Zone 10 Palms in the Orlando Area Mega Thread

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

21 hours ago, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

Those sabals in the first pic are quite tall!  

That house was built around 1925 so those Sabals are probably original plantings or wild specimens left when the house was built.

[bubba 2,397]

Amazing and stunning! Please keep revealing these treasures!

[palmsOrl 2,045]

Here is some sort of Ficus species along a back road near the Fashion Square Mall.  I took a close-up of the trunk to see if anyone can identify it.  The tree is maybe 25 feet tall and has no signs of past winter damage.  The fruit is oblong, about 1/4” long and a dark blue color.  Based on the lead morphology, I am virtually certain it is a Ficus species.

[palmsOrl 2,045]

Here is that trunk closeup photo.

What I would really like to see is more homeowners trying Cocos again in Orlando.  Large Adonidia are commonplace now and they are about the same cold hardiness as Cocos.  Neither will be around super long term in Orlando, but they should be around for 5-10 + years between big freezes.  What I noticed is that the big box stores that I have recently been to, as well as other plant nurseries, except Palmer’s, do not have Cocos, but everyone carries Adonidia.

It might actually be that Adonidia is a smidge hardier than Cocos, or that the former’s smaller stature lends it to being planted in sheltered spots and these are the few that survive events like 2010, whereas I know of no unprotected Cocos in the Orlando area that survived that event.

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

1 hour ago, palmsOrl said:

Here is that trunk closeup photo.

What I would really like to see is more homeowners trying Cocos again in Orlando.  Large Adonidia are commonplace now and they are about the same cold hardiness as Cocos.  Neither will be around super long term in Orlando, but they should be around for 5-10 + years between big freezes.  What I noticed is that the big box stores that I have recently been to, as well as other plant nurseries, except Palmer’s, do not have Cocos, but everyone carries Adonidia.

It might actually be that Adonidia is a smidge hardier than Cocos, or that the former’s smaller stature lends it to being planted in sheltered spots and these are the few that survive events like 2010, whereas I know of no unprotected Cocos in the Orlando area that survived that event.

What road is that tree on? I think it is Ligustrum lucidum. It gets small blue fruit on it. Older trees do have a Ficus look to them.

[redant 1,613]

3 hours ago, palmsOrl said:

Here is that trunk closeup photo.

What I would really like to see is more homeowners trying Cocos again in Orlando.  Large Adonidia are commonplace now and they are about the same cold hardiness as Cocos.  Neither will be around super long term in Orlando, but they should be around for 5-10 + years between big freezes.  What I noticed is that the big box stores that I have recently been to, as well as other plant nurseries, except Palmer’s, do not have Cocos, but everyone carries Adonidia.

It might actually be that Adonidia is a smidge hardier than Cocos, or that the former’s smaller stature lends it to being planted in sheltered spots and these are the few that survive events like 2010, whereas I know of no unprotected Cocos in the Orlando area that survived that event.

In 2010 I lost lots of coco's, but not a single Adonidia, of which I have many.

[Jimbean 956]

I just remembered reading about someone saying that pond apple grew up into Orange county.  Has anyone seen pond apples growing there?

[ck_in_fla 262]

Another plant I am seeing more and more in Orange and Seminole counties is the Sea Grape.  There is a massive one on the East side of Tuskawilla Road near Tuskawilla Middle School in Seminole County.  I am seeing them more and more.  And, some of them are getting really large.

It wasn't that long ago, you had to go to Brevard (and in some cases, Volusia) county to see these.

[bubba 2,397]

That has to be a very old Ligustrum!

[kinzyjr 5,768]

3 hours ago, ck_in_fla said:

Another plant I am seeing more and more in Orange and Seminole counties is the Sea Grape.  There is a massive one on the East side of Tuskawilla Road near Tuskawilla Middle School in Seminole County.  I am seeing them more and more.  And, some of them are getting really large.

It wasn't that long ago, you had to go to Brevard (and in some cases, Volusia) county to see these.

I'm surprised they are newcomers there.  Here, they are usually trained as hedges or shrubs.  They are great plants; native, hardy, and fast-growing.

