Brahea 'Clara' in the Southeast

[Alicehunter2000]

Well the first year testing these in the ground here is proving fruitful. They have seen a low of 21 with strong wind and dry. They have also seen 25 with heavy frost. Both freezing events were 12+ hours .... but not that low for all those hours.

Like the color on these and they keep growing through winter too.

[Mandrew968]

I want one... my nitida is kicking butt--wish I could find one of these!

[tank]

Have three in the ground, and one that has been there since 2009 and saw mid to upper teens(F) in 2010 . No problems other than some spotting in the older leaves. I did throw a garbage can over the one in 2010 during the freeze, so I guess I cheated .

[tank]

Older B. clara. These beds need some TLC but working around the agaves is probably my least favorite gardening task.

Another smaller clara in front. Small Sabal right behind the clara in the pic was bought as S. etonia but is turning out to likely be some sort of very ugly hybrid.

[Alicehunter2000]

I want one... my nitida is kicking butt--wish I could find one of these!

http://www.yuccado.com/brahea-clara.html

[edbrown_III]

Heres a few shots of the front yard and the B. clara --- next to imperial in front of the Blue Seronoas ---weeds were high so hard to see the plant --- I planted it as a 10 gallon in 1988 so it has been through some very rough winters here in Jax

[_Keith]

Older B. clara. These beds need some TLC but working around the agaves is probably my least favorite gardening task.

IMG_1455.JPG

Another smaller clara in front. Small Sabal right behind the clara in the pic was bought as S. etonia but is turning out to likely be some sort of very ugly hybrid.

IMG_1450.JPG

[smithgn]

Encouraging to see desert palms making it in humid areas of the southeast. I have 2 brahea armatas that one of these days I'll need to put in the ground. Will cross my fingers and hope for the best!

[sashaeffer]

Yes, I would want one too but hard to find. Ideas?

[JLeVert]

Here is B. armata in Augusta, GA. We are hot and humid in the summer, although not as humid as Florida, and generally much drier.

And another smaller one:

I need to try Clara next.

[Alicehunter2000]

Those armata's are really nice.

Ed....are those 40 years old?.....not exactly setting any speed records is it? Are they normally this slow?

Yes, I would want one too but hard to find. Ideas?

See above link

[Alicehunter2000]

Oh...wait looked at last picture with car in it.....that one looks to have some size to it ...lol

Can't believe I'm saying this but......That's a nice looking PINE TREE....yuck...now I need to go and wash my mouth out with soap.....I feel so dirty

[tank]

David,

If you're talking about the large silver palm that is shedding its boots in Ed's pic, I think that one is a Copernicia alba or prunifera.

Also, the "pine" looks like an Araucaria to me but I might be wrong.

[tank]

BTW,

Longleaf pines are beautiful native trees, IMHO .

[Alicehunter2000]

Araucaria.....will research

our right Jason....was looking at the alba....that's a nice one...maybe I should try again.

[edbrown_III]

yeah its pretty slow --- Araucaria is the hoop pine A. cunninghamii -- I grew that one from seeds --- the C. alba --- I collected the seeds at the Jardim Botanico in Rio Piedras PR probably early 90s --- I didnt know what the tree was it looked like what August Braun called C. australis --- which is C. alba --- the B. clara has about 2 foot of wood but its Seronoa like --- just kinda plods along.

Ed

[Josh-O]

Yes, I would want one too but hard to find. Ideas?

Scott, I have HUGE 15 gal's available that need to be shifted into 24' Boxes. Hit me up next time you do a road trip.

[edbrown_III]

I found these photos they are a bit better shots of the plants but still painfully slow

[Eric in Orlando]

Here is the oldest Brahea clara at Leu Gardens. It was a 5 gal. specimen planted back in June 1995. It is growing in the Arid Garden which is open and hot. The soil is just poor well drained sand and there is no irrigation here so it only gets rainfall. It has been very happy and no fungal spotting. That is a Washingtonia filifera behind it.

[SailorBold]

Heres a few shots of the front yard and the B. clara --- next to imperial in front of the Blue Seronoas ---weeds were high so hard to see the plant --- I planted it as a 10 gallon in 1988 so it has been through some very rough winters here in Jax

You have a beautiful yard... Very mature. inspirational!

