Acrocromia aculeata

[glbower]

Some friends of mine who own a rare tropical plant nursery presented me with a gift of this thorny little baby. I've found pics on various Web sites and palm books of mature A. aculeata and their leaves don't look at all like the ones on this plant.

Adult leaves look much more feather-like while these are short, fat and ruffled. Haven't been able to find a juvenile photo to compare.

Close up of leaves and spiny trunk follows for ID purposes.

I'm wondering if it is mislabled.

[glbower]

Leaf.

[glbower]

Stem. How am I going to plant this spiny critter; there's no place to grab it.  My friend recommends slitting the sides of the potand pot planting it as the only way to preserve the spines.

[spockvr6]

GL - My guess is that that palm is Aiphanes caryotifolia.

[glbower]

I'm was thinking Aiphanes, too, but don't know enough about them to guess which species. It doesn't resemble my Aiphanes aculeata, which is considerable smaller and has only three leaves so far.

[spockvr6]

I am by no means an Aiphanes expert (I dont even own one!) but it sure looks like pics of A. caryotifolia that I have seen.

In any case....plant that sucker where it can be admired...and not easily touched!

[Alan_Tampa]

Aiphanes aculeata

Acrocomia looks like a queen palm at a Rocky Horror screening.

Alan

[bgl]

Yes, I'm positive it's an Aiphanes as suggested above. This is an Acrocomia aculeata (below).

As far as planting smaller spiny palms, this is not as tough as it may seem;

If the rootball easily comes out of the pot, piece of cake, just handle it by the rootball!

And if it doesn't, then split the pot with a machete.

[spockvr6]

(Alan_Tampa @ Sep. 03 2006,22:48)

QUOTE

Acrocomia looks like a queen palm at a Rocky Horror screening.

Alan

Thats about right.

I had one a little while ago.  It was a gem I got gratis in exchange for digging it up from the previous owner's property.  Its was of good size as well (maybe 3-4 ft of trunk).

I got poked and pierced by that damn thing at least a half a dozen times in the process....and the palm had the nerve to go ahead and die on me anyway!

I guess we didnt get enough rootball!

[bgl]

Larry,

you should try treating your palms with kindness and respect!

Bo-Göran

[glbower]

Case closed. When I said in the original post it had ruffled edges, I suspected it was, what else, the ruffle palm. Didn't realize Aiphanes aculeata and caryotifolia were one and the same. My little one hasn't started to ruffle yet. Do you think this one is old enought to take 4 or 5 hours a day of our brutal Southwest Florida sun?

[spockvr6]

(bgl @ Sep. 03 2006,23:06)

QUOTE

Larry,

you should try treating your palms with kindness and respect!

Bo-Göran

Bo-

To be honest....I was not sad to see that palm go!

After seeing first hand how dangerous it really was (considering that I have close by neighbors with little children.....and little dogs) I would be dishonest if I didnt admit that injury liability was a concern.

[Gtlevine]

I bought an Accrocomia Acculeata about five years ago in a 15 gallon size container. I thought it was an interesting plant and unique, was I mistaken. My Accrocomia is now 25 feet tall with at least 12 feet of clean trunk. It looks like an ugly and spiny queen palm. I am about to hire someone to cut it down and get rid of it. I can truly say that there is no spiny palm on this planet as nasty as Accrocomia Acculeata. Even the finest portions of the leaflets have spines that just go right through you. I have pick up some old leaf bases and the spines have gone right through my shoes without any effort. This palm is like the jumping Cholla cactus. For those of you contemplating planting this palm, don't. Even you you like the looks, everyone has their own taste, it's not something you want to deal with in your yard.

Gary

[Alan_Tampa]

Children and dogs seem like a reason to have a spiny palm.

Dogs chew things up and crap things out and dig in your trash can and so do children.

Any child or dog too stupid to learn that spiky palm hurt bad probably need a leash

Trespassers better watch where they are going, is all I can say.  And if at night, carry a flashlight to avoid spiny palms and whatnot - also lots easier to snipe with that glowing target longing to be extinguished.

Larry, I think the castle doctrin should apply to landscape subjects which become defacto defensive weapons.

Also, Larry not being mean but that haircut you gave that palm may have been what killed it, if not the actual disarmament but the emabarasment at being made to wear the palm tree version of the pink bunny suit pajamas.  It was a man, till you made it a queen.

Alan

[Jeff Wilson]

Hi guys:

 This is my little Acrocomia aculeata. It's a small palm, but unlike GL's palm, it has very fine leaflets so you can see the differences. This palm came from John and Faith Bishock, friends of mine in Old Miakka. GL, PM me, hope to see you some time. I just live across the bridge.

Jeff

[Jeff Wilson]

Here are 2 Acrocomia aculeatas at John and Faith Bishock's home in Old Miakka.

[Jeff Wilson]

2nd photo of A. aculeata in Old Miakka

[Gileno Machado]

(Alan_Tampa @ Sep. 03 2006,23:48)

QUOTE

Acrocomia looks like a queen palm at a Rocky Horror screening.

I guess you guys in USA have been growing the wrong subspecies of Acrocomia, collected in Central America.

Our native Acrocomia, identified as A. intumescens, is not a threatning palm when it grows old. The fat belly is always present, and most trunks spines are gone after a few years. Oh, and the fruit is edible too...

[bgl]

Gileno,

Those are very attractive palms!

Bo-Göran

[glbower]

I like Gileno's Acrocromia best --  looks like a cross between a spindle and a queen.

Does anybody have a good pic of a near-mature Aiphanes aculeata, which mine turned out to be?

