A Plant-Love Story: A Palm Tree on an Island of California (by Jason Dewees)

[Hillizard]

https://pacifichorticulture.org/articles/a-palm-tree-on-an-island-of-california/

[Tom in Tucson]

I feel a deep respect for the late Reid Moran. and also somewhat privileged to have met and talked with him before he passed away. Not only was he a meticulous botanist while working at the San Diego Natural History Museum, he was also a devoted naturalist. Some of his greatest achievements were dealing with the conservationists in Mexico. Perhaps his greatest achievement of all was him being responsible leading the way to have the feral goats removed from Guadalupe Island, so that the population of Brahea edulis, and other native vegetation can once again find an undisturbed home.

Hi 82°, Lo 52°

Edited November 9, 2023 by Tom in Tucson

[Tyrone]

I really enjoyed that article. Thanks for posting it.
 

I think I need to get a couple of Brahea edulis in here. We have Monterey pines with moss on them, so I bet they’d grow well in free draining soil. 

[peachy]

They appear to be a delightful palm now that I looked closely. I had previously never given them much thought as I have never seen such attractive specimens.  Those islands look like the perfect place to take a relative who needs to be disposed with too.

Peachy

[Patrick]

I don't see Guadalupe's here much in east Contra Costa County, but when I do it's always a welcome sight as Washingtonia and Syagrus dominate the landscape selections here. I found another one just the other day at an apartment complex near where I work. Must have been at least 20+ years old- at least 12' of trunk. Sometimes I wonder if these get mistakenly slipped into the nursery stock and people plant them unknowingly. 

 

@Peachy, I like your humor. Right up my alley 

 

Thanks for the article Jason and Hillizard

Edited November 12, 2023 by Patrick

[Yunder Wækraus]

On 11/9/2023 at 6:52 AM, Hillizard said:

https://pacifichorticulture.org/articles/a-palm-tree-on-an-island-of-california/

 

Great read!

[kinzyjr]

Enjoyable read from a great author.  @JasonD 's book Designing With Palms is one of my favorites.  The palm featured was added to the garden about a year ago and is one of the Brahea species we can get to grow well here.

[ChrisA]

Thanks so much for posting. I enjoyed this article a great deal. 

[Jadd Correia]

I am growing this palm from seed. Very beautiful and the seedlings are starting to take off with very deep taproots. Love seeing this palm grown.

[Rivera]

On 11/11/2023 at 4:49 PM, Patrick said:

I don't see Guadalupe's here much in east Contra Costa County, but when I do it's always a welcome sight as Washingtonia and Syagrus dominate the landscape selections here. I found another one just the other day at an apartment complex near where I work. Must have been at least 20+ years old- at least 12' of trunk. Sometimes I wonder if these get mistakenly slipped into the nursery stock and people plant them unknowingly. 

 

@Peachy, I like your humor. Right up my alley 

 

Thanks for the article Jason and Hillizard

I've sometimes wondered the same thing. 

Washingtonia filifera aren't well suited to our cool maritime conditions along San Francisco's western edge. Washingtonia robusta are numerous and grow just fine here but generally don't reproduce in my neighborhood. Too cool and windy for Syagrus romanzoffiana, though they're common.

Brahea edulis succeeds in healthy growth and reproduction, and doesn't sulk about growing in dune sand without supplemental irrigation. They always have a full crown of large green leaves. 

Though there are many mature specimens throughout the city, most of those in my neighborhood are still young.

This palm below continues to grow without complaint despite being butchered on a regular basis (and never given supplemental water).

These two below may look a little tattered, but they're along Lower Great Highway, a very windy (and salty) stretch of coast. Looks friendly with a nice blue sky above, but local weather is substantially influenced by the systems formed in the Gulf of Alaska.

I'm looking forward to watching these and others grow up. 

[Silas_Sancona]

A great palm for sure.   Far nicer than Mex Fans..  A neighbor directly across from my grandparents in San Jose had half a dozen 10-15 footers growing between their house, and a neighbors for -at least- as long as i'd been alive, likely a decade or two longer...

Had i known what they were -before- new neighbors that bought that house when i was in middle school cut them down,  i'd have planted a few at my grandparents from seed those specimens produced every year.



From the web. *** Photo Credit:  Whomever took the picture ***:  Huntington Botanical's Avenue of B. edulis:    Shared before.. 

Hopefully the few that are being grown here in the desert end up looking half as nice -at the very least-  as these.