap-leaf mode. I'm assuming you've had such good growth because of the pinnate speed-up? It makes me want to try it again out here in the desert...but I just hate waiting through their slow youth. Doesn't look like yours was damaged in the recent heat-waves you experienced.

I'm also very interested in the different Syagrus species and am testing out quite a few of them here in the Palm Springs area. I have also noticed that S. picrophylla, and also S. schizophylla, are pretty speedy compared to the other species' seedlings I have coming along. S. coronata is quite nice and super tough, and is not all that slow here. It definitely speeds up once it becomes pinnate as well, and seems to tolerate any level of heat and sun I can dish out for it here.

S. amara has been horrifyingly slow here as a strap-leaf planted in the ground several years ago...perhaps someone has had a better experience in SoCal. Mine is perhaps in too much shade, though it seems to be finally speeding up a little...but I'm really surprised how slow it is. I love that palm but am very disappointed by its performance so far here.

S. sancona is decently fast here and I like its very bright, apple-green juvenile foliage...I'm just still a bit concerned about its sun/heat hardiness out here in the Palm Springs area, as the young "just-gone-pinnate" specimen I have planted in my "furnace" testing-ground got a little beat up in full sun with all our 120+F days this summer! Does it grow well for you there in your cooler climate? I assume it would do quite well in the whole "Zone 23" strip but I've never been aware of any there.

Keep up the good work out there, as I think this genus has lots of really wonderful species and needs more exposure, and some good P.R. to distinguish from the over-used and abused (and probably unfairly maligned) S. romanzoffiana.

[rizla023]

@mnorell it was planted back in 2022 and was not pinnate, but after planting, the first pinnate frond appeared! It was apparently around 8 years old when I bought it as a 15 gallon, so it’s now around 10-11 years old. I think you’re right, it’s been pretty speedy since going pinnate, one of my faster palms as a matter of fact.

I also grow sancona right next to it, which is much faster but in a shadier spot, so it’s a little leggy. My sancona fell over last year during the winds but recovered very well after staking and reapplying some nutrients. For both, I have been very diligent on the watering given the warmer temperatures, so I think that’s helped. It’s definitely growing very well and it’s over 7-8 feet already. It’s apparently the same age as the pseudococos, purchased from the same source.

I also grow schizophylla and picrophylla, although I’m tempted to remove the picrophylla for something more interesting and faster growing… both are super slow and still straps, but the schizophylla has picked up a bit this year. 

Of my syagrus, I am also excited about the coco queen which has really started to pick up speed. The frond shape is similar to Phoenix rupicola. 

I share your same perspective on syagrus. I find them dependable and stately. The bad PR is interesting especially considering some species are very reminiscent of cocos, which we know is the holy grail of SoCal palm collecting. 

[quaman58]

I will get a picture of my neighbors when I get home. It grew surprisingly fast, and has one of the most beautiful trunks out there. For whatever reason, though, it definitely seems to require more fertilization than your average Syagrus.

[rizla023]

@mnorell here’s my Sancona. You can see it’s starting to get the bulbous base. 

[realarch]

Some nice looking healthy specimens. Good growing.

Thanks for the thread, made me pay a bit more attention to a couple of Syagrus in the garden. The name pseudococos is certainly appropriate. 

The S. pseudococos is on the left in the photos, S. amara is on the right.

Tim

[knell]