Phoenix rupicola

[Al in Kona]

Phoenix rupicola is my favorite of the genus.  This one I grew from seed that came from habitat in India.  I've read that most or many of the P. rupicolas out there often have some hybridization in them.  It is not a fast grower but maybe part of the reason is that it is growing pretty much on its own with no supplemental watering or fertilizer.  Happy to have it.  How about a few pics of your P. rupicola, be it pure or hybrid.

 

[Tom in Tucson]

I'm growing some from seed started in August from RPS. I won't bother posting a picture of the little sprouts. How old is yours? How tall is it? It looks perfectly grown despite your benign neglect. Beautiful!

Tom Birt - Casas Adobes, AZ

Hi 84°, Lo 61°

[Las Palmas Norte]

Al ... that's a true beauty. Thanks for posting.

Cheers, Barrie.

[Pal Meir]

This palm reminds me of your Lytocaryum hoehnei you posted a couple years ago. Could you post an update of those palms too?

[Chris Chance]

I have to agree it's the best looking in the genus in my opinion. I got one in the ground and tons of seedlings but nothing to show off yet. Al that one looks fantastic! 

[Jdiaz31089]

Beautiful tree! It's one of my favorite as well. I have a tiny 3-year old seedling and this bad boy which has been in the ground 3 years from a 5-gallon container. 

[Pal Meir]

This was mine, grown up from seed, given away in 2008:

[foxtail]

Mine, pic took some months ago.

Thanks to @Frond of Palms

Edited November 3, 2016 by foxtail

[GMann]

Mine when it was first planted 2 years ago. It has grown an additional 1 and half feet of trunk since then. the old leaf bases at the bottom of the trunk are now starting to fall off revealing a leaf scar pattern similar to a Canary Island Date Palm. I need to get an updated photo....

Edited November 3, 2016 by GMann

[Walt]

My one and only Phoenix rupicola is extremely slow growing. I think I purchased it (along with another one) in 2000 as 3 gallon sizes. In January of 2001 both palms were severely cold damaged from a hard freeze in the low 20s. One succumbed to the cold. I then dug the surviving palm up and transplanted it at the S.E. corner of my storage shed in hopes that the shed would help shield the palm from cold N.W. wind. It's done fairly well in its new location but does get frost burn on occasion, although no damage for the past four winters.

 

 

 

[DoomsDave]

On 11/3/2016, 9:56:06, Walt said:

My one and only Phoenix rupicola is extremely slow growing. I think I purchased it (along with another one) in 2000 as 3 gallon sizes. In January of 2001 both palms were severely cold damaged from a hard freeze in the low 20s. One succumbed to the cold. I then dug the surviving palm up and transplanted it at the S.E. corner of my storage shed in hopes that the shed would help shield the palm from cold N.W. wind. It's done fairly well in its new location but does get frost burn on occasion, although no damage for the past four winters.

 

 

 

Sorry walt

[DoomsDave]

Here's one of mine

It's about 7 feet 2.3 M tall

[DoomsDave]

Here's the pair

In the light of the failing afternoon sun

[Al in Kona]

Thanks all of you for sharing your nice Phoenix rupicolas.  IMO, despite being a rather slow grower it is a beautiful palm.  Good to see so many of you growing it.

[Really full garden]

This is mine at the beach. It is slow.... this one is almost 15yrs old. It was planted out about 12 years ago.

 

[DoomsDave]

4 hours ago, scottgt said:

This is mine at the beach. It is slow.... this one is almost 15yrs old. It was planted out about 12 years ago.

 

WHOA

That is slow!

Bet it would be a lot faster dug and moved into some real soil . . . .

[Al in Kona]

This is mine at the beach. It is slow.... this one is almost 15yrs old. It was planted out about 12 years ago.

Wow that does seem super slow Scott.  Maybe some extra watering and fertilizer might help speed it up some, do you think?  It does look healthy green however. 

[Really full garden]

Al, it does get extra water and fertilizer just like all my palms. It does not seem to like the beach.

[GMann]

Here is a really mature specimen from Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando (the Africa area). It looks like it has not been maintained very much so it is perhaps a good indication of how they would look in nature once mature:

 

Edited December 7, 2016 by GMann

[Phoenikakias]

On 3/11/2016, 12:19:32, Pal Meir said:

This was mine, grown up from seed, given away in 2008:

It acts like Paul the octopus trying to escape from this tiny pot!

[Al in Kona]

Anyone else growing Phoenix rupicola and can share them with us here.  Please share a photo if possible. 

[Pal Meir]

4 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

It acts like Paul the octopus trying to escape from this tiny pot!

