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Anyone Growing Borassus flabellifer Outdoors? (In The US)


PalmTreeDude

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post-219-1199049555_thumb.jpgNo pictures but they are grown in South Florida in large numbers. One rather sad but somewhat comical planting occurred rather close to the front of a small house by a well intended but misguided palmster. The Bf must have been on steroids because it grew with such radical intensity that it very quickly dwarfed the small house.

I believe it threatened the structural integrity of the house. It became so large and so close to the dwelling that a Code Enforcement Violation was apparently issued before Armageddon. Somehow the Bf was removed and I can only imagine the number of dump trucks of fill necessary to replace the soil. The Bf was replaced by a Queen.

 

 

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What you look for is what is looking

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I have seen one in Honolulu and one in Kona.  In both cases, they really dwarfed the adjacent houses.  I didn't realize how huge those guys can get.

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Here's one growing in Melbourne, Florida. There's supposedly a very large one in the same city that was planted sometime in the 80's, but I haven't found it yet. This is a difficult species to acquire in Florida though. I don't know of any producing seeds in the state, unlike B. aethiopum, where there is a reproductive pair at Fairchild.

IMG_7321.thumb.jpg.619bb37392042261579f1

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Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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Flabellifer are a few degrees less cold hardy than aethiopum as I recall.  Rod Anderson, a forum member, had both in phoenix arizona, I dont think the Flabellifer survived a 23F low a few years back, but the Aethiopum did survive with partial defoliation of older leaves.  I planted an Aethiopum for this reason, I don't want a big dead tree if I can avoid it.  My Aethiopum (from christian faulkner) is a tough palm, its been frosted at 28F out in the open, and run over by a lawn mower as a newly planted strap leaf seedling.  Then I transplanted it shortly thereafter to a safer place, never babied with fertilizer, put it in a dry spot where my irrigation barely wets, and today is starting to push good sized leaves as an 8' overall juvenile.  It did start slow, probably throwing its deep root system down, but seems to be picking up speed about 5 1/2 years since the transplant.  The Aethiopum looks to be really drought resistant as the irrigation system failed for half the summer and it looks great.  It may be my most drought resistant palm.  At 10' from my house it might be too close at least until its up and over the roof.   I don't think the root system will do damage from 10'.   Here it is next to my largest B. Alfredii(~18-20' overall).  They are 15' center to center, someday it will be interesting I guess they will have to get along..

Alfredii_snip.PNG

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Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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2 hours ago, sonoranfans said:

Flabellifer are a few degrees less cold hardy than aethiopum as I recall.  Rod Anderson, a forum member, had both in phoenix arizona, I dont think the Flabellifer survived a 23F low a few years back, but the Aethiopum did survive with partial defoliation of older leaves.  I planted an Aethiopum for this reason, I don't want a big dead tree if I can avoid it.  My Aethiopum (from christian faulkner) is a tough palm, its been frosted at 28F out in the open, and run over by a lawn mower as a newly planted strap leaf seedling.  Then I transplanted it shortly thereafter to a safer place, never babied with fertilizer, put it in a dry spot where my irrigation barely wets, and today is starting to push good sized leaves as an 8' overall juvenile.  It did start slow, probably throwing its deep root system down, but seems to be picking up speed about 5 1/2 years since the transplant.  The Aethiopum looks to be really drought resistant as the irrigation system failed for half the summer and it looks great.  It may be my most drought resistant palm.  At 10' from my house it might be too close at least until its up and over the roof.   I don't think the root system will do damage from 10'.   Here it is next to my largest B. Alfredii(~18-20' overall).  They are 15' center to center, someday it will be interesting I guess they will have to get along..Alfredii_snip.PNG

Nice palms! There's a B. flabellifer that survived 1989 in Melbourne, Florida, so they're at least somewhat hardy. I know what you mean about avoiding big, dead palms. That's my main reason for not planting Tahina or Corypha. They're beautiful palms when they're alive, but the fact that they have a set lifespan before flowering and dying puts me off. I don't want to have to pay someone to remove a 60 foot tall, 3 foot wide stump. 

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Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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2 hours ago, sonoranfans said:

Flabellifer are a few degrees less cold hardy than aethiopum as I recall.  Rod Anderson, a forum member, had both in phoenix arizona, I dont think the Flabellifer survived a 23F low a few years back, but the Aethiopum did survive with partial defoliation of older leaves.  I planted an Aethiopum for this reason, I don't want a big dead tree if I can avoid it.  My Aethiopum (from christian faulkner) is a tough palm, its been frosted at 28F out in the open, and run over by a lawn mower as a newly planted strap leaf seedling.  Then I transplanted it shortly thereafter to a safer place, never babied with fertilizer, put it in a dry spot where my irrigation barely wets, and today is starting to push good sized leaves as an 8' overall juvenile.  It did start slow, probably throwing its deep root system down, but seems to be picking up speed about 5 1/2 years since the transplant.  The Aethiopum looks to be really drought resistant as the irrigation system failed for half the summer and it looks great.  It may be my most drought resistant palm.  At 10' from my house it might be too close at least until its up and over the roof.   I don't think the root system will do damage from 10'.   Here it is next to my largest B. Alfredii(~18-20' overall).  They are 15' center to center, someday it will be interesting I guess they will have to get along..

Alfredii_snip.PNG

Rod's is fairly decent in size if I recall, if I get the time I bet I can pull it up in street view and see it up over the back wall. I thought I took my own photo of it once upon a time but no knowing where that might be. 

Corpus Christi, TX, near salt water, zone 9b/10a! Except when it isn't and everything gets nuked.

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What would be the easiest way to discern a flabelifer from an aethiopum?

So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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17 minutes ago, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

What would be the easiest way to discern a flabelifer from an aethiopum?

Petiole color on flabellifer tends to have yellow or orange in it near where it meets the trunk, where aethiopum is either straight green or black. 

This is a flabellifer:

IMG_4730.thumb.JPG.dcc0e612530ebb28c8dd8

 

B. aethiopum:

Borassus76z.jpg

 

When they're big it's even easier. B. aethiopum has a trunk that bulges and constricts kind of like Acrocomia crispa, whereas B. flabellifer is very uniform in diameter like a gigantic Sabal (but may be slightly larger at the base like a coconut). 

B. aethiopum:

IMG_8054.thumb.jpg.8a4744e7d36f5fc4cfd18

B. flabellifer:

20161003-IMG_0938.jpg

 

 

 

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Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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Just saw this topic. I have two juvenile B. flabellifer on my garden lot. I germinated them from seeds Kris in India generously sent me in 2008-9. Since I planted them we have had fairly mild winters so I haven't had to protect them. They grow slowly but steadily. It's too late to take photos tonight and rain is expected tomorrow but I will take them soon.

But here are photos of them from 2014

Borassus flabellifer the larger

58701c858b3e8_Borassusflabelliferlg034-1

Borassus flabellifer the smaller

58701cd5cde18_Borassusflabellifersm024-1

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Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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BYI have a small Borassus aethiopum that's been in the ground for about a year. It gets some overhead watering which it does not like but hopefully will grow fast to out grow the sprinklers.

There is an old and tall Borassus flabellifer at the Edison estate in Ft Myers, I don't have a picture of it though.

20161126_161733.jpg

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Lived in Cape Coral, Miami, Orlando and St. Petersburg Florida.

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