Chamaerops humilis var glauca

[Phoenikakias]

Actually it may not deserve the varietal status but anyway it is a very interesting form, which is hereditary. I gathered seeds from a similar specimen in Barcelona, Spain and offspring starts at last looking like mother plant. There are also numerous other forms of Chamaerops like the one with black leaf petioles and and black big thorn,and leaves moderately split with a very coriaceous texture (var. melanacantha). Such varieties can be very ornamental and for example I can not understand why another more exotic palm is praised for the blackish or yellowish color on certain vegetal parts and not also the Chamaerops! Maybe this monotypic genous (for the time being) is the loveliest imposter in palm's world, because it has so many forms always reminding of another palm.

Particularly the glauca form has, as its name suggests, a glaucous color on both sides of the leaf, and most importantly this hue is not caused by an external layer of wax or whitish scales, which can be washed off. Moreover it seems to be incorporarted in the leaf's tissue. Besides it has lemon yellow leaf beases and big yellow spines. AND IT GROWS QUITE FAST for a Chamerops, indicating that in future we will have a stately specimen with an erect, chunky (for a Chamaerops of course) trunk. At least such arborescent habit has already the mother plant. It is a pity that nurseries do not try to select and preserve and standardize such distinctive Chamaerops forms on a more extensive scale.

Now the pictures:

[Neil C]

Very nice! I never tire of all your Chamaerops pics. Thanks for sharing.

Regards Neil

[Cikas]

Looks nice. Interesting variety.

[Danilopez89]

I agree. There's tons of them growing here in the Valley, and many look so much different that they should be separate from the regular green ones. Here's one from my dads house that I thought for the longest time that it was a different palm species. I guess it's just a regular ol chamaerops

[Danilopez89]

And some silver ones.

I really like these. Awesome color!

[Rafael]

Beautifull skills!

Do you have available seeds to spread through south Europe?

[Phoenikakias]

I have also a female plant, which set seed for first time ever last year. I have sowed a sample of those experimentally to no avail First time seeds many times are difficult or impossible to germinate. Rest majority of seeds disappeared from fruit stalk mysteriously. I rather suspect that someone broke in to my garden and stole all seeds.

@Dani: I see on all pics from the valley that displayed specimens have super chunky (for a Chamaerops of course) stems. This however needs not to be so in every case because of the vast variability (there are dwarf forms or other with slender and often leaning stems). Therefore it must have taken place some kind of selection by horticulturists!

[Brad Mondel]

Are you sure that's not just a hybrid between cerifera and regular green?

[Phoenikakias]

An expected question! Actually one can never be sure of it without a DNA examination. But having crossed in the past cerifera with green form, I have reasons to consider this possibility for less probable. Especially I found cerifera's black spines to be a dominant trait and conversely blue color to be a recessive one! Black spines are imo the crucial factor, those plants in pictures lack any trace of black color on spines. besides they bloom one month earlier than cerifera in my climate.

[Axel Amsterdam]

Perhaps you can name your amazing discovery chamaerops var. Peyo

[Phoenikakias]

Perhaps you can name your amazing discovery chamaerops var. Peyo

Could you please elaborate? I fear I am unable to understand on my own the reasoning behind suggested name...

[sergiskan]

Hi Konstantinos!

Beautiful colour!

[Brad Mondel]

Whatever it is, it's beautiful and unique!

[Phoenikakias]

Hi Konstantinos!

Beautiful colour!

Hola Sergi,

maybe some pollen for your female cerifera?

[sergiskan]

Hi Konstantinos!

Beautiful colour!

Hola Sergi,

maybe some pollen for your female cerifera?

Hola Konstantinos.

Many thanks!, unfortunately this year I don't have holidays to make cross between them.

Now I'm working at Barcelona airport.

I'm only go to the island to control paysandisia and watering all the palms.

Chamaerops near Montjuic.

Best regards.

Edited April 3, 2015 by sergiskan

[Phoenikakias]

And something new, red Chamaerops in the fresco (behind the blue gray cat) from the Akrotiri archaeological site in Thera (Santorina)

[Will]

Is that a cerifera or also a glauca?

[Las Palmas Norte]

Some I've noticed have a waxy type substance on the undersides of the fronds, while others less so.

[Phoenikakias]

On 11/20/2021 at 3:17 PM, Will said:

Is that a cerifera or also a glauca?

 

On 11/20/2021 at 6:17 PM, Las Palmas Norte said:

Some I've noticed have a waxy type substance on the undersides of the fronds, while others less so.

This is a 'silverback' not a glauca. On glauca even upper side of the leaf has a bluish hue. Here are some picture of the ancestor of my own specimen. It grows in Barcelona.

Even among wild population there are bluer specimens

Edited November 21, 2021 by Phoenikakias