Syagrus yungasensis

[Al in Kona]

When I got this as a seedling the tag read 'Syagrus yungasensis'. My understanding is that this is very closely related to S. cardenasii or maybe even another name for the same palm. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

Anyway, this is a small (beginning to cluster) Syagrus from the Yungas region of Bolivia, said to grow only about 5m (17 ft.) tall. The narrow valleys where it grows go for long periods with no rain, a clue to its requirements in cultivation. It occurs at elevations of up to 1000 m a.s.l.. Anyone else growing this rather unusual Syagrus?

[edbrown_III]

This looks like the plant in Palmeras Boliviana ---- I had a few small ones got up to character leaves here in Jax. I had them in pots and planted out as they survived a very brutal freeze year 2010 --- lost them a few years later 2013 when some trees blew down __- when I get this book scanned I will send a few pages to you -- its in spanish tho and morphological characteristics are line drawings --- one photo crown shot like yours not much say native Bolivian palm differentiated from S. cardensis as having a trunk and some arrangements of the seeds on the spathe. Floribunda and Mark Heath provided mine some years ago. Do you know of a soource for them ?

Best regafrds

Ed Brown

[Al in Kona]

Thanks Ed for the info. No, I do not now know a source for them. I got my tiny seedling many years ago and this is how it looks today (see pics above). If you can send a few pages of scanned information, I'd appreciate it. I do speak and read Spanish so that shouldn't be a problem.

[Karen]

Aloha Al,

Love your Syagrus, the fronds are gorgeous. I have the Kew "World Checklist of Palms" published on 2005, & unless they have changed things, both S. yungasensis & S. cardenasii are valid names. (I'm too lazy to check the on line version!) Henderson's book lists the S. cardenasii but not the S. yungasensis & the photo he has shows a more upright frond. He also says the trunk only gets to .5m, if that! No experience with either palm here but really like most of the smaller Syagrus.

Rare Palm Seeds also has photos of both palms in the Archive, but no seeds available, currently.

Karen