Remarkable palms of Tampa Bay

[Chatta 701]

Talking to a friend of mine I went to architecture school with, there are plans to redo Plant Park as a botanical garden in the works. Its not been designed yet as far as I know. Trying to get a job with the firm

[Chatta 701]

[RedRabbit 1,538]

1 hour ago, Chatta said:

There’s a nice row of P elegans there that I used to regularly walk by during my lunch break. It’s a great little place for palms immediately next to the channel with the convention center to the north. 

[DCA_Palm_Fan 445]

On 9/4/2020 at 9:14 PM, JJPalmer said:

By far the tallest planting of adonidia I’ve seen around the Dunedin area.  They dwarf the house next door and are more than keeping up with the solitaires to the right. Pictures hardly do them justice - I haven’t seen adonidia’s close to this tall anywhere in the Tampa Bay Area except maybe S. St. Pete.

They even seemed to handle 2010/2011 quite well: https://www.google.com/maps/@28.0122274,-82.7852843,3a,57.9y,6.07h,93.29t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1skznpSBArxlds6gV7LIPTUw!2e0!5s20110301T000000!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

 

 

 

 

Nice find!  I see very tall ones once in a while around St Pete but they are not common.    There is one on the property of where I live that is as tall, or maybe taller.  The buildings here are 3 stories tall and it is pushing above the third story.   There are 2 more back in there that are up next to the building that are not quite as tall but you can see they are level with the third floor balcony.   The one that is out away from the building by itself is the tallest one on the property and it  is a few feet or so taller putting it near the gutter / bottom of the roof line. 

 

 

[DCA_Palm_Fan 445]

Some palms from around the property where I live.  Maximo Point, as far south in the city of Saint Pete as you can go and still be on actual land.  Solid zone 10A.  From neighbors that have lived here for 25-30 years even the bad freezes did not do much damage out here, and they have never even seen frost.  I know from the few "cold" snaps that have occurred since I have lived here  since august 2017 that its always 5-10F warmer than inland Pinellas, and especially inland across Tampa Bay in Hillsborough.   I am not sure how long the tall cocos have been here but where they are much of what was planted there was done in the 1980s.    On with the photos!

 

Tall Adonidia merrillii

 

Tallest palm and possibly tree on the property, Roystonea regia.  Noteable the very tall Dypsis lutescens. 

 

More tall Royals and some fairly large  Woodytetia Bifurcata 

 

The other tallest palm out here.  Looks to be a Jamacian Tall. (?)   Usually loaded with tons of fruit.   There are quite a few others bust most of them are really only able to be seen walking along the seawall or from the water or bridge. 

 

Location of these palms is Maximo Point.  Its a small sliver of land that sticks out about 1 mile or so into the middle of lower Tampa Bay along 275.  The last half of it is private property and is not open for public access.    The area is circled in red. 

 

[James B 455]

Wow those Wodyetia are giving those Roystonea a run for their money. Both are such awesome palms.

[RedRabbit 1,538]

On 11/29/2020 at 3:13 PM, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Some palms from around the property where I live.  Maximo Point, as far south in the city of Saint Pete as you can go and still be on actual land.  Solid zone 10A.  From neighbors that have lived here for 25-30 years even the bad freezes did not do much damage out here, and they have never even seen frost.  I know from the few "cold" snaps that have occurred since I have lived here  since august 2017 that its always 5-10F warmer than inland Pinellas, and especially inland across Tampa Bay in Hillsborough.   I am not sure how long the tall cocos have been here but where they are much of what was planted there was done in the 1980s.    On with the photos!

 

Tall Adonidia merrillii

 

Tallest palm and possibly tree on the property, Roystonea regia.  Noteable the very tall Dypsis lutescens. 

 

More tall Royals and some fairly large  Woodytetia Bifurcata 

 

The other tallest palm out here.  Looks to be a Jamacian Tall. (?)   Usually loaded with tons of fruit.   There are quite a few others bust most of them are really only able to be seen walking along the seawall or from the water or bridge. 

