Rhapis multifida

[mppalms]

2-ft. 5g Rhapis multifida (multiple stems, > 10) upslope from a measurement station recording 28.1 deg F on a hillside in Menlo Park (CA).  Exposed to sky.

No damage.

I've heard that these palms can take sub-20 deg. F.

[mnorell]

Small plant 8" planted out for two years, with little to no overhead protection. 22.8F (Dec 2006); 23.3F (Jan 2008) and a few other frosts/freezes each year mid- to upper-20s. Never any damage.

[mppalms]

Small plant 8" planted out for two years, with little to no overhead protection. 22.8F (Dec 2006); 23.3F (Jan 2008) and a few other frosts/freezes each year mid- to upper-20s. Never any damage.

Michael,

I think your data on this one are the best I've seen. I always suspected this one was hardier than advertised. Thanks.

Jason

[mnorell]

After my last post and as the new spear had pushed out, I noticed that the base of the new leaf had received some damage, it snapped off at the petiole but a new leaf is now pushing, so I should change my report to "slight damage"...and remember that it's still a very small plant (one thin cane, approx. 8" tall) in the ground without any overhead canopy in winter.

[JasonD]

This species at UC Berkeley Botanical Garden was described as one of the least affected by the 1990 freeze, when temperatures reached as low as 14F in the coldest parts of the garden. It's a nice vigorous hedge around the bathroom in the palm section, so I suppose it got a little protection from the structure, though I'd be surprised if it's heated.

[John Case]

I think this might be my favorite of the Rhapis.

There is a great looking hedge at the exit of the Hawaii Botanical Gardens.....

...see!?

[tank]

Low of 14F. 14 days straight of below freezing temps. 50% overhead protection. 1 plant purchased at a CFPACS meeting as a 3 gal now in a 10 gal pot. NO DAMAGE. All caps because I forgot to protect this one. Holy crap. Very attractive palm.

[Kailua_Krish]

No damage after past two winters, lows of 21 and a few degrees lower. Very cold tolerant, and quite beautiful!

-Krishna

[Benjamin D.]

Do you think this species would survive on a north wall in north texas (zone 8a)? (north so they wouldn't get fried)

[DoomsDave]

Do you think this species would survive on a north wall in north texas (zone 8a)? (north so they wouldn't get fried)

MIght be worth a try, considering the numbers so far.

There's a couple of Texians on the board who have some California-looking gardens who can give better advice, like Greenhand, among others.

[buffy]

Do you think this species would survive on a north wall in north texas (zone 8a)? (north so they wouldn't get fried)

Yes. Once established, they'll come back from the ground. That's what happened for me with the freeze in 2010.

[Alicehunter2000]

Hardier than R. excelsa for me.

[mnorell]

R. multifida were killed to the ground in last winter's freeze (13.5F) at my place up in Natchez, Mississippi, by far the lowest temperature recorded since we bought the place in 2004, including the brutal 2010 (18F). But it resprouted (as did R. excelsa). This one grows a bit faster than R. excelsa, which is just a difficult plant in 9a Gulf-state areas since the recovery is so slow and it takes years to get back up for the traditional effect. However, the best Rhapis in my experience at the annual recovery thing is R. laosensis. Funny thing is that it is less cold tolerant aerially, I think it dies back around 24F, but it springs back from the ground very quickly in spring, never getting tall but lots of leaves and a full, ground-hugging effect. If I had enough of them I'd use it as a sort of annual mini ground-cover, for which purpose I think it would be very attractive though no doubt too expensive a project to ever really cover a good patch of ground. And I certainly feel that R. multifida is the better choice as one that stays up more of the time in that climate and has a faster vertical growth rate than R. excelsa. Anyone ever tried R. humilis in Gulf 9a areas? I could never get my hands on any to try.

Remember also that Chuniophoenix is another to keep in mind for milder 9a/b areas. Both species are beautiful and quite unique, though they tend to die back somewhere in the very low 20s, they are overall quite cold-hardy and pretty good at resprouting from rare upper teens, but were slow growers for me, perhaps due to too much shade/poor siting or uneven watering/rain. I would think they would just be about perfect for a novel Rhapis-type palm right along the Gulf Coast in the panhandle, also Baton Rouge, Houston, Jacksonville and certainly in New Orleans. But none of mine came back after that 13.5F, whereas all my Rhapis species did.