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We live about 1km from the ocean at an altitude of 750 feet. The top of the property is very dense bush , interspersed with some big trees and quite alot of Acrocomia aculeata and Attalea Butyracea palms, In the dense shade there are quite a few interesting small palms, some Bactris and chamaedorea palms as well as a climbing species called Desmoncus. just about all the Bactris we found were multi stem, hideously spiny with an interesting leaf layout, The ground is super well draining and alot of rock, which is surprising for the Bactris as the other one which grows down by the swamps is almost always wet, It is also a very spiny multi trunk species.

I thought this palm history was worth a story. I bought a copernicia fallaensis from Ken Johnson and sons in late sept 2011 and dug a huge hole for it, 5'+ across. I dyug the hole an extra foot deep and amended that last foot of depth with half sand with the native clay the builders put near the streets to support it. put extra sand beneath the palm. Here is the holle I dug with the ammended mix refilled under the palm Ken arrived and he and his son unl;oaded the palm and planted it with a 2500 lb bobcat. The rootball was limestone rock and it was too much weight for a 1500 lb bobcat. In the ground as of sept 19 2011.

Oenocarpus distichus starting to get some size

in summer 2014 3 years later the leaves were getting larger and more numerous but height was about the same then another shot in 2017 a couple months after hurricane IRMA hit. It lost ~ 8 leaves on the lower crown. late 2017 after IRMA hit y 2019 it was starting to put on trunk. Not sure that was delayed or accelerated due to the hurricane hit. Leaf bases were falling off no assisting them. here in 2021 a year before IAN Then IAN hit and it lost a dozen leaves mostly to windward and quite a way up the trunk, (asymmetrical losses to windward) I didnt take a lot of pics of the damage, I want4ed to forget about it. The damage it has sustained was from cat one max 97 mph gusts with 80 mph sustained for 3-4 hrs. This morning the palm shows 10' clear smooth trunk @28-29" diameter (all the way up so far) and about 13-14 foot trunk including dead leaf bases. the crown is not fully recovered but it is doing well. The thorns on the petioles of the newer leaves just shred the older leaves in this kind of wind.

Wanted to share two pictures of my filiferas I planted back in July 2023. I sprouted them from seed in my greenhouse in fall of 2021. They both had trunks about the size of my thumb and were less than a foot tall. They are planted way too close to my building but face due south and get rainwater from canales above. Hindsight I should’ve planted them right in the middle but was worried I’d never be able to walk around them ( still prob won’t be able too soon!) Exactly one year later the fronds on the palm are up to my shoulder and I’m almost 6 ft tall. I water them deeply twice a week in the summer and use palm gain fertilizer twice a year. Can’t wait to see how much more they explode by end of the summer!

Here's the back story you may skip over if you want: I bought seeds for Licuala peltata var. sumawongii last September. Got them all prepped and bagged as soon as I received them. A couple of months later a single seed come up and decided this world was not for him as soon a he laid eyes on it. Then, for months, nothing. Which is how things have gone with this species for me the previous time I tried it. I usually find Licualas easy to germinate, but for some reason var. sumawongii does not wanna come up for me. Anyway, today I thought I'd check on my Raphia australis seeds I hadn't checked on in a couple of months. They're at the back in a hard to reach spot on my audio amplifier (my substitute for a heat mat) because I know they don't need daily/weekly checks. So when I went to check on them, I noticed the bag with my Licuala peltata var. sumawongii had fallen off the amp. I had forgotten I still even had these seeds. I last checked on these in February or March. So my surprise was all the more greater when I opened the baggie to find one tiny seedling in the by now bone dry medium in the bag. I can't imagine for how long he would have survived in there with no moisture and no light, and I may have just as well gone to check on my Raphias at the end of the summer for all I know. By then, I'm sure, it would have been too late. So, a bit of a blind luck to go along with this palm journey of mine. It's one of the most beautiful species of palm, and this little guy was so lucky I found him when I did.

