african oil palm frond

[Walt]

I'm sure many of us here that live in areas that have hard frosts and freezes have seen this phenomena many times, where one or two fronds of a palm are undamaged, yet all the rest are fried from the freeze/frost.

This was the case this past January with my African oil palm, where one frond was totally unhurt by the freeze/frost, when my open yard temperature dropped into the high 20s F for several nights. I didn't protect this palm, and all fronds basically had the same exposure. In fact, the pristine frond is actually on the N.W. side of the palm.

[MattyB]

That is odd! My first instinct is to say that the frond was under the adjacent tree and benefitted from it's canopy. But really, it seems like too dramatic of a difference from the other fronds for it not to be systemic. Weird! Did there happen to be a branch from the tree directly laying on that particular frond?

[Mark Heath]

That is odd indeed! Mine did the same thing but the two fronds were under a dense Oak canopy. Weird!!!

Let's hope that your African Oil palm decides to have ALL the fronds do that next year!!

[Walt]

There is a bay tree (now dead, killed by the recent Laurel wilt disease that made its way into my county this past summer) that did over hang my African oil palm a little. And I considered this, but mostly dismissed it as the reason the one frond stayed green, as that particular frond had no more coverage than the others. Further, the coverage wasn't full and dense.

The same thing happened this winter with some of my queen sagos. Some fronds were totally untouched, while adjacent ones were totally brown.

I've seen newer palm fronds (that were hardend off) with lots of mineral salts in them to be more cold resistant than the old ones.

The good thing about my oil palm is that it will come back very fast. My palm grows more than one new frond per month.

[Rafael]

By the way Walt, how did your archontophoenix behave these freeze days?

Mine you must know already!

[Walt]

By the way Walt, how did your archontophoenix behave these freeze days?

Mine you must know already!

rafael: All my exposed. A. alexandrae palm were fried. Another one I have growing around lots of tree canopy wasn't hurt. Most of my A. cunninghamiana did fine, except some more exposed that got some frost burn, I believe on the very last night of the freezes. But this damage is cosmetic, and all of the fronds weren't damaged.

No, I don't know how your palms fared. I must have missed your posting about them.

[Bennz]

My immediate reaction is to start pondering the feasibilty of tissue culturing an entire oil palm plantation based on one leaf....

[Rafael]

By the way Walt, how did your archontophoenix behave these freeze days?

Mine you must know already!

rafael: All my exposed. A. alexandrae palm were fried. Another one I have growing around lots of tree canopy wasn't hurt. Most of my A. cunninghamiana did fine, except some more exposed that got some frost burn, I believe on the very last night of the freezes. But this damage is cosmetic, and all of the fronds weren't damaged.

No, I don't know how your palms fared. I must have missed your posting about them.

After discussing, here, on late November, wich species i had, and after concluding it was probably a cunninghamiana, or an hybrid one, then arrived the December/January period of freezes and frosts (not so severe as in last Winter).

Based on that, i believed that it would be stronger than unfortunate alexandrae from last year, and resist to -3,8ºC and 2/3 nights of strong frost, facing east, and wind sheltered by the house.

But it did not happen, and you can check it at this link: http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=21726.

Now i am not even sure if it is a cunninghamiana.

Would like to hear your advised opinion, and sorry to open this theme on this interesting topic.

Concerning to this topic, i just follow what people says, cause i have no reasonable explication for that. But the event is really curious... Do you have any explanation?

At last, next spring i will overcrowd my yard with some new species, these and others: jubea chilensis, livistona chinensis, copernicia alba, ravenea rivularis, brahea armata, and maybe a baby bizzie i have potted (wich i will have to protect, maybe under canopy).

Edited February 10, 2010 by rafael

[Davidl]

Walt,

Thats very interesting but I have seen the same thing happen myself and not sure the reason. My african oil gets knocked back almost every year but keeps on putting out normal fronds.