 

Location of these palms is Maximo Point.  Its a small sliver of land that sticks out about 1 mile or so into the middle of lower Tampa Bay along 275.  The last half of it is private property and is not open for public access.    The area is circled in red. 

 

Thanks for sharing the pictures! Do you have a house there or one of the condos? 

[SWFLchris 244]

Hilarious Royal volunteer 

[JJPalmer 305]

41 minutes ago, SWFLchris said:

Hilarious Royal volunteer 

Where is this? I have yet to see Royals producing volunteers around here. 

[SWFLchris 244]

50 minutes ago, JJPalmer said:

Where is this? I have yet to see Royals producing volunteers around here. 

Bradenton, I've seen volunteers as far north as Belleair Bluffs

[SWFLchris 244]

4 minutes ago, SWFLchris said:

Bradenton, I've seen volunteers as far north as Belleair Bluffs

Edit, actually Clearwater, there is one off of Druid that I have watched for the last few years.

[RedRabbit 1,538]

1 hour ago, JJPalmer said:

Where is this? I have yet to see Royals producing volunteers around here. 

I saw one growing in the woods at Sawgrass Lake Park, apparently naturalizing there. 

[JJPalmer 305]

I have the pleasure of driving by this set Dypsis Lutescens everyday. Some of the tallest I’ve seen and hard to capture on camera - well over twice  the height of the house! 

[SWFLchris 244]

Some Royals in Palma Sola, the one in the back looks like a different species.

[JJPalmer 305]

I took a stroll through the neighborhood this evening, which is located directly adjacent to the Vinoy Golf Club.  We’re in a pretty solid microclimate here, so there wasn’t much cold damage to be found even on the most sensitive plantings.  Surprisingly, I did notice some consistent cold damage to the Royal poinciana’s around the neighborhood.  Some yellowing / browning leaves on the exposed trees and branches. Nothing severe but definitely noticeable.  We hit ~44 here, and I know these trees are pretty sensitive, but was still surprising to me.

Edited December 3, 2020 by JJPalmer

[DCA_Palm_Fan 445]

On 12/2/2020 at 4:06 PM, SWFLchris said:

Hilarious Royal volunteer 

awwww   FREE IT!!!!!!  

[JJPalmer 305]

I haven't seen an African Oil Palm posted in this thread yet.  Drove by this really impressive specimen in Gulfport.  Looks like it gets hit pretty hard each winter but bounces back quite well.  Incredibly majestic and stately palm, and rather unique for the area. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@27.745719,-82.7146331,3a,33.7y,77.94h,102.11t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1snBawtRzhrb8WJfnhRbdaCQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

[TampaPalms 18]

On 12/3/2020 at 6:04 PM, JJPalmer said:

I took a stroll through the neighborhood this evening, which is located directly adjacent to the Vinoy Golf Club.  We’re in a pretty solid microclimate here, so there wasn’t much cold damage to be found even on the most sensitive plantings.  Surprisingly, I did notice some consistent cold damage to the Royal poinciana’s around the neighborhood.  Some yellowing / browning leaves on the exposed trees and branches. Nothing severe but definitely noticeable.  We hit ~44 here, and I know these trees are pretty sensitive, but was still surprising to me.

I didn't see any damage to the royals along Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa and we got down in the upper 30s... But I was driving by at 35 mph so who knows lol.

[JJPalmer 305]

1 minute ago, TampaPalms said:

I didn't see any damage to the royals along Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa and we got down in the upper 30s... But I was driving by at 35 mph so who knows lol.

Maybe I was just looking for a reason to explain the yellowing and blamed the issue on the cold. There was some consistency but I definitely could be wrong

[RedRabbit 1,538]

4 minutes ago, JJPalmer said:

Maybe I was just looking for a reason to explain the yellowing and blamed the issue on the cold. There was some consistency but I definitely could be wrong

You’re probably right, I think Delonix are pretty cold sensitive. 

