Texas palms

[NBTX11]

This is a sampling of what you will see in my area of TX. This is very common. I live 15-20 min NE of San Antonio.

Livistonas

W. Robusta

[NBTX11]

Filifera

Queens

[NBTX11]

Phx Dacty

Phx Canary

Sabal

Anoter Robusta

[Xenon]

Finally a thread about Texas.. Is Sabal mexicana more common then Sabal palmetto in San Antonio? Most of the Sabals in Houston tend to S. palmetto. Hard to find pure W. filfera too...

Cool pics!

Jonathan

Edited December 19, 2010 by Xenon

[NBTX11]

There are a lot of Sabal Mexicana's around here. I can't say for sure which is more common, they are both planted, but there are definitely a lot of Mexicanas!!!

[iamjv]

Jim nice shots.... amazing that sabal is doing so well with growing out of the parking lot! Jv

[QUINNPALMS]

tks for sharing

[Erik]

Jim,

very nice!

Any jobs there? If so, I'll move!

[NBTX11]

Jim,

very nice!

Any jobs there? If so, I'll move!

The economy is better here than almost anywhere else. Make that drive down I-35.

[Matt N- Dallas]

Nice pics Jim. I always like to see phoenix shots.

[Erik]

Jim,

good to here. The wife and I will be looking in a few years. I don't mind making the heated palm huts, but just think what I could grow that way in the greater San Antonio area! --Erik

[war_eagle]

I would add B. capitata and P. roebelenii to the ones mentioned above as commonly seen palms here in Houston. I took several pictures this afternoon at the Houston zoo to show some things that are possible here with an incredible microclimate. The zoo is centrally located and definitely benefits greatly from the heat island effect. It is also covered in enormous 50-100+ year old live oaks that give wonderful cover for many tender palms and plants. Along with palms the zoo is landscaped with many other tropicals like gingers, heliconias, bananas, bromeliads, crinums, plumeria, bamboo, and many more. It's a wonderful place to spend sunny 65 degree days like today. Oh yeah, the animals are great too.

A. arenaria

A. cunninghamiana

A. engleri

Archontophoenix?

B. armata

[war_eagle]

B. capitata (very silver, almost white)

B. nobilis

Butiagrus

Another Butiagrus

C. alba

[war_eagle]

Tall C. alba

C. humilis var cerifera

C. plumosa

D. lastelliana

L. decora

[war_eagle]

Clumping Phoenix sp?

P. sylvestris

R. excelsa

S. palmetto (there are hundreds of Sabals, primarily palmetto and mexicana, anywhere from single leaf seedlings to 40+ footers)

S. reopens

[war_eagle]

T. acanthocoma (with seeds)

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the palms at the zoo. I just quickly snapped a few pictures with my cell phone as I was walking around the zoo with my wife and 1 year daughter. I plan to take a decent camera with me one of these days and do a better job of representing the great landscaping there at the zoo.

[Xenon]

Great pics war_eagle! Never bothered to look for palms whenever I went there a few years ago..

Jonathan

[Patricia-CR]

Wow, lovely palms, all of 'em. Great photos.

[Erik]

War Eagle,

thanks for sharing. Zoo Horticulture is a neat field. They have their own organization and meet to share ideas. I consult with the head horticulturist at the Tulsa Zoo on my garden ideas. As a long-time zoo donor and volunteer, I even get free surplus plants. An idea we all might want to consider.

[war_eagle]

I never paid any attention to the palms or plants at the zoo when I was younger. We got a membership this year and started regularly taking our daughter when she was just a few months old. She loves seeing all the animals. I quickly realized that it is covered with palms and other tropicals. Now I spend far more time looking at them than at the animals. A few random seeds have even managed to find their way into my pocket

[war_eagle]

Erik,

I was just talking to my wife about trying to see if our zoo has some kind of plant sale or give away. We were drooling over some of the wonderful bromeliads today, thinking it would be great if we could get some of their pups. I will definitely contact the zoo horticulturist. I never thought about it until you said something, but they would be an invaluable resource for palm/tropicals enthusiasts.

[Xenon]

Any idea if that D. lastelliana survived last winter?

thanks

Jonathan

[war_eagle]

I believe the D. lastelliana did survive last winter. I first noticed it in April or May and it was only holding one or two scrawny fronds. It looked like it had been defoliated and had just started recovering. It's looking much better now. I have what I believe is a D. lastelliana X D. decaryii that survived last winter, but that was with the aid of xmas lights, a blanket, and a tarp. I'm sure the zoo stayed much warmer than my yard did last year, but I may not have to worry quite as much about protecting it from now on.

I forgot to add this one. I've never heard of it before. It was labeled Guihaia grossefibrosa (Guangxi palm).

[Really full garden]

I actually planted some of the large Sabals and Butias when I worked at the Houston Zoo.They were moved from the old Busch Gardens in the late 70s.