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

11 hours ago, bubba said:

That has to be a very old Ligustrum!

Ligustrum lucidum grows very fast and makes a 20-30ft tree. that specimen is probably about 30 years old The problem with this tree is that it is short lived and weak wooded as it gets older. It gets rotten cavities and older trees break apart easily in storms or it uproots. Young trees are stronger.  But the older trees have a tropical, Ficus-like look to them.

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

12 hours ago, ck_in_fla said:

Another plant I am seeing more and more in Orange and Seminole counties is the Sea Grape.  There is a massive one on the East side of Tuskawilla Road near Tuskawilla Middle School in Seminole County.  I am seeing them more and more.  And, some of them are getting really large.

It wasn't that long ago, you had to go to Brevard (and in some cases, Volusia) county to see these.

Seagrapes are one of my favorite plants. They have been around local landscapes for a long time. My parents moved to Orlando in 1979 and there were several big ones in our neighborhood. Many were planted close to houses and used and trimmed as big shrubs. But some got to tree size and fruited. There was also some around College Park I would see going to school. As with all the tropicals, the 80s freezes knocked them back or killed them. When I was in high school I worked for a lady who owned a real estate company. I mowed and did yardwork at her rental properties. She owned a house downtown on Church St.  on Lake Olive. There was a big Seagrape tree in the back that fruited and lots of seedlings under it in the grass that I mowed over. It was probably 20ft tall and froze halfway back after the 12/83 freeze then froze all the way down after 1/85.  It froze down again in 12/89. I saw it a few years ago and it was still alive and getting big.

Local nurseries didn't carry Seagrapes  for a long time, I started seeing them a lot after about 2000. Now the box stores regularly carry them so lots are getting planted around. There are some that have gotten back to tree size again.

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

Here is a big Seagrape growing in a courtyard or a building downtown Winter Park off of Park Ave. Its been there since at least 1990, thats when I first saw it. 

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

Caryota mitis in Winter Park 

[Jimbean 956]

Any tropical hardwoods grow wild besides stranger fig?

[palmsOrl 2,045]

1 hour ago, Jimbean said:

Any tropical hardwoods grow wild besides stranger fig?

That’s a good question, I will look into it.

Here is another home in the Thornton Park neighborhood with royal palms.

I am seeing a ton of Caryota around.  These come back really easily from the roots/low growths after a freeze, but I am surprised to see many in the area right now with their main stem or few stems dead.   I have assumed it is fatal cold damage, yet Winter Park and Orlando only saw upper 20s early last year, so maybe the individual stems are really cold sensitive.  I know these are monocarpic, so maybe this accounts for most of what I am seeing.

[ck_in_fla 262]

I have a huge clump of Caryota mitis here in my Winter Springs (Orlando area) yard.  There are two tall stems that are dead because they have bloomed.  Once each stem blooms, it dies and is replaced by younger stems.  I didn't have any cold damage here from this past winter.

[palmsOrl 2,045]

2 hours ago, Jimbean said:

Any tropical hardwoods grow wild besides stranger fig?

Ximenia americana (Hog Plum) is listed as native to Orange County and is a pantropical small hardwood species.  That said, it’s range extends to the big bend and most of NE FL, so it is clearly not super cold sensitive.

[Jimbean 956]

1 hour ago, palmsOrl said:

Ximenia americana (Hog Plum) is listed as native to Orange County and is a pantropical small hardwood species.  That said, it’s range extends to the big bend and most of NE FL, so it is clearly not super cold sensitive.

What about pond apple, (Annona glabra) ?

Edited March 28, 2019 by Jimbean

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

I've never seen Pond Apple this far north, I've always wanyed to try one. 

The only FL native tropical hardwood I have ever seen wild here is Myrcianthes fragrans and Ficus aurea. 

[Steve the palmreader 118]

10 hours ago, Eric in Orlando said:

 

[Steve the palmreader 118]

10 hours ago, Eric in Orlando said:

When I lived in Jax I grew seagrapes some time they would freeze back but they would recover . I was in St. Augustine this Feb and saw some large ones at the Light house  that were 20 feet tall

[Jimbean 956]

1 hour ago, Eric in Orlando said:

I've never seen Pond Apple this far north, I've always wanyed to try one. 