I haven’t seen any damage here. My carpentaria looks a little off, but it might be unrelated. The neighbors bananas took no damage so it couldn’t have been too cold. 

[Silas_Sancona 3,957]

21 minutes ago, JJPalmer said:

Maybe I was just looking for a reason to explain the yellowing and blamed the issue on the cold. There was some consistency but I definitely could be wrong

Cold could have provided a little jolt for sure but that tree might be a little hungry too. Notice Royal Poinciana i have seen here don't start showing discoloration from cold exposure until it has dropped to 32-34F ~ give or take ~  for a few nights in a row.  Can't speak for those around San Diego / Los Angeles though, but considering pictures of those trees shared here, normal winter season cold exposure must not effect them much once they put on some size. Don't recall seeing much significant damage to most of the bigger specimens around St. Pete/ Clearwater in the big '09/2010 freeze either. If anything, thinking some i'd pass when heading over to Indian Rocks / Treasure Island dropped leaves, maybe got nipped at the tips,  but were growing like crazy as soon as sustained warmth returned.

[TampaPalms 18]

I think the city planted them along Bayshore about 3 years ago if my memory recalls maybe less. I didn't realize how fast they grow. They are huge now.

[kinzyjr 3,689]

On 12/3/2020 at 6:04 PM, JJPalmer said:

I took a stroll through the neighborhood this evening, which is located directly adjacent to the Vinoy Golf Club.  We’re in a pretty solid microclimate here, so there wasn’t much cold damage to be found even on the most sensitive plantings.  Surprisingly, I did notice some consistent cold damage to the Royal poinciana’s around the neighborhood.  Some yellowing / browning leaves on the exposed trees and branches. Nothing severe but definitely noticeable.  We hit ~44 here, and I know these trees are pretty sensitive, but was still surprising to me.

Odd that there was any damage at all.  We had everything from 31F in the northwest corner to 42 in some of our more favorable areas.  There's a pretty large royal poinciana not far from here that took no damage.  If I pegged these correctly as Royal Poinciana, they are sound as a pound as well:

CR-540A - Delonix regia

[chinandega81 143]

On 12/3/2020 at 6:04 PM, JJPalmer said:

I took a stroll through the neighborhood this evening, which is located directly adjacent to the Vinoy Golf Club.  We’re in a pretty solid microclimate here, so there wasn’t much cold damage to be found even on the most sensitive plantings.  Surprisingly, I did notice some consistent cold damage to the Royal poinciana’s around the neighborhood.  Some yellowing / browning leaves on the exposed trees and branches. Nothing severe but definitely noticeable.  We hit ~44 here, and I know these trees are pretty sensitive, but was still surprising to me.

I don't see any cold damage. That is how the Royal Poincianas look even in Miami now. It is normal with the cooler and dry weather for them to start to shed their leaved. On top of that, it doesn't seem like you had temperatures cold enough to cause damage. They can take temps well into the 30s without damage at all. When exposed to low 30s,  they have a much thinned out and droopy appearance to their leaves if they are still irrigated despite the cold. 

[JJPalmer 305]

Yeah, I was probably looking for something since it is my first winter where they can be found.  Knew they were a little more cold sensitive, but it didn't make a lot of sense why they'd be damaged.  Confirmation bias can be tricky! @chinandega81 @kinzyjr 

[SWFLchris 244]

Random pics from @Mike Evans yard today. 

[JJPalmer 305]

If anyone is up in the Dunedin area in the next several days, I’d love to see pics of the coconuts off SR 580 and Patricia at Main Street Car Wash.  Drove by tonight and they looked a little rough, but it was too dark to see what was going on.  I know that area of Dunedin hit ~35° a couple of times - would be interesting to see if it’s damage from cold or malnourishment.

[RedRabbit 1,538]

1 hour ago, JJPalmer said:

If anyone is up in the Dunedin area in the next several days, I’d love to see pics of the coconuts off SR 580 and Patricia at Main Street Car Wash.  Drove by tonight and they looked a little rough, but it was too dark to see what was going on.  I know that area of Dunedin hit ~35° a couple of times - would be interesting to see if it’s damage from cold or malnourishment.