[Sutter Bob]

Looks like a very similar growing environment to the northern Sacramento valley.

[monkeyranch]

Hello Sutter Bob from up the hill in Rough and Ready. Nice to see another local member. Not to go too far off topic but the Yuba City public works department is killing the Brahea armatas at Bridge st./Plumas st. near the water tower. They keep over-pruning the leaves leading to a fungal infection. One large one (+80 years old) already died and was removed. A second is declining fast after being butchered to a quarter of its crown. The third one looks healthy but there is a palm killer on the loose. I stopped into the city hall and discussed the matter with a worker but the city is kinda po-dunk backwards and I doubt the message will reach the right person. If you get a chance drop in and try to remind them again. Maybe with persistent nagging we can get them to ease up. Tragic watching them kill them off one at a time by pruning them like Washingtonia robustas. Despite the huge inflorescences, they didn't even know these palms were different species. Only completely brown and dead leaves should be cut especially with our damp, cool winters. Those palms have been there a couple of generations and some %@#$@$!! kills em in an afternoon. On a good note have you visited Renaissance Winery in Oregon House to see the Jubaeas? Incredible. Also a lot of the local Sikh farmers are into palms. Have you seen this property at the corner of Walton and Barry? My link Check out the lions on the gate. Anyhow, I'm trying to get more interesting palms into our area. Lets hope for the best.

Edited December 20, 2010 by monkeyranch

[NBTX11]

More from today. This is very typical around any neighborhood.

[NBTX11]

[Xenon]

Found 4 coconut palms(and 11 beefy Royals) on one property today in Brownsville, Texas!

Cocos in Tex(Google Maps)

Coconut in Port Isabel with almost 15 feet of clear trunk

Cocos in Tex2(Google Maps)

15 Big Royals lining a driveway in Brownsville

Royals in Tex(Google Maps)

More cocos in Texas..

A pair on SPI

Another on SPI

More...

Cocos in Tex3

Cocos in Tex4

Fruiting coconut from last summer on SPI with me for scale, notice the lack of burn...

Jonathan

Edited December 23, 2010 by Xenon

[jimbiz]

Nice pictures!

Jonathan, the next time you drive in to Brownsville on 77, look at the La Quinta on the left. The parking lot is lined with Royals.

Also, there is a 30' coconut growing at a motel in Brownsville somewhere - the tallest coconut I have seen yet in Texas.

[Xenon]

Nice pictures!

Jonathan, the next time you drive in to Brownsville on 77, look at the La Quinta on the left. The parking lot is lined with Royals.

Also, there is a 30' coconut growing at a motel in Brownsville somewhere - the tallest coconut I have seen yet in Texas.

I've seen that "motel coconut" pop up a few different times....would you happen know where in town the motel is? Just an approximate location would be ok. I found royal palms to be quite common down there, probably the 4th most common palm.

Thanks,

Jonathan

Edited December 23, 2010 by Xenon

[Xenon]

Found this really nice picture of Royals in Brownsville today on another forum,...

Hope the author doesn't mind the exposure...(Source)

[Kumar]

Found 4 coconut palms(and 11 beefy Royals) on one property today in Brownsville, Texas!

Cocos in Tex(Google Maps)

Coconut in Port Isabel with almost 15 feet of clear trunk

Cocos in Tex2(Google Maps)

15 Big Royals lining a driveway in Brownsville

Royals in Tex(Google Maps)

More cocos in Texas..

A pair on SPI

Another on SPI

More...

Cocos in Tex3

Cocos in Tex4

Fruiting coconut from last summer on SPI with me for scale, notice the lack of burn...

Jonathan

Is that a Latania beside you Jonathan ?

[Xenon]

Found 4 coconut palms(and 11 beefy Royals) on one property today in Brownsville, Texas!

Cocos in Tex(Google Maps)

Coconut in Port Isabel with almost 15 feet of clear trunk

Cocos in Tex2(Google Maps)

15 Big Royals lining a driveway in Brownsville

Royals in Tex(Google Maps)

More cocos in Texas..

A pair on SPI

Another on SPI

More...

Cocos in Tex3

Cocos in Tex4

Fruiting coconut from last summer on SPI with me for scale, notice the lack of burn...

Jonathan

Is that a Latania beside you Jonathan ?

I think it's a Thrinax radiata..

Jonathan

[palmcurry]

Thanks for the photos!

[oliver]

Kumar asked for Latania - well ask and you shall receive. Had a little time on my hands today and took some pics of some of my favorites which are not commonly seen in Texas (they don't show up in google maps)Here is a red and yellow latan.

[oliver]

How about Acrocomia and Beccariophoenix plus a mystery Coccothrinax

[oliver]

Spindle and Dypsis lastelliana

[oliver]

Foxtail and Areca vestiaria

[oliver]

Believe it or not Clinostigma on the left (has survived low 30's) and Carpoxylon on the right followed by d slighly hurricane damaged coconut (but seems to be doing well)