My trip to Southern California - from Santa Barbara to San Diego, from Clinostigma to Ptychococcus!

[kylecawazafla 926]

I was lucky enough to travel to Southern California a few weeks ago and visit some amazing palm gardens. I went to Pauline Sullivan's famous gardens in Ventura, CA, then wandered through Santa Barbara. Additionally, I got to travel to the Newport Beach Hyatt Regency, San Diego Zoo, and former Quail Botanic Gardens, now known as San Diego Botanic Gardens. The complete photo collection can be seen in the link below, and I included some highlights here! 

 

Clicker HERE for all of the photos

 

  One of my favorite Braheas: Brahea moorei w/ glaucous leaves and silver undersides

 

Bismarckia are growing at Balboa Park

 

Borassus flabellifer growing at the San Diego Zoo! This is my first time seeing one in Southern California

 

This scene reminded me of somewhere that receives more than 9 inches of annual rainfall

 

[kylecawazafla 926]

Ptychococcus paradoxus - a palm from the New Guinea highlands!

 

Two versions of Chambeyronia macrocarpa, regular and hookeri

 

Foxtail Cluster

 

Two Dictyosperma album

 

 

[kylecawazafla 926]

They're common, but I love them. Dypsis lutescens

 

Syagrus botryophora

 

A very healthy Veitchia arecina

 

Clinostigma savoryanum

 

The only trunking Roystonea oleracea I know of in Southern California

 

Ravenea glauca

 

A non-palm, but me with a Ficus macrophylla at the Amtrak Station in Santa Barbara

 

 

[kylecawazafla 926]

I had no idea Santa Barbara was home to so many astounding Jubaea chilensis!!!

 

 

As well as publicly planted Caryota gigas

 

Probably the most beautiful display of Howea forsterianas I have ever seen 

 

Dypsis onilahensis 'upright' 

 

 

[kylecawazafla 926]

Pauline Sullivan's amazing garden in Ventura with her famous Ceroxylon ventricosum and Dypsis decipiens pictured

 

Linospadix monostachyos

 

Bismarckia with a nice bend

 

Licuala ramsayi in no hurry

 

Probably the coolest palm of the trip! A particularly ventricose Ceroxylon ventricosum 

 

Jubaeopsis caffra

 

Hedyscepe canterburyana

 

Pritchardia minor in a parking lot at Ventura College

 

[CodyORB 169]

Again you have me drooling!!! Those Jubaea's are absolutely monstrous centenarians. Older than at least Arizona for sure! And Pauleen's Ceroxylon is admirable. I think my greatest knack is for tall palms. Ha! 

[LJG 1,166]

Nice work Kyle.

[Frond-friend42 202]

Hoo boy. I feel like I've just been treated to a scholarly expedition exactly to my liking.  Thank you. Very nice.

BTW, the pic with the onihalenses looks to have a big fat chamerops in it. Is it just me or is that an extra-beefy chamerops?

[Darold Petty 2,409]

51 minutes ago, Frond-friend42 said:

Is it just me or is that an extra-beefy chamerops?

I would guess that palm to be a Trithrinax. 

[richnorm 468]

Fabulous photos. Many thanks. I think maybe that Pritchardia is something else....

[Darold Petty 2,409]

Richnorm,  I have a particular interest in the genus Pritchardia, but it seems that most of the material in California is mis-labeled.

[Tyrone 1,903]

I loved these pics. So Cal is so tropical looking. I'm jealous.

[redant 1,043]

When I grow up I want to be Kyle  Always awesome picture of great palmly places.

[Frond-friend42 202]

14 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

I would guess that palm to be a Trithrinax. 

Yes, thanks Darold. Looks like trithrinax campestris. Thanks 

[Hilo Jason 3,116]

Incredible photos, thanks for posting them Kyle

[palmfriend 1,508]

Beautiful!!

It seems anything can be grown in SC. 

Thank you for documenting your trip and for sharing with us!

best regards from Okinawa - 

Lars

[quaman58 1,937]

Some of the best pictures I've seen on this forum Kyle. The ones of Dictyosperma and Syagrus botryophora looked like they were from the tropics. Regarding the Pritchardia, that's been posted a few times here with a lot of opinions. Don't think it's minor. Obviously this genus is variable, but if you asked me based on leaf shape, leaf underside color and fruit size, I'd say viscosa, grown in a less that perfect environment. The one at Floribunda (grown to perfection) is a spitting image, just bigger and more open, probably due to more water.  My neighbor has a martii that's very close looking, but the fruits are way bigger. Thanks again for posting..

[kylecawazafla 926]

Thank you for the comments! That last Pritchardia seems to be mystery! That would be very cool if it is P. viscosa! 

[Stevetoad 1,708]

great shots Kyle!

[BS Man about Palms 2,333]

Fantastic trip and thanks for adding the pics!

[DCA_Palm_Fan 440]

Fantastic pics and trip!  So Cal looking very tropical in places.   I love it when someone does a photo dump on here (this was one of the best i've seen!) and it reminds of something on my wish list.    Ive wanted a Linospadix monostachyos for a long time, but never bothered with it when up north.  Im not sure that even now that I'm in Southern FL that they would do well here. It gets alot hotter than in their habitat.   That photo and the one of the Howea Forstoriana are my favorites I think, although I do love seeing those MASSIVE Jubaea Chilensis!    Thanks for sharing with us!  

[waykoolplantz 944]

Howea...wowea