[amazondk]

I have to agree with Gileno, the types of Acrocomia's that grow around here don't have that big a spine problem.  Not that you don't want to be carefull picking up the leaves.  There are a lot more nasty ones around in the forest.  The Astrocaryum group have some real champs.  One of the biggest hazards of walking around the forest here is stepping on the spines from fallen palm fronds.  The A. vulgare is a great  source os palm fruit and locals commonly burn the trunks to make them more approachable.  Here is an Astrocaryum acuale that grows on the river banks of dark water rivers in Amazonia.  I guess it would work to keep dogs and kids out of flower beds.

dk

[SunnyFl]

(Gileno Machado @ Sep. 04 2006,11:24)

QUOTE

I guess you guys in USA have been growing the wrong subspecies of Acrocomia, collected in Central America.

Our native Acrocomia, identified as A. intumescens, is not a threatning palm when it grows old. The fat belly is always present, and most trunks spines are gone after a few years. Oh, and the fruit is edible too...

Wow, Gileno - those are nice  The looks of those palms are well worth the spininess.

How tall do they get?  Wonder if they'd even grow up here, if they have the same temperature requirements as the aculeata.

Btw, Alan - I agree with you on the castle doctrine

[Jeff Searle]

(Gileno Machado @ Sep. 04 2006,11:24)

QUOTE

(Alan_Tampa @ Sep. 03 2006,23:48)

QUOTE

Acrocomia looks like a queen palm at a Rocky Horror screening.

I guess you guys in USA have been growing the wrong subspecies of Acrocomia, collected in Central America.

Our native Acrocomia, identified as A. intumescens, is not a threatning palm when it grows old. The fat belly is always present, and most trunks spines are gone after a few years. Oh, and the fruit is edible too...

Beautiful looking! Any chance of seed on this one?

[amazondk]

Our local Acrocromia here in Amazonia does not have the swollen trunk like the one in Gilenos area.  But, when adult it is not all that spiny.  There are two types of fruits here, one is a white color and the other is very yellow.  The yellow fruited ones are preferred for eating.  The taste is much better.  I have not baked them yet, but they tell me that they are quite good that way.  I have a couple of small yellow fruited plants, one I put in the ground on our lot and the othe is in a pot.  Both are doing well.  I think they are quite good looking palms myself.

Here are some trees from Maues, Amazonas.

[Jeff Wilson]

I like this one. This is John and Faith's Acrocomia mexicana in Old Miakka, which is about 18 miles inland of downtown Sarasota off Fruitville Rd. Some serious cold there at times. I don't think this palm has been tested, but their larger Acromias I'll post pics of in a minute saw 22F 2 times post December 1989, I believe.

[Jeff Wilson]

Acrocomia crispa

[Jeff Wilson]

Acrocomia intumescens

[chris78]

I love Acrocromia palms!!! spines and all..........

[aussiearoids]

Heres a small pic of the Aiphanes

[aussiearoids]

There are a few other spp. of Aiphanes growing nearby , one has grown a very tall trunk , and managed to catch a few unwary people . Will resize the last pic as the full size one shows it below a very large Phoenicophorium borsigianum that was in flower .

These loose the spines when mature as well .

[Kamipalms]

WOW Mike, that Phoenicophorium is stunning!

I have a couple of these which are powering along ( @ only a 1/2 inch tall mind you )

How old would yours be?

Jason.

[paulgila]

yeah,that ones a knock-out!

[edbrown_3]

I am enjoying the commentary.  I have Acrocomia specimens from 3 localities Southern Brasil, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.  

Enclosed is the Brasillian Acrocmia collected in the Pantanal about 8 years ago.

[edbrown_3]

Heres a second photo of a hillside of A. intumescens?

This is just out side the Belo Horizonte airport. You see hillsides of this palm in Minais Gerais .  

I have seen different commentary on the species fat trunked ones are supposed to be in the south the skinny ones in the north part of the range and vice versa.  

I have seen fat ones and skinny ones in Mexico. In southern Brazil I have seen fat and skinny ones. Puerto Rico I have only seen large ones though.

Best regards,

Ed

[edbrown_3]

Heres one from Cuiba in 1991

[edbrown_3]

Heres a Acrocomia media (by old nomenclature ) growing in Jax.   less than 10 years or so from seed

It saw 21F in 2002 .

Best regards,

Ed

[chris78]

Here is a Acrocomia totai in my garden, has flowered for 5 years now but never set seed.

[amazondk]

I wonder if the Acrocomia trees growing here in Amazonia have the same cold resistance as the ones from southern Brazil.  Does anyone have an idea about this?

dk

[amazondk]

Ed,

I lived in Belo Horizonte for a few years in the 70s and have spent a lot of time there after that and never really paid much attention to what palm trees were there.  But, seeing that picture of yours brought back to me that a lot of the trees were Acrocomias.  There are some beautiful spots out of town with these trees.

dk

[Gileno Machado]

(Jeff Searle @ Sep. 05 2006,22:32)

QUOTE

(Gileno Machado @ Sep. 04 2006,11:24)

QUOTE

(Alan_Tampa @ Sep. 03 2006,23:48)

QUOTE

Acrocomia looks like a queen palm at a Rocky Horror screening.

I guess you guys in USA have been growing the wrong subspecies of Acrocomia, collected in Central America.

Our native Acrocomia, identified as A. intumescens, is not a threatning palm when it grows old. The fat belly is always present, and most trunks spines are gone after a few years. Oh, and the fruit is edible too...

Beautiful looking! Any chance of seed on this one?

Hi Jeff:

I was travelling and didn't have a chance to reply earlier.

There are lots of A. intumescens seeds around here. If they were not not so big I'd try to send them to you as a gift, but I don't think they'll allow me to send them in a large envelope from here, without export and phytosanitary previous licenses...