I drove past a few coconuts in Odessa today and they didn’t appear to have damage. It was surely colder there than Dunedin.

[kinzyjr 3,689]

@RedRabbit @JJPalmer I've checked on all of the coconut palms planted here in Lakeland.  They all have some leaf tip bronzing, but are overall healthy.  No one else did any kind of protection.

[JJPalmer 305]

10 hours ago, RedRabbit said:

I drove past a few coconuts in Odessa today and they didn’t appear to have damage. It was surely colder there than Dunedin.

I should have probably reworded my original comment - I figured it wasn't cold damage, but when I moved in September those coconuts looked pretty healthy.  From what I saw in very limited light last night, they didn't look nearly as healthy.  I may not have seen them well enough to tell, but it would be a shame if their health is deteriorating.  I always enjoyed driving by them and would love to see a picture (that hopefully reveals they're healthy).

Edited January 2 by JJPalmer

[kinzyjr 3,689]

Figured with the perpetual chilly weather we could all use some new eye candy, this time from Tigertown here in Lakeland, FL:

Two Dypsis leptocheilos (Teddy Bears):

Two Beccariophoenix alfredii:

Two Hyophorbe:

A Copernicia near the gates:

Ravenala madagascariensis (Traveler's Palm - but not a palm ) beat up from the wind:

Roystonea regia:

[TampaPalms 18]

From the Historic Florida Facebook group.

I'm sure all of the Royals died from the freezes in the sixties and eighties. I really wish they would plant a couple Royals again along Bayshore boulevard again. Who knows, maybe this time they would survive long-term because of climate change. They planted crepe myrtles in this section and in my opinion they are over planted in Florida. They are not maintained well and lose their leaves half the year.

[Zeeth 2,247]

10 hours ago, TampaPalms said:

From the Historic Florida Facebook group.

I'm sure all of the Royals died from the freezes in the sixties and eighties. I really wish they would plant a couple Royals again along Bayshore boulevard again. Who knows, maybe this time they would survive long-term because of climate change. They planted crepe myrtles in this section and in my opinion they are over planted in Florida. They are not maintained well and lose their leaves half the year.

I'd be interested to see if any of these survived the freeze of 1962, which was worse than the 1980s freezes in this area. The old historic royals in Palmetto and Bradenton survived, but were severely damaged. 

[JJPalmer 305]

Walked down to Kopsick this afternoon - looks like they’ve planted a ton of new coconuts among other things. Winter is starting to take its toll on the more sensitive stuff, but it’s always a fun place to visit. I’ll go back soon and take pics for the group. In the meantime, here’s a pic of the coconut by the volleyball courts. 

[JJPalmer 305]

As promised - here are some pics of Kopsick. I’m sure there have been plenty posted previously - but what’s a few more?! Not sure why, but it appears there’s quite a bit of compression happening with these pics - sorry they’re not more clear. 

Edited January 18 by JJPalmer

[JJPalmer 305]

Believe it or not - the tall coconut in the background is actually a new planting. The coconut in the foreground is a 2010 survivor.  I guess there may be a third 1989 survivor in DTSP - just not a native one!

[Chatta 701]

damn you can see at least one of the super cold years on that one coconut where it thins clearly 2010 season at that point.

I have planted an areca vestiaria which hit 36F and no complaints. I'm really surprised. I lost a Pinanga speciosa though. Not a shocker on that one.
 

[Palmaceae 2,422]

20 hours ago, JJPalmer said:

As promised - here are some pics of Kopsick. I’m sure there have been plenty posted previously - but what’s a few more?! Not sure why, but it appears there’s quite a bit of compression happening with these pics - sorry they’re not more clear. 

Good to see some of my palms at Kopsick, but noticed some have cold damage such as the Pritchardias.  Thanks for the pics!