The only FL native tropical hardwood I have ever seen wild here is Myrcianthes fragrans and Ficus aurea. 

I've seen a couple in North Brevard once, but construction of houses blocks the path to get to them.  If they can survive there I'm sure they could survive in Orlando.

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

18 hours ago, palmsOrl said:

That’s a good question, I will look into it.

Here is another home in the Thornton Park neighborhood with royal palms.

I am seeing a ton of Caryota around.  These come back really easily from the roots/low growths after a freeze, but I am surprised to see many in the area right now with their main stem or few stems dead.   I have assumed it is fatal cold damage, yet Winter Park and Orlando only saw upper 20s early last year, so maybe the individual stems are really cold sensitive.  I know these are monocarpic, so maybe this accounts for most of what I am seeing.

 

There is a lot of flowering size Carota mitis around. The one bad thing about them is if there is a freeze and the foliage is burned the flowering stems won't regrow new foliage.

There were C. mitis that survived the 12/89 freeze. They froze to the roots and regrew. They were slow and stunted at first but grew back fine.

There used to be a huge clump by Lake Ivanhoe at the I-4 onramp across from the little statue of Liberty. It froze down in '89 but came back and grew big again. A few years ago some utility work was done there so the palm was moved to Leu Gardens. Prior to that it had been at Lake Eola park and had froze down in '83 and '85 freezes. Sometime between '85 and '890 it was moved to Lake Ivanhoe.

[palmsOrl 2,045]

20 hours ago, Jimbean said:

What about pond apple, (Annona glabra) ?

Annona glabra is only vouchered as far north as Brevard County on the East Coast and not much north of Lake Okeechobee inland.  I had a few seedlings a few years ago that I germinated, but I ended up selling them.  I definitely plan on trying them again at some point.

[palmsOrl 2,045]

Speaking of the native range of certain palms, the Atlas of Florida Plants indicates Sabal etonia (not a zone 10 Palm I know) is not present naturally in Orange County, whereas I see it all the time obviously growing wild in said County.

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

House in Winter Park with Archontophoenix cunninghamiana in the back and Licuala peltata var. sumawongii, Coccothrinax crinita and Wodyetia in front. 

[Jimbean 956]

39 minutes ago, palmsOrl said:

Speaking of the native range of certain palms, the Atlas of Florida Plants indicates Sabal etonia (not a zone 10 Palm I know) is not present naturally in Orange County, whereas I see it all the time obviously growing wild in said County.

I see that all of the time as well.  I've seen both Ficus citrifolia and Pinus taeda in Brevard for example.

[palmsOrl 2,045]

2 hours ago, Eric in Orlando said:

House in Winter Park with Archontophoenix cunninghamiana in the back and Licuala peltata var. sumawongii, Coccothrinax crinita and Wodyetia in front. 

Is that skinny Adonidia or Ptychosperma above the mailbox in the first pic?

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

Adonidia, in a big planter pot. 

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

Roystonea regia in College Park, planted in 1995. This is along Par Ave. west of I-4

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

A couple of Dypsis lutescens in College Park. 

[Jimbean 956]

Orlando by in large looks like typical interior central Florida.  It's exciting to see zone 10 of anything grow there.

[palmsOrl 2,045]

Well considering the averages the past 30 years, it makes sense.

[pj_orlando_z9b 1,244]

Two palms I've kept an eye on over the last few years. This coconut in Belle Isle and Royal on Holden Ave just off Orange Ave. Both had significant damage after 28F in 2018 but have rebounded. I'm really surprised the coconut made it. It had no growth until Jul 2018. You can see the remnant damage to a great looking royal. 

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

Nice!!! 

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

Howea forsteriana growing at Disney's Epcot in the jungle next to the Mexican pyramid. 

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]

Caryota mitis and Dypsis lutescens at Epcot next to the Mexican pyramid. 

[Eric in Orlando 4,892]