Palm ID

[Scott]

Hi,

A while back, there was a plam mentioned - that I do not remember the name of.

The most striking feature was a white trunk - so white it almost looked silver. I think it had a powder on it. A real beauty.

Does anyone know what this is?

My collection is made up of such basic varieties, that I would really like to get something different that could make it in my climate. I suppose the most exotic thing I have is a Bizzie. Plus everything I have is all stuff I could fit in my Jetta. I need something BIG!

This one, whatever it was, would be cool if it could make it here.

Thanks!

Scott

[surgeon83]

Foxtails have white powder on their trunks/crownshafts, at least when they're young.  Eventually the trunks just turn brown and woody though.

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

Could it have been the thread about the Ceroxylons?  I'm not an expert on the CA climate, but I think the San Fernando valley is a desert to semi-desert environment...right?  The Ceroxylons prefer moist, mild, tropical mountains so they may be hard to grow in your neck of the woods. They seem to be picky buggers.

[Jeff Searle]

(surgeon83 @ Sep. 01 2006,07:42)

QUOTE

Foxtails have white powder on their trunks/crownshafts, at least when they're young.  Eventually the trunks just turn brown and woody though.

White powder? Where? Not on Foxtails.

[Neofolis]

What about Dictosperma album.  I know as the trunk gets longer it's a more green/brown colour, but the top of the trunk is white and on a specimen with a short trunk, it may all be white.  The only other thing I could think of was Dypsis albofarinosa, where just the crownshaft has the white powder coating.

[Walter John]

Veitchia ? Clinostigma ? Dypsis decipiens ?

[Palmy]

Isnt there a palm called the whitepowder palm?

[Ken Johnson]

In Peru there is a plant that is used to make a white powder.

[Zac in NC]

(Ken Johnson @ Sep. 01 2006,17:17)

QUOTE

In Peru there is a plant that is used to make a white powder.

LOL! Very funny.

[MattyB]

Scott, do you remember if it was a large palm?  Small?  Single stem or clustering?  What comes to my mind is some medium sized Dypsis clumpers like D. albofarinosa, D. onilahensis, D. baronii, D. psamophila etc.  They all have a good amount of silver/white powder.  Foxtails don't really have a powder but more of a silver tomentum or fuzziness.

[Palmy]

Was it an Dypsis albofarinosa?

[MattyB]

There was a recent thread on Dypsis cabadae.  Very silvery and powdery.

[Scott]

Wow! you guys have really come up with some ideas as to what it could have been!

I wish I had written it down. I'm looking up on Google some of the names you have given.

Matty, it was a very tall palm, ringed trunk, looked like a big silver pole. But a description, it thought said it had a white powder. Honestly! I haven't been at the Peruvian powder!

This is the trouble when your learning the different palms, I need to keep notes!

[BS Man about Palms]

I'm with Keith, maybe Ceroxylon.  Heres a pic I posted a while back of Pauleens in Ventura.....probably a no- go in Ventura.. just like Jeff said.  When you are up close, that trunk is very smooth and waxy ...thus the "wax palm".