Chamaerops humilis

[JLeVert]

I am growing many Chamaerops humilis here in Augusta, GA. I see on line that there are different varieties available. I already have the 'regular' clumping type and 'cerifera', but wondered if there were other varieties that people were already growing: single trunk, vulcano, etc. Any info would be much appreciated.

[Tomsky]

I have three of them, all different forms. One is the more or less common one with tall stems. This one below is unusual in that even though it's old, the trunks are very short.

Jack

[Tomsky]

In this form, the petioles are very short, giving the crowns the look of a large green blossom.

Jack

[Miccles]

Ok OK....I've had these pics of a local C.Humilis for nearly 12 months.... and here's the topic to post them in

How about.......... Variegated !!

[Miccles]

And a close-up of the leaves !

[Scott Zona]

Joseph,

This is such a great topic! I've often said (to anyone that would listen) that we need a definitive catalog of all the interesting variants of C. humilis. I've seen some with leaflets that spread more than 360° around the hastula and others that spread less than 45°. The Naples (Italy) Botanical Garden is growing something they called C. humilis var. arborescens, which has a single, upright trunk and looked more like a Trachycarpus. This var is probably better treated as a cultivar, rather than a taxonomic variety.

Incidentally, the correct name for var. cerifera is C. humilis var argentea.

Love the variegated specimen!

[PalmGuyWC]

Chamaerops is a variable genus with many different forms. I have about 8 different forms, and one that is quite different. I found the plant growing in a nursery in Tampa Fla. many years ago. It was a mutation with some unusual characteristics. The fronds only have from 3 to 5 blades and they have a heavy woody texture and are covered with white tomentum. It's a dwarf plant and also has both sexes on the same inflourescence. The seeds are much smaller than a normal Chamaerops and they come true, or look just like the mother plant. There are some pictures of it in Travelogs, Dick Douglas garden.

I have another plant that was referenced in Genera Palmarum 1, P. 186. The fronds on it form almost a 360 degree circle and the blades are very narrow and droop. It has so many blades that some overlap. It's a female and I crossed it with a C. cerifera (argentea, and thanks Scott) which has the same characteristics with many narrow, droopy fronds. I have two other C. argentea that have stiff rigid fronds which seems to be more the norm.

Some Chamaerops have fronds that are silver on the underside of the fronds, while others are green. I've seen some that have a blue/green color and I have another that is a pale green with no silver at all. I saw a picture once of a Chamaerops growing in Los Angeles that had blades that did not seperate. The fronds were cupped and looked like a Licuala.

I have another speciman Chamaerops with about 8 trunks and all of the trunks are female except one is consistently male. It always has a robust seed set and is pollinated by its self. I like Scott's suggestion that there should be a catalog of the many different variants. I'm sure there are dozens with distinct characteristics.

So Scott, in the future we should call C. cerifera C. var argentea? How did you come up with that?

Dick

[David N.TX.]

I was given a Chamaerops macrocarpa by Matthew here in the Dallas area. I'm not sure if he got it from Max(from Rome, Italy) or not ? It seems there was a post on this a while back. You might want to look at the European Palm Society board @ www.palmsociety.org.uk It seems there are a number of post on Chamaerops.

David

[JLeVert]

Joseph,

This is such a great topic! I've often said (to anyone that would listen) that we need a definitive catalog of all the interesting variants of C. humilis. I've seen some with leaflets that spread more than 360° around the hastula and others that spread less than 45°. The Naples (Italy) Botanical Garden is growing something they called C. humilis var. arborescens, which has a single, upright trunk and looked more like a Trachycarpus. This var is probably better treated as a cultivar, rather than a taxonomic variety.

Incidentally, the correct name for var. cerifera is C. humilis var argentea.

Thanks, Scott, for the correction on naming. I would think that there must be lots of variants that have been discovered and selected in Spain, Italy, and North Africa. Now, how to get in touch with those people and get some seeds? Any suggestions?

Joe

Love the variegated specimen!

[palmman97]

here is mine.in the ground 5 years from a 3 gal.

[Eric in Orlando]

We found this specimen at a local nursery amongst "normal" looking specimens. The leaves are not deeply divided, similar to Sabal palmetto 'Lisa'.

[freakypalmguy]

Here is one I found at a local nursery that is similar to the one you found Eric. I think in my case it might have been a nutritional deficiency. Now that it has been in the ground at my place for about 6 months, the new fronds seem to be dividing more and more. I hope not.

Matt

[Kris]

Dear Matt

you palm looks stunningly different & beautiful too !

thanks for the still

lots of love,

Kris

[MattyB]

Thanks for all the pics guys. I don't have much experience with this palm. I am growing a cerifera variety and I've found it to be a robust root grower with little action up top. Sorta like a mullet.

[paulgila]

everyone sing along(to the tune of "o tannenbaum")!!!

"o chamaerops,o chamaerops,

how spiny are your branches!"

[MattyB]

[paulgila]

ummmm,matt,thats a grasshopper,not a cricket.

[MattyB]

Damnit!

[M@ximus]

Joseph, here in Rome I'm growing many Chamaerops!

Macrocarpa, Microcarpa, Vulcano, Arborescens, cerifera and traditional Humilis, that it can show several differences one another!

Allegate some pics of :

Chamaerops H. Arborescens " Naples" ( single trunk)

Chamaerops H. " dropping leaves"

Chamaerops x Vulcano ( hybrid)

Chamaerops H. Vulcano

Chamaerops H. macrocarpa

Chamaerops H. microcarpa ( 2 pics)

Chamaerops H. Arborescens " Sorrento"

[Exotic Life]

Max,

Fantastic pictures of all that different form of the Chamaerops.

