Cryosophila stauracantha

[akamu]

Just wanted to share a picture of my C. S this palm has grown better than I expected in my climate please share  some pics of yours thanks 

[Tracy]

On 2/2/2020 at 11:17 AM, akamu said:

Just wanted to share a picture of my C. S this palm has grown better than I expected in my climate please share  some pics of yours thanks 

Nicely grown.  I have a small one that I got a couple of years ago as a seedling in a band.  It is in a 5 gallon now, but pretty sparsely grown and small.  I may have overdone it moving it from the band where it was literally cracking the pot, to a 5 gallon pot, but didn't think it was ready to go into the ground.  No current photos of it to share at this time.  I'm curious how long you have had it in the ground now, and what size was it when you planted it?  Yours looks very tropical with the droopy leaf ends and I think those silvery undersides contrast well with the green top of the leaves. 

My pot is mixed in with limited/filtered light orchids, so not very intense sun.  Looks like yours is in a mostly shaded spot with limited full sun exposure as well but feel free to elaborate.

[kinzyjr]

Nice palm @akamu.  This genus is starting to grow on me since I realized how well they grow as understory palms here.

[akamu]

Thanks for the nice comments. I acquired this Palm as a one gallon it has been in the ground for about 7-8 years and grown well it gets quite a bit of sun especially in summer time in the middle of the day and never burns. The palm is facing south. I purchased the Palm at jungle music with two other Palm talkers who also got the same palm and both of theirs died growing in mostly shade. Years ago at one of the palm meetings in Huntington  beach I saw one that had about 18ft of trunk it was stunning looking up at the silver undersides of the fronds . I  wish we were capable of growing itaya amicorum  here but this is a great substitute 

[Tracy]

19 minutes ago, akamu said:

I acquired this Palm as a one gallon it has been in the ground for about 7-8 years and grown well it gets quite a bit of sun especially in summer time in the middle of the day and never burns. The palm is facing south. I purchased the Palm at jungle music with two other Palm talkers who also got the same palm and both of theirs died growing in mostly shade.

Thank you, the advice is very helpful.  I'll transition mine to a sunnier spot.

[DoomsDave]

OMG

 

I have one that’s variegated!

[akamu]

I might add it is in a wind protected courtyard. Ok Dave show us the goods I gotta fever and I need more cryisophila.

[bubba]

[akamu]

Nice looking palm bubba full sun grown . What temps has this seen and does it have any aerial roots at the base. Not enough humidity here but mine still tries 

[mnorell]

At least some species in this genus can take long chilly winters and recover with a warm spring/summer. I had one seven-gallon Cryosophila (sold to me as C. albida) at my place in Natchez, Mississippi, planted in 2009 and it somehow went through the horrific 2009-2010 winter, surviving an initial cold December and low of 26 with minimal leaf-damage (under light canopy so frost was kept off the leaves). Though defoliated by the assault of January 2010 (18F min/28F max for three continuous days, and the average temperature for January 2010 was 36F!), it began to push again in March/April as the warm, humid spring season began. It died a few years later (my memory as well as my written notes are insufficient as to the reason for its ultimate demise), but that was a very strong plant considering its tropical origins.

But I'm not surprised that in San Diego's relatively cool climate they would appreciate a warm, sunny spot in the garden. Despite their general resilience, they may resent the lack of a warm, humid season to get their carbohydrates for the year. Akamu's specimen pictured above looks very nice indeed!

One thing I know...they hate salt. I had a trio of a species of Cryosophila in the Florida Keys that were carefree and growing well in deep shade. Hurricane Irma swept in with nearly five feet of ocean over them for 12 hours or so. While they physically held together in the 150-160mph winds and churning water without losing their grip, they were fatally blackened by the ocean's prolonged visit. Aside from that weakness, I agree this is a great genus and very worthy of trialing in a variety of less-than-tropical areas.

[atlantisrising]

I have three of these in the ground in Key Largo and for me they have been a relatively easy grow. They adapt well to alkaline conditions and survived Hurricane Irma, tattered but OK. Of course  with no salt water inundation because of my elevation. They are visually stunning with the 6'-7' pinwheels. However my personal favorite in the genus is albida, the underside is markedly more silver, almost white. I'm lucky enough to have the two species close together so the leaves overlap. The closeup shot of the underside is stauracantha foreground, albida behind it for comparison taken with flash so the lighting is equal on both leaves.