Paul the Octopus was grown up indoors in a normal living room:

[Phoenikakias]

yep, normal for the people but obviously not normal conditions for the palm itself.

[Las Palmas Norte]

How winter hardy are these elegant palms?  

Cheers, Barrie.

[Jdiaz31089]

They're not the most cold-tolerant phoenix species. Mine gets a bronze color from temperatures in the low 30s and some foliar damage with frost . I'd say it's similar to roebelenii in terms of cold hardiness. 

25 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

How winter hardy are these elegant palms?  

Cheers, Barrie.

 

[Walt]

Here's a Phoenix rupicola I spotted many years ago (see date stamp) up in Sebring, Florida.

 

[Walt]

Here's another nice Phoenix rupicola, also growing in Sebring, Florida. I have more photos of Phoenix rupicola I've found, but I need to find the photos to post them.

 

[Phoenikakias]

Here are mine, a bigger specimen bought from a nursery and a smaller one grown from seed on. Qualiry of pictures is bad beacause this time of year sun has a very low orbit, anyway small specimen is uniformly green, any perceived yellow color is only a sun reflection on shiny leaves! What intrigues me is that big specimen has, given or taken, straight, while fronds on small specimen are recurved.

[Phoenikakias]

Ok big specimen is crowded between Strelitzia and an older dactylifera and probably competes with them for water. Whole situation is ..., what is the slang word in Ca, 'velezized'? Actually this is nothing to another corner of my garden where 'velezization' reaches the level of art, with paricipants Trithrinax acanthocoma and campestris, Livistona australis, Dioon rzedowskii ans Encephalartos altestenii

[Walt]

Here's another Phoenix rupicola palm growing in Lake Placid, Florida. Of course, I took this photo in March of 2003, and I'm assuming the palm is still there.

 

 

[Josh-O]

2 hours ago, Walt said:

Here's another Phoenix rupicola palm growing in Lake Placid, Florida. Of course, I took this photo in March of 2003, and I'm assuming the palm is still there.

 

 

wow!

they look so beautiful. I need to get mine in the ground asap!!

[Walt]

Here's another P. rupicola growing a few blocks away from the above one I posted. Again, I took this photo 14 years ago, so the palm surely is taller now than then.

 

[SubTropicRay]

Dr. Young's specimen was planted in Tampa circa 1965 and grew to 30' tall before it was relocated in 2014.  It survived all of the horrible 1980's freezes (19F, 21F, 22F etc.) proving it is hardier than P. roebelenii.  The foliage may be as tender as P. roebelenii but the trunk/bud is hardier.  It is a safe bet in 9b.

[Phoenikakias]

21 minutes ago, SubTropicRay said:

Dr. Young's specimen was planted in Tampa circa 1965 and grew to 30' tall before it was relocated in 2014.  It survived all of the horrible 1980's freezes (19F, 21F, 22F etc.) proving it is hardier than P. roebelenii.  The foliage may be as tender as P. roebelenii but the trunk/bud is hardier.  It is a safe bet in 9b.

Agree...

[Eric in Orlando]

I wish these were grown more by commercial growers in the field. It is such a good palm for central and south FL.

There used to be quite a few around Orlando. they were wiped out in the 1989 freezes. Most survived the 1983 and 1985 freezes but '89 destroyed them. There was 2 growing at a business in College Park in Orlando. Both had nice curves in the trunk and were about 15ft tall. I always admired them but they were killed. I also remember another business on the west side that had 2 growing. One was a pure or mostly pure P. rupicola. The other had P. reclinata mixed in as there were suckers at the base. It also had something else mixed in as it was a bit thicker and hardier. The pure specimen was killed in '89 the other had no damage.

[Phoenikakias]

3 minutes ago, Eric in Orlando said:

I wish these were grown more by commercial growers in the field. It is such a good palm for central and south FL.

There used to be quite a few around Orlando. they were wiped out in the 1989 freezes. Most survived the 1983 and 1985 freezes but '89 destroyed them. There was 2 growing at a business in College Park in Orlando. Both had nice curves in the trunk and were about 15ft tall. I always admired them but they were killed. I also remember another business on the west side that had 2 growing. One was a pure or mostly pure P. rupicola. The other had P. reclinata mixed in as there were suckers at the base. It also had something else mixed in as it was a bit thicker and hardier. The pure specimen was killed in '89 the other had no damage.

How cold had it been in '89 and for how long?

[Eric in Orlando]

 

 Phoenix rupicola in Winter Park

 

[Eric in Orlando]

Phoenix rupicola here at Leu Gardens

 

 

 

[Really full garden]

Just a super good looking palm .The colorful fruit just add to their appeal IMO. 

[Eric in Orlando]

At McKee Gardens in Vero Beach