Syagrus Hardiness

[Mandrew968]

Syagrus Romanzoffiana is hardy to zone 9--maybe zone 8b. Syagrus Amara is quite tender to the cold, from what I've heard. But what about some of the others? Sancona, Schizophylla, Coronata, too many to list! Also, I know there are many of you who have obscure specimens, not well known to cultivation. Please talk about those gems! thanks.

[gyuseppe]

syagrus romanzoffiana very hardy,but Syagrus Amara and Sancona dead to 28.4F

[Eric in Orlando]

So far the most tender I have grown are S. vermicularis, at least young specimens. They have been killed out the last 2 winters while other tender species (amara,sancona, pseudococos, stenopetala, etc) have survived.

[Eric in Orlando]

So far the most tender I have grown are S. vermicularis, at least young specimens. They have been killed out the last 2 winters while other tender species (amara,sancona, pseudococos, stenopetala, etc) have survived.

[Mandrew968]

Anyone growing Schizophylla up north?

[Kailua_Krish]

Anyone growing Schizophylla up north?

Even the hybrids with romanzoffiana have proven to be much too cold sensitive for north central Florida. I have one Schizophylla growing indoors (it does really well as an indoor plant) that I hope to cross with Butia one day.

-Krishna

[AggiePalms]

This is the third year out of the last decade that we have lost most romanzoffiana in this area. In new Zone 9a on the islands where I live, most dead. Inland, Zone 8b, even worse; virtually none survived, and certainly none are healthy. My big romanzoffiana has barely survived the last two winters and another winter a few years ago; the only one I know that survived all three. However, my Uruguayan seed romanzoffiana has 10 ft trunk and almost no damage. There will be lots of people replanting this summer from the big box stores. Sorry, folks, you still can't grow those here long term without extra help. No Syagrus sp. hardy here; lots visible in the summer but bad winters...no way most survive.

[MattyB]

My S. sancona (might possibly be S. pseudococos) gets leaf burn when it gets down into the low 40's. For a Syagrus it's a wimp. I'm not sure I'll keep it. If you're a Syagrus, you better look perfect!

[Kailua_Krish]

This is the third year out of the last decade that we have lost most romanzoffiana in this area. In new Zone 9a on the islands where I live, most dead. Inland, Zone 8b, even worse; virtually none survived, and certainly none are healthy. My big romanzoffiana has barely survived the last two winters and another winter a few years ago; the only one I know that survived all three. However, my Uruguayan seed romanzoffiana has 10 ft trunk and almost no damage. There will be lots of people replanting this summer from the big box stores. Sorry, folks, you still can't grow those here long term without extra help. No Syagrus sp. hardy here; lots visible in the summer but bad winters...no way most survive.

Thats interesting because Im in at transitional 8b-9a zone and most of our larger queens are fine here. Defoliated, but fine.

-Krishna

[Mike Evans]

So far the most tender I have grown are S. vermicularis, at least young specimens. They have been killed out the last 2 winters while other tender species (amara,sancona, pseudococos, stenopetala, etc) have survived.

Eric, I agree w/ you on the S. vermicularis. I have ~ 25 in 3 gal containers, & approx half are dead from the last 2 winters. I have lots of Coronata, & Schizophylla in the ground & do well. Most have a bit on canopy over them. The 3 gal S. botryophora did very well the last 2 winters & the larger ones in the ground did well. These are the most beautiful Syagrus. I got down to ~ 27F last winter.

[basilios]

I think s. picrophylla is reasonably hardy. I used to have a small one and it did very well for a couple of winters here. So it certainly has a lot of cool weather tolerance.

[Jim in Los Altos]

S. Sancona does well for me up here in Nor Cal. It's been through several freezes as low as 26F and sustained just some spotting and tip burn those winters. It's fairly robust now that it has trunk.

[richnorm]

oleracea seems tougher than sancona in our conditions. As one old timer put it, the ones that look likes queens are the hardy ones!

[Miccles]

Anyone have practical experience with Syagrus coronata ? Mine is about a foot high, and takes 35F as a minimum, but the winters are drawn out with cool days.

The palm is a similar colour to a L.chinensis, and in good health, but S-L-O-W. One leaf every 12 months.