This time of year in Florida, flowering sabal palms with nice, healthy-sized crowns look beautiful and quite elegant. I was also struck by this little "sabal minor that could" growing in the middle of a tree.

This is the hill opposite us and I have been up without the camera, its very steep very dense bush but full of very interesting palms, I will bring some back and plant them in my garden.I did bring back a nice little oil palm on my last foray. Elaeis olifera .

Updated pic

Full sun is preferred for best flowering and variegation on leaves. Hummingbirds (and other polinators) LOVE their flowers Three specimens available, each one is over 36" tall and currently in a 5gal container - $150ea Serious buyers are welcome to visit for pick up **Located in Dade City, FL (North of Tampa, I-75, exit 293)** Each specimen can be shipped bare root, wrapped in sphagnum moss to lower 48 US ONLY via UPS Ground for an additional $24.00 per plant. **Please note that the branches are prone to breakage, but quickly re-grow** Venmo, PayPal, and/or Cash PM if interested

Never really tried growing Areca catechu until I was given a small tube stock one so I though a half dozen planted in a groups wouldn’t go astray in the garden time will tell if they grow in my area.

Here's a nice leaner in West Oakland.

Obi showing its first ring!

Here’s some others I planted at the same location that are doing well also. From left to right - Filifera, Trachy , Chamerops

ken estimated it was 12=15 years old grown in shade at 9+ feet overall.. he then root pruned it over 6 months and brought it to my place, i waited for the root pruning. Might have been faster growth without the transplant.

Pest control on my Areca catechu alba

What an incredible palm! You had the foresight to pick the most regal of all the Copernicia’s imho! Something about the almost surreal leaves in the crown. Not many fallaensis that big in Florida but for Fairchild that I know about.

Same experience here, pretty tough palm. The only thing I had a problem with is that the young leaflets were a little bit brittle? If the wind got a little strong the leaflets would break and make them look a bit messier than normal. This one is getting to a point where the wind doesn't bother it as much. Not terribly fast for me, this one is 2 years from a single strap leaf but its the only one I have in the ground. I think they myust like root room since this one has out paced the potted ones by double at least.

Yep exactly, they dont mind heat if they get water and fertilizer and clay soil has plenty of cation exchange to limit deficiencies. Mine grown in gilbert arizona in clay soil with a PH that was adjusted towards neutral with years of sulfur applications. They were very nice but maintenance instensive vs my other palms grown in the desert. In sandy soils in florida they are never as nice as mine were and half of them look like eyesores on the landscape due to minimal owner care. Here are my beauties from Arizona in clay soil with plenty of water.

Palm enthusiast for 22 years here. I think we should love all palms. They all have a place.... but in the right place! I see all sorts of bashing of Syagrus Romanzoffiana (Queen Palm) and just had to address this overly saturated but misunderstood palm thanks to places like Home Depot. I always go back to Syagrus Romanzoffiana, yep. Sounds odd. But I dare you to find a palm species that can imitate the exact swaying of the fronds in our calm breezes and so stately, yet graceful. This beauty native to Brazil, Argentina and maybe some other places, is simply the best which is why it is saturated. Yes, super messy heavy seed pods, not self cleaning. If people would be more prepared to take care of them properly, and plant them in the right place and not 3 feet from their house, they are one of the most beautiful palms that stand the test of time. I see all sorts of Syagrus Romanzoffiana issues and bashing but then I look at their zones. 8b? 9a? 9b? People trying all crazy things because they sell them at various Home Depots and Lowes even in the High Desert, zone 8a!! What?? 10a + only for these palms. They are not cold hardy, not desert plants and don't like temps over 85, like average humidity only (50%), and certainly not drought tolerant as marketed, if you want them to flourish and look amazing. Yes they need supplemental ferrtilizer but what palm doesnt. You should not be ashamed if you are an enthusiast but still love the Queen. And this palm will thrive in clay soil btw. Long live the stately, elegant, graceful queen! I bet there are many Queen lovers out there so I would love to hear from you! Lets get the Queen back where it should be, and that is respected. Thank you very much