I'm growing Chamaerops humilis, Chamaerops humilis "Vulcano", Chamaerops humilis "Cerifera". And i have got some seeds from max from that napels form but still nothing is above the ground yet

Robbin

[JLeVert]

Thanks Max for the wonderful pictures. That's what I was looking for. Now, is it possible to get some seeds from those beauties?

[Tom_StMarys_GA]

Max, that "drooping leaf" Chamaerops looks like a Livistona. If you could get seeds from that one, and they came true, there would be a LOT of people in the USA in colder growing zones who would give their eye teeth for a specimen that looks like that one.

Here is an interesting form I have growing at our family farm in middle Georgia. It's a single-trunked form with black petioles.

[Kris]

Dear Brother M@X

thanks for those fentastic Med fan palm stills....they are superb !

lots of love,

Kris

[PalmGuyWC]

Thanks to all of you for the great shots of the various forms of Chamaerops. Eric, I particularly like the one with the wide leaf blades. With its small trunk, it looks like it may be a dwarf too. TikiRick is visiting with his magic camera, and I'll try to get him to photograph some of my different forms.

This just goes to prove that those of us who are climatically challenged could have a great variation of palms with Chamaerops alone.

Dick

[Eric in Orlando]

Here is one I found at a local nursery that is similar to the one you found Eric. I think in my case it might have been a nutritional deficiency. Now that it has been in the ground at my place for about 6 months, the new fronds seem to be dividing more and more. I hope not.

Matt

Matt,

Thats a nice one. We have had ours about 4 years but it has never reverted to normal foliage. It was growing as a container specimen on a patio here for awhile then the clay pot broke so I planted it in the ground a couple months ago.

[Eric in Orlando]

Max,

Great specimens!

We have a clump here that had one stem that had been growing variegated leaves. It would only have variegation on leaves that came out on the same side of the crown. It did this for a couple years, stopped and only produced green leaves, grew a few variegated ones again and then stopped. Its only produced green now.

We have one nice single trunked specimen thats never grown suckers

This is probably the tallest I have seen around here

and a specimen with a branched trunk

[Eric in Orlando]

One more,

a nice single trunked one growing next to the pool at my sister's house in Sierra Vista, Arizona, covered with snow, thats a Lemon Bottlebrush to the right and then Oleanders next to that, the hedge in the foreground is a juniper about 3ft tall

[Kris]

Dear Eric

like always your stills,simply Rocks ! And the above still remainds me the fact that,these palms do love cooler climatic zones,since my Med fan has not grown much in full sunlight in our hot tropical climate...?

thanks & love,

Kris

[Charles Wychgel]

Chamaerops humilis :nice and easy does it all the time.

But .....different, even seeds from one plant would turn out different forms, some glaucous, some not, some spiny, some less spiny and some of course with mutant leaves like those wide leaf forms posted. Nice :) :)

I use them as hedge plants , as single trunk plants by chopping the suckers off..they do make a nice windbreak.

A picture of an old Chamaerops growing in an old palace near Estoi has very bent petioles as if they are bowing to all the aristocrats that passed by in times past.

Another pic of the Ch."vulcano" a sale succes of an Italian nursery.

And just another mutant leaf form

[m@x]

Thanks Max for the wonderful pictures. That's what I was looking for. Now, is it possible to get some seeds from those beauties?

Sorry for delay to answer, but my old account (M@ximus) don't work. I have tryed to change my PM, and something happened!!

Anyway, hope someone could fix it up soon.

Joseph, send me a pm with your address , and I will ship you some seeds

Best M@x

[m@x]

Max, that "drooping leaf" Chamaerops looks like a Livistona. If you could get seeds from that one, and they came true, there would be a LOT of people in the USA in colder growing zones who would give their eye teeth for a specimen that looks like that one.

Here is an interesting form I have growing at our family farm in middle Georgia. It's a single-trunked form with black petioles.

Tom, I will collect soon some seeds of it, they need another month to mature

keep in touch , send me a pm.

Best M@x

[m@x]

Dear Brother M@X

thanks for those fentastic Med fan palm stills....they are superb !

lots of love,

Kris

Ciao Kris, like already wrote, I have this new account .

is the same, but hope that my old one , will work soon

I will ship to you some seeds next week, inluding some Chamaerops

All the best M@x

[Cikas]

Joseph, here in Rome I'm growing many Chamaerops!

Macrocarpa, Microcarpa, Vulcano, Arborescens, cerifera and traditional Humilis, that it can show several differences one another!

Allegate some pics of :

Chamaerops H. Arborescens " Naples" ( single trunk)

Chamaerops H. " dropping leaves"

Chamaerops x Vulcano ( hybrid)

Chamaerops H. Vulcano

Chamaerops H. macrocarpa

Chamaerops H. microcarpa ( 2 pics)

Chamaerops H. Arborescens " Sorrento"

They look great.

[wimmie]

Chamaerops humilis :nice and easy does it all the time.

But .....different, even seeds from one plant would turn out different forms, some glaucous, some not, some spiny, some less spiny and some of course with mutant leaves like those wide leaf forms posted. Nice :) :)

I use them as hedge plants , as single trunk plants by chopping the suckers off..they do make a nice windbreak.

A picture of an old Chamaerops growing in an old palace near Estoi has very bent petioles as if they are bowing to all the aristocrats that passed by in times past.

Another pic of the Ch."vulcano" a sale succes of an Italian nursery.

And just another mutant leaf form

The leafform on the right is called "duplicifolia" by our French palmfriends and the form occurs in both the normal Chamaerops and in Cerifera.

Wim.