Palm height

[NorCalWill]

In palm descriptions where the mature height of the plant is given, are they referring to the trunk height or from the ground to the tip of the highest leaf? This isn't always clear.

And also, when you have a fast growing palm that is said to grow to 20 feet tall and it does, what happens next? Does it just stop growing?

For instance, I am referring to my Brahea Clara which has pushed out over a dozen leaves since January and has grown about a foot of trunk in the process. I've only had it in the ground for 5 years from a 24" box, and it is already about 15' tall to the top of the crown with about 6' of trunk. The Northern California Palm Society Website describes it as growing to 15 to 20 feet tall.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

It's trunk height, not height to the top of the crown. It's spelled out in "Palms for Southern California'.

The 15-20' height is internet mis-information, mature height is 35'.

[KennyRE317]

I don't go through a lot of palm literature but I always just take the mature height with a grain of salt and just use it as an estimate. a lot of things can factor into mature height so it's best to just use it as a guideline. for shorter palms that are fast growing once they get to their "max" height they keep growing just they stop growing as tall. Chamaedorea plumosa is a fast grower and the older specimens show how quick they are to gain height by the wide spacing of the rings, once they they're at max you'll see the rings getting real close together at the top of the trunk

[Capnrey]

yeah . .what happens when it gets to it's designated / known height? Should we expect it to die soon after?? or just exist for awhile. *I'm kinda hoping for the later* Seriously, I see these towering washingtonias all over town - a gizzilion feet high and I wonder . .when the *bleep* is that thing going to croak and topple over on someone's house or car?? There's a 60'r+

across the street that sheds it's palm foo foo flower stuff all over my roof deck - and during the winter the dead fronds *the ones that the city fails to cut away* fall in my yard because I'm downwind. Anyway . . . just asking.

Curious, stupid nieve newbie palm grower.

Cheers!

-Rey

Edited August 23, 2014 by Mantarey

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

The mature height is a function of how far up capillary forces can transport water and nutrients. Once that limit is close the palm slows down considerably, and after a while it eventually dies