Starting to get big. Protected approx. Dec-March each year 2019 2020 2021 2022 2022 2023

Don’t forget Meg mowing them and getting your shins belted with seeds as hard as rocks rats cockroaches bats screaming all night eating them dropping there crap on your roof and footpaths also spreading the seeds to every place you can mention they are the first palm I ever germinated so good for learning how to grow they have a place in the cool zones but such a weed potential palm in any place that get half decent rainfall in habitat in iguazzu they look fantastic just not in my garden my biggest concern now is with all the new syagrus varieties what are they going to do in 20 years time our environment is precious thing we all should consider by not introducing such weed potential disease spreading plants it becomes more evident in Australia with such strict bio security laws and unique flora and fauna we all want to protect our environment and keeping out such plants that have such a devastating impact on our environments along with the rest of the world after all we only have one planet.

I had two some 20 years back realising what they would become I dug them out gave them to my neighbour not a good move now 20 years later there the biggest weed he does not maintain his 5 acres and it’s got hundreds coming up off all sizes they come up within a 10 acre radius all over my property there are palms and there are weeds of palms I guess you define a weed as a plant any plant that’s not in it’s natural habitat well this one can go back to South America I have seen them in habitat and will say they look gorgeous in habitat just not in my backyard.

July update pics

Dracaena margenata perhaps?

@izhar That does look like a Foxtail = Wodyetia bifurcata and a Bismarckia nobilis https://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Bismarckia_nobilis

@jwitt Thanks for your learned commentary and observations. You gave an old mule (me) a knock on the noggin with a 2 by 4, to jar the lump of mis-observations loose a bit. I concur about Washies not being serious desert plants like cacti or maybe Braheas. If you ever get desperate enough for entertainment, go visit the various parks in the desert near Palm Springs (esp. Desert Hot Springs) that go along the southern edge of the mountains, and, right there is the mighty San Andreas Fault. Any river or stream that crosses the fault line is dammed by "fault gouge" a claylike substance that acts as a de facto dam to hold water, and form these subterranean places where water lingers. (Not to be confused with Palm Canyon on the other side of Palm Springs.) Washies love that kind of place, and I'll remember till my last day when I stood on the mighty SA fault and could see the lines of palms along it, as far to the east as my then-youthful eyes could see. All along the fault line, and nowhere else, like some gardener planted them there for effect.

This might be one of those common names that are different in other countries. Bottle palm here in the US is the common name for Hyophorbe lagenicaulis. @izhar, your palm doesn't show the typical bulge at the base and red colored leaf petioles common to the species. Here's a photo of some recently germinated Hyophorbe lagenicaulis and they're already showing the color. Plus a larger palm with even more coloring.

A. alexandrae, var. 'entire leaf' 😘

Only two years? Yay , there’s hope for mine! As planted, Harry

I believe these date back to the 1890’s, when Henry Flagler developed the Breakers in PB. He had a botanist who traveled extensively, including South America for tropical plants. He was a contemporary of Fairchild but not as adventurous. These Ss’s are magnificent but what if he had procured Copernicia or some of the slow growing specimens like C. borhidiana?

There are plenty listed in the Orlando thread kinzyjr linked above. I just so happened to drive by this one just yesterday on Hoffner Ave and it caught my attention. This google street view photo is a year old, but there are more coconuts on it today.

@RiverCityRichard @FlaPalmLover they are possible in 9b, but it’s still a push. My satakentia was planted from a 5 gallon in early spring of 2022, and saw 27 degrees during the windy Christmas freeze of 2022. Under the oak canopy it still received about 60% leaf burn from that event. It took a whole year to grow out of the last signs of leaf damage. It’s finally throwing out new spears one after the other and hopefully it has some more size now to handle the next cold event better. 🤞if you have a protected spot, give it a go.

