Mauritiella armata min temp

[SubTropicRay]

Is Mauritiella armata more cold tender than its close relative Mauritia flexuosa?

[Gileno Machado]

I can't give you a good advice about cold hardiness Ray, but I would imagine that Mauritiella is probably a more cool tolerating species. At least it can be more exposed to the breeze here during our winter. It is a very slow seedling in the early stages though, you will see...

[SubTropicRay]

Thanks Gileno.  I could not resist the inexpensive price for a one gallon specimen.  I have placed the entire container in a dish of water as this has worked well for my Mauritia.  I'm glad the potted sapling is slow growing as my winter climate will not support this palm planted out.

Ray

[Gileno Machado]

Here's a Mauritiella armata picture for you, from a friend's garden in Paraíba State. He said that this palm was a very slow growing clump in the beginning and then all of a sudden one of the stems decided to prevail and started growing much faster than the others...

[Eric in Orlando]

Ray,

I planted a M. armata along with a Mauritia flexuosa outside here last year. They survived mid 30's no problem last winter. I know these are a big gamble here but I grew them from seed and have a backup M. armata in the greenhouse. That one will be kept containerized and displayed in the pond like our Cyrtostachys and brought in during the winter. The M. armata has such a nice silvery color so far.

[amazondk]

Around here the M. aramata and M. flexuosa grow in the same environment.  Much of the time where you find one you will find the other.  They like moist mostly sandy conditions, but not to be submersed all year long.   I think that in their native environment they are probably petty fast growers once established.  I have a small one in a pot that germinated a short time ago.  It is moving along quite nicely.  But, since this is optimum climate for this species I guess it should if taken care of right.  I think they are really nice looking trees.

Here is one around here. The groun where these trees are growing gets flooded in the rainy season.  This is in Roraima by Boa Vista.

dk

[iwan]

(Gileno Machado @ Oct. 16 2007,13:32)

QUOTE

That is a GREAT looking palm!

[Jason in Orlando]

I suppose that's as close as we get to a palmate/costapalmate leaved palm with a crownshaft...

[bgl]

And they have a very interesting looking trunk!

[amazondk]

Just a note the M. flexuosa is known locally here as the Buriti.  The M. armata is known as the Buritirana.  In local language pertaining to trees an ending with rana means like.  Or Buriti like.  That does not mean that the tree species are necessarily related.

dk

[Eric in Orlando]

Wow, M. armata looks cool as hell as a mature palm.

[SubTropicRay]

Thanks for the added info Eric.  Since mine is potted, it's probably a few degrees less hardy.

Ray

[bgl]

Don't know anything about cold hardiness, but this is certainly in the top 10 when it comes to my favorite palms. Here's one of our groups of M. armata.

[Utopia Palms]

(amazondk @ Oct. 17 2007,18:52)

QUOTE

Around here the M. aramata and M. flexuosa grow in the same environment.  Much of the time where you find one you will find the other.  They like moist mostly sandy conditions, but not to be submersed all year long.   I think that in their native environment they are probably petty fast growers once established.  I have a small one in a pot that germinated a short time ago.  It is moving along quite nicely.  But, since this is optimum climate for this species I guess it should if taken care of right.  I think they are really nice looking trees.

Here is one around here. The groun where these trees are growing gets flooded in the rainy season.  This is in Roraima by Boa Vista.

dk

Hi All

Don It’s great to see habitat photos of Mauritiella.armata, Thank you very much it is a lovley palm and should be used more often. It seems in your photos that they don’t seem to clump up as much as cultivated plants, as the ones in my garden have over 50 pups (suckers) with only one main stem forming a trunk; it looks like the same with the photos of Bo’s garden that most of his plants also are clumping quite thickly?

Bo do your plants have many suckers on them as well?

As for cold tolerance we have had a VERY cold winter this year down to 3c with a max temp of only 13c on one particular day! And the Mauritiella armata’s are doing just fine in rather heavy soils as well! but I must say they do grow better in a position that receives run off water from the road or from spring.

Ps. Ray I have found Mauritia flexuosa more cold sensitive that Mauritiella armata, but this could be due to lack of irrigation as we do not water the garden only what falls from the sky although I planted them beside the dam so they could get there roots into the water if needed but are still much harder for us to grow in our climate.

Clayton

[bgl]

Most of them look like this: one main trunk and about a dozen smaller, secondary, ones.

[bgl]

And a few have two main trunks like this one, and again, about a dozen smaller secondary ones.

[amazondk]

Here is another picture of the M. armata in habitat.  Maybe they clump more in cultivation.  Or, maybe the ones we have around here a variation which clumpls less.  As you can see they do like it wet.

dk

[ron@springhammock]

I had one several years ago that grew to about 5 feet tall as a potted plant.  Unfortunately, I left it out during the first cold blast of winter and it collapsed abruptly.  The temperatures were only in the mid 40's F that night, but I think the sudden change from hot and humid to cold and dry was too much for it.

I also remember it being very silvery unlike the yellow- green in Don's photos.  Is this a matter of maturity or variety?

[amazondk]

They do have a silvery underside to the leafs.

Here is another one in habitat.  I don't know if they are a different variety around here from the one you had.  Taking into account that the coldest recorded temperature around here where they are very common was I believe 58 F I don't think they would do too well in a cold snap.

dk

[Phil]

Ray,

When I first tried this species about 10 years ago, I was so excited.  Anything with blue tinted fan leaves has to grow for us in Southern California.  What a disappointment to see hundreds of previously vigorous seedlings melt away inside the greenhouse during winter.  And, these were not small seedlings.  They had at least 4 leaves.  I tried one more time with the same results when our greenhouse got down to 38-40 degrees.  Now, you never know with certain species.  It will love your humid summers.  If it's real established and big, perhaps it will take your cold.  But, my initial impression is it won't be a good grower in Tampa or Orlando in the long haul.

Phil

[waykoolplantz]

anyone growin Mauritiella aculeata ??

i have one at the ponds edge

[amazondk]

Here is a little one that I started from seed recently.  It has developed quite fast.  I put it in the pot about 10 days ago.

[ron@springhammock]

I think they are wonderful as potted plants as long as they get plenty of heat, moisture and light.  Their color and form is just gorgeous.  Unfortunately, I wouldn’t expect them to reach their full potential up here, so I guess we’ll have to be content with enjoying Don, Gileno and Bo’s beautiful pictures.

[amazondk]

(ron@springhammock @ Oct. 20 2007,10:24)

QUOTE

I think they are wonderful as potted plants as long as they get plenty of heat, moisture and light.  Their color and form is just gorgeous.  Unfortunately, I wouldn’t expect them to reach their full potential up here, so I guess we’ll have to be content with enjoying Don, Gileno and Bo’s beautiful pictures.

Ron,

Or, hop on a plane and come down and enjoy them in person.

dk

[Moose]

[Eric in Orlando]

The 2 here are still alive. They survived this past winter, one is in the ground and the other in a container but sunk in an outdoor pond. They had no damage after a night near 30F but Mauritia flexuosa croaked.