[Alberto]

Very odd! The same thing happened once to one of my Dypsis onilahensis (in 2006) The little palm was totally exposed to an radiatonal freeze and it was also TOTALLY burned with the exception of one leave. I posted a pic of it and asked also why this frond wasn´t burned!!!???

I found the pic:

[Walt]

Very odd! The same thing happened once to one of my Dypsis onilahensis (in 2006) The little palm was totally exposed to an radiatonal freeze and it was also TOTALLY burned with the exception of one leave. I posted a pic of it and asked also why this frond wasn´t burned!!!???

I found the pic:

Alberto: Your palm looks like the case I was referring to in one of my above posts, where the newest frond isn't hurt, as it has more mineral salts (like potassium) in them then the older fronds, hence the newer frond has a degree or two more cold tolerance. At least that's what some palm folks speculate. I've seen this in some of my own palms from time to time. However, in the case of my African oil palm, the frond that wasn't cold damaged was an older one.

[Walt]

Walt,

Thats very interesting but I have seen the same thing happen myself and not sure the reason. My african oil gets knocked back almost every year but keeps on putting out normal fronds.

Dave: That's why I like African oil palms, as they seem to come back strong and regrow a respectable canopy relatively quickly.

[Natureguy]

Walt,

I have seen around the State a lot of weird observations. If a tree canopy didn't help protect the leaf, then I would chalk it up to randomness!

What I am really curious about it that gorgeous Royal you had planted recently. How did it fare? Did you try to protect it? The two I have got fried, but I have green spears emerging! I am praying these make it. I hope your Royals made it through ok.....

Bob

[Walt]

Walt,

I have seen around the State a lot of weird observations. If a tree canopy didn't help protect the leaf, then I would chalk it up to randomness!

What I am really curious about it that gorgeous Royal you had planted recently. How did it fare? Did you try to protect it? The two I have got fried, but I have green spears emerging! I am praying these make it. I hope your Royals made it through ok.....

Bob

Bob: My new royal was fried alright! But, I believe it will come back just fine. No, I didn't try to protect it, as I would have had to use one of my portable generators (the palm is planted too far away from house to use extension cords) to supply electricity for a portable heater, heating cables, etc.

My royal is shedding its lowermost frond right now, so I know it isn't dead.

Further, I plan on getting another royal palm of at least the same size again this spring. Now I just need to figure where I want it planted.

Walt

[Natureguy]

Walt,

Did you lose anything? Have any pictures of the Royals? Archontophoenix's? I am wanting an Archontophoenix, but I am really scared to lose it. Do you have a Bismarckia? Don't remember ever seeing a picture of one from your yard?

thanks,

bob

[Walt]

Walt,

Did you lose anything? Have any pictures of the Royals? Archontophoenix's? I am wanting an Archontophoenix, but I am really scared to lose it. Do you have a Bismarckia? Don't remember ever seeing a picture of one from your yard?

thanks,

bob

Bob: Thus far I don't think I lost anything in the way of palms. My two largest A. alexandrae palms were fried, but they are not dead. In fact, my largest A. alexandrae has opened a new frond, and it's nice and green.

Most of my A. cunninghamiana palms were not hurt, but a few have some cosmetic leaf damage from frost.

My bismarkia palms got some leaf damage on the lowermost fronds only, and most towards the leave tips.

Here's some photos I took right after the series of January freeze we got:

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/slideshow/576378244QasVKw

Today I plan to do another walk around and see how things are doing.

Walt

[Rafael]

Hi Walt, how low did temperatures raise overthere, and how frequent frost did happen?

You know, i am still in doubt about my archontophoenix, concerning most people's opinion about being a cunninghamiana, and considering its leaf damage..

[Walt]

Hi Walt, how low did temperatures raise overthere, and how frequent frost did happen?

You know, i am still in doubt about my archontophoenix, concerning most people's opinion about being a cunninghamiana, and considering its leaf damage..

