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What Are Some Tough Palms?

Palmsbro

By Palmsbro
in DISCUSSING PALM TREES WORLDWIDE

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Palmsbro Experienced

Palmsbro

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  What are some of the toughest palms you have seen? This includes cold-resistance, fire-resistance, drought resistance, hurricane-force winds resistance, etc....

  Pictures are welcome.

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kinzyjr Grand Master

kinzyjr

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Cold Hardiness: Rhapidophyllum hystrix, Sabal Minor, Trachycarpus fortunei

Drought Resistance: Phoenix dactylifera, nannorrhops ritchiana, phoenix theophrasti

Fire resistance: serenoa repens (seems like it anyways)

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Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

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Palmsbro Experienced

Palmsbro

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2 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

Fire resistance: serenoa repens (seems like it anyways)

I know, right! In regularly (about every ~5 years or so) burned areas in nature preserves Serenoa repens and Sabal palmetto are visible with shiny black trunks.

A couple of months ago, there was a controlled burn at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. During my last visit, I noticed that nearly all of the Serenoa repens that had been burned most recently had inflorescences on them along with new fronds!

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kinzyjr Grand Master

kinzyjr

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Chamaedorea radicalis and jubaea chilensis are relatively cold hardy as far as pinnate palms go as well.

Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

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Palmsbro Experienced

Palmsbro

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4 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

Chamaedorea radicalis and jubaea chilensis are relatively cold hardy as far as pinnate palms go as well.

Yes these are and so are most Phoenix and Butia palms.

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PalmTreeDude Grand Master

PalmTreeDude

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Established Sabal palmetto can take a beating, I have seen them fall completely over and continue to grow and have chunks taken out of the trunks and survive. I have also seen large ones in a 2 feet deep swamp alive and well. 

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PalmTreeDude

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Neil C Mentor

Neil C

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Chamaerops are tough in terms of cold, drought and wind resistant. Not sure about fire but I'm willing to bet they are too.

Regards Neil

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Tom in Tucson Veteran

Tom in Tucson

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2 hours ago, Palmsbro said:

  What are some of the toughest palms you have seen? This includes cold-resistance, fire-resistance, drought resistance, hurricane-force winds resistance, etc....

  Pictures are welcome.

I've heard that the needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) and Sabal minor are the most cold hardy.

Washingtonia filifera is the most fire tolerant.

Medemia argun in my experience is the most drought tolerant.

I don't know the most hurricane tolerant, but for a trunk forming palm I would guess it would be the coconut (Cocos nucifera).

HTH,

 Hi 95°, Lo 46° - ultra low humidity (<5%)

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Casas Adobes - NW of Tucson since July 2014

formerly in the San Carlos region of San Diego

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Xerarch Veteran

Xerarch

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Many palms are tough, tough to the conditions that they would experience in their native environment. On this forum much of toughness is considered in relation to cold tolerance. Given this, Cocos nucifera is frequently referred to as being such a wimp, so tender etc. All this is true when talking cold tolerance.

In reality the coconut is TOUGH AS NAILS as it relates to attributes other than cold. It tolerates salt better than anything else I can think of, hurricanes better than anything else I can think of. It tolerates heat as good as many heat loving palms, I’ve seen photos of coconuts on the Arabian Peninsula. There is a reason coconut is so ubiquitous in the tropics. It is perfectly adapted to most harsh conditions that don’t involve cold. 

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

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Palmsbro Experienced

Palmsbro

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26 minutes ago, Xerarch said:

Many palms are tough, tough to the conditions that they would experience in their native environment. On this forum much of toughness is considered in relation to cold tolerance. Given this, Cocos nucifera is frequently referred to as being such a wimp, so tender etc. All this is true when talking cold tolerance.

In reality the coconut is TOUGH AS NAILS as it relates to attributes other than cold. It tolerates salt better than anything else I can think of, hurricanes better than anything else I can think of. It tolerates heat as good as many heat loving palms, I’ve seen photos of coconuts on the Arabian Peninsula. There is a reason coconut is so ubiquitous in the tropics. It is perfectly adapted to most harsh conditions that don’t involve cold. 

  They are tough (coconuts), but Nypa fruiticans thrives in salty conditions and Sabal palmetto, most of the time, does just fine during hurricanes.

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Palm Tree Jim Grand Master

Palm Tree Jim

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Have to agree with Chamaerops and Trachycarpus.

At least here in Southern CA.

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Patrick Palms Experienced

Patrick Palms

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On ‎16‎/‎04‎/‎2018‎ ‎13‎:‎32‎:‎43, Palmsbro said:

  They are tough (coconuts), but Nypa fruiticans thrives in salty conditions and Sabal palmetto, most of the time, does just fine during hurricanes.

On my 2nd coconut palm.  1st died because of wind.  bought 2 metre one, very warm here, but again , week of constant winds, making leafs brown.  trying to protect it.  When very big, coconuts are tough enough

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