Regards

Michael.

[DoomsDave]

Hmmm,

I've found that most Syagrus are tender, except for queens.

S. shizophylla suffered serious damage at 27 F for four nights in the infamous 2007 freeze.

Sancona, botryophora, also tender.

Have to look at the rest.

[iwan]

I have been testing Syagrus picrophylla for the last two winters and while it holds some promise for hardiness it is easily damaged. It was planted in sping 09 from 5g and was protected with rope lights and overhead canopy during the winter of 09. It was pretty much defoliated with a low of 23F, but recovered. This winter it was covered with frost cloth and had had rope lights for supplemental heat on our two coldest nights (~25-28F), but the palm probably never saw below 30F and no frost. It has some spotting. Phoenix reclinata under the same frost cloth had no damage. Damage to a nearby Syagrus Oleracea with no overhead canopy was minimal and similar to healthy, established, juvenile queens. I did have rope lights on the trunk during the freeze, but there was minimal to no foliar damage (~15' overall). I am pretty impressed so far with S. oleracea for my location. Looks hardier than Parajubaea torallyi var torallyi and definitely Beccariophoenix alfredii.

I think s. picrophylla is reasonably hardy. I used to have a small one and it did very well for a couple of winters here. So it certainly has a lot of cool weather tolerance.

[basilios]

Wow, 23F is very cold...an 9a freeze indeed. Can't really say that a tropical palm is not hardy if it defoliates (but survives)with that temperature. So, maybe not the hardiest, but not wimpy either.

[Charles Wychgel]

So far the most tender I have grown are S. vermicularis, at least young specimens. They have been killed out the last 2 winters while other tender species (amara,sancona, pseudococos, stenopetala, etc) have survived.

Just ordered S.vermicularis after seeing it growing well,flowering and fruiting in the Canary Islands so now I'm getting worried especially after reading that it grows in "transitional forests to tropical humid forest"(Lorenzi et al) ... what temps did you have Eric and how long did the lows last?

Another newly described one: S.lorenzoniorum survived one winter in the ground as a seedling but growth has come to a standstill

[edbrown_III]

I have tried a bunch of them onver the years.

S. coronata I lost last winter. Hybrid with Butia is cold hardy tho.

S. glauscens was lost the first time I tested it. ( light freeze around 25F)

S schizophylla is not cold tolerant here in Jax.

S. x costae might be a candidate.

I left a S. yungensis out here it survived last year. 2 weeks of freezes and a low of 21F or so..No leaf blemishes like the queens -- I didnt have it in the open just in my woods.

It was under heavy canaopy but nonetheless survived. This slow growing Syagrus might be a close second to the queen.

Best regards

Ed

[gilles06]

This is the third year out of the last decade that we have lost most romanzoffiana in this area. In new Zone 9a on the islands where I live, most dead. Inland, Zone 8b, even worse; virtually none survived, and certainly none are healthy. My big romanzoffiana has barely survived the last two winters and another winter a few years ago; the only one I know that survived all three. However, my Uruguayan seed romanzoffiana has 10 ft trunk and almost no damage. There will be lots of people replanting this summer from the big box stores. Sorry, folks, you still can't grow those here long term without extra help. No Syagrus sp. hardy here; lots visible in the summer but bad winters...no way most survive.

You mean uruguayan syagrus are more cold hardy? From where exactly the seeds comme from?

And how far south syagrus do grow naturally in Argentina and or Uruguay?

I think Señor Pindo could answer.

Salut.

[sarasota alex]

Just left Houston today. Most queens are dead after the ice storm in February. All defoliated. And that's in 9a.

[iwan]

I am not saying it survived 23F, since it was protected, but I can't claim what temperature it actually experienced. The fact that it spots at somewhere in the 30-32F range, with no frost does not look promising for long term survival here. Time will tell as it matures.

Wow, 23F is very cold...an 9a freeze indeed. Can't really say that a tropical palm is not hardy if it defoliates (but survives)with that temperature. So, maybe not the hardiest, but not wimpy either.

[iwan]

My butiagrus coronata looks great also. Hopefully it will have some coronata features as it matures.

Hybrid with Butia is cold hardy tho.