Encouraging to see desert palms making it in humid areas of the southeast. I have 2 brahea armatas that one of these days I'll need to put in the ground. Will cross my fingers and hope for the best!

Very much so.. When you plant them try to give as much sun as possible..Im still picturing what the SE looks like; one thing that we don't have here are your 'canopy trees'..... I would suspect once it is established you wouldn't have to water it at all?

Here is B. armata in Augusta, GA. We are hot and humid in the summer, although not as humid as Florida, and generally much drier.

And another smaller one:

I need to try Clara next.

Jlvert- So those armata sailed through 13F without any problems?

Here is the oldest Brahea clara at Leu Gardens. It was a 5 gal. specimen planted back in June 1995. It is growing in the Arid Garden which is open and hot. The soil is just poor well drained sand and there is no irrigation here so it only gets rainfall. It has been very happy and no fungal spotting. That is a Washingtonia filifera behind it.

That tree looks like a droopy leaved armata?? I may be wrong but maybe that's just the variability..

[smithgn]

Jimmy, I certainly wouldn't plan on watering it. What's a bit sad is I haven't utilized my canopy as well as I should. Good news is that I have plenty of plants that can go in places where pine trees in my backyard can certainly help shield it a bit from the cold. I'm worried about their adjustment to the humidity.

[JLeVert]

SailorBold -

Those B. armata's went through 13F with only foliage burn. So did B. moorei, decumbens, and several other unnamed ones. About a month after the 13F, they went through this:

[Jimhardy]

Clara really seems like a tough palm to me...

usually every spring I wil plant a strapling as spring fever hits.

A few years back it was B.Clara,I was amazed that this tiny palm

made it through a couple winters with no spear-pull!

Pretty tough palm IME,I did let it go last year as it was in decline,

strap leaves are just not that hardy-I do have a nice back up though!

Beautuful palm!

[sonoranfans]

I bought 2 brahea clara strap leaf seedlings (4" pot) from tejas tropicals in jan 2011. One still survives, the other was run over by the yard maintenance crew . Having grown half a dozen armatas in arizona, there is a big difference in trunk thickness, the clara having a trunk less than half the diameter in my experience. I tried two armatas here in florida that I brought from AZ, keeping them out of range of the sprinkler system, but they just got moldy and stunted and I gave up. this remaining clara has no such problem with overhead water or humidity. It gets hammered at close range by a sprinkler head 2x a week for 30 mins. I have seen very little mold spot, just a tad on the oldest fronds. It has grown quite quickly for me, to just under 7' overall in 4 years.

[Alicehunter2000]

Well that's encouraging. ...thats fast!

[SailorBold]

Jimmy, I certainly wouldn't plan on watering it. What's a bit sad is I haven't utilized my canopy as well as I should. Good news is that I have plenty of plants that can go in places where pine trees in my backyard can certainly help shield it a bit from the cold. I'm worried about their adjustment to the humidity.

They do seem to grow well in shade.. it seems that some palms will lean.. Im not sure why they do.. if its for more sun or what.. but some don't do this. so I guess that makes them a shade tolerant species.. dunno.. It looks like even armata does quite well in some SE locales.. Relative to Augusta is your climate much colder?

SailorBold -

Those B. armata's went through 13F with only foliage burn. So did B. moorei, decumbens, and several other unnamed ones. About a month after the 13F, they went through this:

This - to me .. looks like a 'clara' when you have the other tree next to it. Still awesome either way !

I bought 2 brahea clara strap leaf seedlings (4" pot) from tejas tropicals in jan 2011. One still survives, the other was run over by the yard maintenance crew . Having grown half a dozen armatas in arizona, there is a big difference in trunk thickness, the clara having a trunk less than half the diameter in my experience. I tried two armatas here in florida that I brought from AZ, keeping them out of range of the sprinkler system, but they just got moldy and stunted and I gave up. this remaining clara has no such problem with overhead water or humidity. It gets hammered at close range by a sprinkler head 2x a week for 30 mins. I have seen very little mold spot, just a tad on the oldest fronds. It has grown quite quickly for me, to just under 7' overall in 4 years.BraheaClara.jpg

I need one of these trees.. pretty damn cool.. even in the lawn with sprinkler.

[tank]

BTW, Clara is generally considered to be less cold hardy than B. armata.