Hi rafael: It's still unseasonably cold here in my part of Florida, in terms of average low temperatures and daily high temperatures. I've never experienced so many days like this since I moved here in 1997.

I've been recording lots of low temperatures around 2-3C. Daily highs are also well below normal for this time of the year. We did have one day (about two days ago) where the high temperature reached 23.5C -- and that's normal.

Yes, I still believe our Archontophoenix is not cunninghamiana, at least from the photos I saw of it.

Walt

[Rafael]

Does your opinion remain after checking this topic http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=21044&st=0&p=351481&hl=cunninghamiana&fromsearch=1&#entry351481?

[sick1166]

wish just 1 of mine had any green on them mine looks like yours minus the 1 green leaf

[Walt]

Does your opinion remain after checking this topic http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=21044&st=0&p=351481&hl=cunninghamiana&fromsearch=1&#entry351481?

The photo of the crownshaft in entry #18 of the link you furnished looks more like alexandrae than cunninghamiana to me. But I may be fooled.

The crownshafts on my cunninghamiana are not as glossy, plus they don't as fully envelop the shaft like alexandrae does. On mine the crown shafts are more split and open on one side.

In any event, from my experience, cunninghamiana aren't all that much more cold/frost hardy with respect to the leaves getting damaged.

Lastly, I recall seeing at some website that cunninghamiana has three forms. Some are more erect, some more lax and limp, some just smaller. Maybe that's what's influencing my opinion. To me, you palm looks more akin to what my alexandrae palms look like. But one thing is for sure, my alexandrae palms have the more silverish sheen on the leaflet undersides (before the freezes, of course), whereas my cunninghamianas do not.

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

Walt, clearly that one frond is somehow different. If it had some degree of damage or the other leaves had some degree of green then it might be easy to just cast it off as "one of those things". Here's a couple of ideas that have no facts to back them up, as far as I know, but I will mention them so that others can observe their damage and maybe put two and two together so that eventually this can be figured out. It is known that the Cycas species of cycads (and maybe other cycads) will brown their leaves after a good freeze if the sun hits those leaves before the temps get much above freezing. Could that have happened in your case? The leaf is on the right side for it to have been shaded by the damaged leaves. Another idea is that there are tree growers out there that swear by replanting, a dug tree, with it's north side facing north again. In other words, mark true north on the tree before it is dug and then make sure that side faces true north when re-planted. When I heard this I had to wonder.... do plant cells actually develope different characteristics according to what side of the plant they are on? Maybe northerly facing cells have a tendancy for more cold hardiness. This is a stretch but who really knows?

[Walt]

Walt, clearly that one frond is somehow different. If it had some degree of damage or the other leaves had some degree of green then it might be easy to just cast it off as "one of those things". Here's a couple of ideas that have no facts to back them up, as far as I know, but I will mention them so that others can observe their damage and maybe put two and two together so that eventually this can be figured out. It is known that the Cycas species of cycads (and maybe other cycads) will brown their leaves after a good freeze if the sun hits those leaves before the temps get much above freezing. Could that have happened in your case? The leaf is on the right side for it to have been shaded by the damaged leaves. Another idea is that there are tree growers out there that swear by replanting, a dug tree, with it's north side facing north again. In other words, mark true north on the tree before it is dug and then make sure that side faces true north when re-planted. When I heard this I had to wonder.... do plant cells actually develope different characteristics according to what side of the plant they are on? Maybe northerly facing cells have a tendancy for more cold hardiness. This is a stretch but who really knows?

Jeff: Speaking of cycads, oft times my queen sago palms (I have five of them) exhibit similar green fronds (while others are totally browned) as my African oil palm.

While the queen sago in the below photo is somewhat indicative to this, I've had cases during past winter freezes where every frond on the plant was totaly fried except one -- and all had the identical exposure to the elements.

[bubba]

This is an African Oil I planted at the back of my property as a small. It is a rumbler and seems to grow like a mad man thru all conditions: