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Okay! Sometimes I like to pop onto iNaturalist to find collection location potentials for native plants and such. So I thought I would do the same for Butia... and lo, I found a B. odorata located near General Pico and also Necochea, Argentina. General Pico is in the Pampas, so has warmer summers but has damp, cool winters. The weather history for General Pico also includes many sub-freezing events. But they have palms in the center of a major boulevard and also just popping up around the city. Not sure of these palms in this second image, except that yes, they are palms... Necochea has a much more maritime, cool and wet climate with cooler summers but less severe freeze events. There was a single Butia odorata palm ID'ed in iNaturalist outside of town, visible in the Google maps aerial view: However, the street view map doesn't get anywere close to this location in the countryside. So I thought: I'll just drop in to Necochea randomly and see what I see. Bam. Feathery palm. and directly across the street, peekaboo and another totally random location, with what appear to be very large and happy Trachycarpus fortunei palms?

Hey, interesting thing I found when searching through iNaturalist for extreme palm trees - a report of a wild Chamaerops humilis growing in the dredged sediment of the Columbia River shipping channel.

That's totally cool, and would love to hear from @matthedlund on the matter. But - where are you all getting these hybrids? Just gotta jump when seeds are available and be successfull in germination?

Checked my baggie of Lanonia yunnanensis seeds yesterday and there are a LOT of sprouts. I didn't want to disturb them yet so I am not sure what the rate is, but it's clearly high based on how many I saw sprouted and how close together they were in the bag. Excellent seeds! Thanks Charway! Matt

THIS IS THE WAY I also think the introcession of genetics from Parajubaea for (cool moisture tolerance) might also have potential for a cassette of traits that, combined, would be very useful. Problem 1) sourcing reliable genetic material Some Butia and some Jubaea are big enough and old enough to prove themselves in the PNW climate, or near it. The Jubaea, especially, take a long time to sexually mature! Other potential source would be mature palms in Chile, or, as you mentioned, B. oderata palms at the furthest limits of its tolerance. Problem 2) combining genetic material Hybridizing the palms - need mature individuals to cross, so that some fraction of viable seed can be generated. This is where pollen sourced from mature individuals at the most extreme ends of the range can jump-start some genetic advances. Problem 3) distributing and testing genetic material The thing about mixing up a bunch of potential genotypes is - the more possibilities, the more growing specimens, the better the chances become of getting a successful outcome. That's why being part of IPS and the palmtalk forum is important, of course. Problem 4) propagation Cloning bombproof specimen palms *is possible* using meristem tissue. However, the process is not foolproof and might result in the death of the donor tree, which - given the amount of time involved and how awesome these trees are - necessarily makes it a difficult decision for any individual tree owner.

It’s taken these ones about 25 years to flower, if I get any seeds I will most likely germinate a couple and give the rest away to a lucky palm talker!

Hello All, A little update, The red tomentum form Burretiokentia Hapala has seeded again this year. My green forms have not. I think there will be some seedlings of it at the Annual PACSOA show on the the and 8th of March 2026 at Mt Cootha botanic gardens. Maybe some seed as well, suggest be early in Saturday. Don Hodel in his Book , Palms of New Caledonia writes the red Tomentum form is the correct form, So what is the green form? Can anyone send me a green form seed to compare with the red tomentum form regards Colin

@matthedlund - how much drainage is "really good drainage?" asking for a friend (me)

Not to be off topic, but how is this possible? ☠️ Wouldn’t it suffocate? Does the top layer of the ground seal in the oxygen down below? I imagine the water is seasonal, and it initially rooted when there wasn’t water there. Really interesting

Calm blue ocean, serenity before insanity! Richard

American Robins eat Chamaedorea seeds once they start changing color.

It's another mystery hybrid palm. No one knows what it is.

Too cold for straight sunkha I would say. But @matthedlund has a B x PJS I think, or it may be B x PJT which has been growing for a few years now. I think it gets help on the coldest nights.

Sick Sprouts Soil Sancho Science

Hi, To answer the original question: Washingtonia robusta performs well in sandy soil and coastal locations. The ones I have seen, show little to no damage from salty winds. In Spain, you can often find these palms growing directly on the beach. Sometimes, so close to the sea that during strong storms their roots may be exposed for weeks or even months until the beach is regenerated again (the council or local authorities bringing more sand). Often, the area is filled first with a different type of soil, but that doesn't seem to be a requirement. Phoenix canariensis tends to show salt and wind damage much faster. For example, many specimens in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are small and have severely scorched leaves. As others have mentioned, Phoenix dactylifera also does well near the sea and in sand. The leaves are tough. For anyone curious, the picture OP posted it was taken at a windsurfing and kitesurfing centre next to the Melià Paradisus Hotel in Playa de Sotavento de Jandía, Fuerteventura (Canary Islands). See location here. The original image, actually a TikTok video, was recorded during high tide. Alongside the Washingtonia palms, they’ve also planted coconut trees and Phoenix canariensis, which look surprisingly healthy given their closeness to the sea. Sorry for the quality of the photo but to give an idea of how this place looks like when the tide is low.

Good Day NatureGirl. Arrived alive and taking a dive. Thank you for little ones make they sprout freely by Springtime. ZenMan 1

Haha OK @Jonathan, I will get one of Darold's plants! I may put it in the front yard to complement the neighbors'. We have a couple of spots that have opened up since our proteas keep outgrowing their spaces and/or falling over.

Get 'em in NOW!!

Yeah, everything is kinda messed up down here now. I do have plenty and more than I could ever use, the palmettos too. Palmettos have been in the freezer for a while so it's safe to assume anything that isn't a seed is dead. I don't know if it makes a difference to customs that I've been inspected and my license is pending?

Wow... I would also take the frost anytime but this madness.. I am worried about my plants when the wind is 50km/h, I cannot even begin to imagine 150 or 200! So sorry for the devastation.

TM sent!

Winter??? ....Is there even such a thing?

@Foggy Paul, check my listing in the "For sale" section,

I know! Our neighbors across the street have two, and despite being somewhat neglected both look pretty good. When I met @JasonD and told him where I live, he asked me if I was the one with the Howeas. Sadly no.