Important to remember that " Hardiness " will depend on local conditions.. While your location and where it grows may both be in a similar zone, winters where it grows are far drier / warmer than winters in Mass. Specimens in habitat may see snow, but, it doesn't stick around for very long and warms up pretty quickly after a storm passes.. Can be in the 90s in early March down there. If you were to trial it ...or any of the hardier Agave sps,... absolutely must create an ideal spot... IE: the chunkiest, best draining soil possible. NO Perlite, and / or Peat moss ..AT ALL.. Simply plopping it in the ground anywhere w/ out properly amending the soil it will be growing in is a recipe for failure. Regardless, would look into any of the cacti / Agave- specific nurseries in Tucson or Phoenix, CA., NV., or CO, etc. that can ship plants, even if you may have to start small.. Aridlands = Tucson, Happy Valley Plants, = PHX area, Cold Hardy Cactus = Colorado, Hidden Agave, = San Diego for example..

@Jdash when small, Chuniophoenix Nana and Hainanensis look pretty similar. I'm growing both here in AM sun/PM shade and they are doing great. I wish I'd bought some earlier, but I got both from Floribunda about 2 years ago. Here's Nana on the upper left, Hainanensis in bottom center, Licuala Sumawongii in center upper, and Cryosophila Warscewiczii in the upper right.

Guesstimating from the photos, it seems like it hit maximum trunk diameter between 2014 and 2017. With 13-14' of total trunk today, that would be about 1.4-2.0 feet of trunk per year...probably towards the lower end of that ballpark range. That's not super-slow, and seems like a totally reasonable speed. I'd rather that over the Queens on my West side that went from nothing to 20' of trunk in about 4 years... Any idea how old it was when you got it in 2011?

I'm not sure if pictures can do giant yarey palms justice. Seeing them in person is really a sight to behold.

Great documentation - thank you for sharing with us! Lars

Mine is a baby at 25 years old , planted in 1998. Just a wee one! I love the way the trunk adapted to the slope. Harry

Well the first bract didn't accept any pollen, but the second bract did accept Syagrus pollen and I harvested a little over 300 seeds. Have not sacrificed any to check viability yet. Hoping to see more bracts next year...

Peruse this thread and you'll see quite a few: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/59360-zone-10-palms-in-the-orlando-area-mega-thread/

I planted one that exhibits many traits of filifera. It's a crap shoot in my climate and will need a winter canopy. It's in it's third year from seed and stands 20" tall. Planted 10 days ago and it's pushed out 2 new fronds. Good luck with yours @Sabal King

Every time I see Syagrus schizophylla mentioned, I want to post again and again these incredibly ancient specimens:

Great progress and accounting over the years! It’s awesome when you see a nice Copernicia in a residential neighborhood. They look very regal and unique. Tough trees, well suited to the southern parts of Florida.

Oops cant fix that title! the time was 2011 to 2024 almost 13 years since it was planted.

Hey Jason, thanks again for the Chrysalidocarpus malcomberi photos. You saw this one a few years back before trunking, it has since grown quite a bit. Great color and nice leaf arrangement, although it still looks very similar to C. mananjarensis to me. Tim

@D Palm Anything with big, wide leaves that keep the rain away and provide shade are targets for wasps. When trimming philodendrons or any fan leaf palm in the yard, it pays to look under the leaves.

Palm on the left is one of my newest addition, a beautiful blue Butia. On the right is the palm purchased from @IdolLurker which was stated to be a hybrid. Palm on the left was grown from seed by me and placed in the ground from a 3 gallon size in 2007/2008. Palm on the right was put into the ground from a 3 gallon size in 2018. Lots of variables to consider, but still, pretty impressive growth from the one on the right. Palm an the right also has much less recurve, more upright growth habit and flatter fronds overall. Palm in the middle front is my Jubaea chilensis