[palm tree man]

I have been growing butia since I was in high school when Kurt Cobain and Pearl Jam ruled the air waves.and I can tell you that in the south there are few palms that are tougher. I have transplanted over a dozen adult palms ranging in age from forty to eighty years old and never lost one of any size; surprisingly the only tropical that can compete with that is Cyas Revoluta. Once I moved seven palmettos from a church parking lot and I lost three do to transplant shock, but I have never lost one butia. Anything mixed with a butia will be much tougher, but I have also grown mule palms for many years and can tell you that they are not all equal. Just like Syagrus Romanzoffiana some butia x syagrus are not as hardy as others. Syagrus R comes from a wide area in South American and I honestly believe that we have gotten allot of the less hardy genes of more tropical origin in cultivation. I have had a Ravenea Rivularis look great with out a scratch and had a Syagrus Romanzoffiana with tip burn. It was a huge shocker but what was worse is there were three R. Rivularis and they all looked the same. To be fare I did have some smaller Romanzoffiana next to it in the same soil and conditions look nearly perfect. To me this just proves that some are better than others and that Syagrus Litorialis "silver queen" or santa catar..etc. There are better queens out there they are almost as tough as butia. We just don't have them separated in the nursery trade. All this being said, has anyone had experience with a syagrus that was as hardy as a queen on a good day, because some queens can't even hang with kings as far as cold hardieness is concerned. This sounds really horrible but I would use natural selection when growing palms from seed at times. Give them just enough and then see which were the strongest and those would go in the ground.

[Perito]

The latest issue of the 'Palm Journal' from the Palm Society of Southern California is devoted to various species of Syagrus.

A surprising number of species are listed (more than 50) and many of them from higher elevations. I'm sure that most would not

take much chill as seedlings, but once they get a little size they'd be much more tolerant. Anyway, well worth reading this issue.

[palm tree man]

Thank you Perito I will most certainly read the issue. You have been very encouraging for me and other growers searching for a frost and cold tolerant syagrus that is more reliable than the common syagrus r. Thank you again.

Daniel

[Perito]

Daniel, I can't take any credit since I didn't write the articles in the Journal. I am trying a few unusual species, but they are all too small to put to the 'freeze test'. I have a Syagrus coronata up to 15 gallon size that seems pretty tough so far, and S.coronata x picrophylla F1 that have been outside this Winter under canopy with no damage. No snow and ice here though.

[Sutter Bob]

Queens sure thrive here. My sole mule is starting to take off.

Hard to imagine that there wouldn't be at least one other species in the Syagrus genus that could make it in the Sacramento valley.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I grow S.coronata x picrophylla F1, coconut queen, cocoides, botryophora, coronata, picrophylla, shisophylla, kellyana, and sancona. Sancona is the only one that hates my climate. The rest are doing surprisingly well when it comes to overall Winter chill tolerance. but everything is experimental. Most promising ones are the hybrids, both hybrids I have are vigorous and fast.

I blame Perito for some of these syagrus that he generously unloaded on me. I really am glad I got talked into the The S.coronata x picrophylla F1, that thing has the most fabulous blue-green leaf. Took only 6 months from planting to get the first divided leaf.

I also grow both Pogobob's syagrus abreojos from Mexico and a cararina queen. The abreojos is a basic queen speed wise, but the catarina is distinctively faster.

[Sutter Bob]

Thanks for the info Axel.

From Robert in Madera's post 16 above I should consider oleracea too.

[palm tree man]

Axel I have a Kellyana, but have not been brave enough to plant it yet. How tough has it proven to be for you? I know it is closely related to picrophylla and that it can take some cold. The internet is really lacking for info on Kellyana aside from taxonomy and what is on RPS.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Axel I have a Kellyana, but have not been brave enough to plant it yet. How tough has it proven to be for you? I know it is closely related to picrophylla and that it can take some cold. The internet is really lacking for info on Kellyana aside from taxonomy and what is on RPS.

Well, I know it can take 32F so far. I'm confident it will do well in our sunset zone 16 climate.

[palm tree man]

I might plant mine out this year in a protected area. It has been exposed to 28 degrees in a pot and didn't flinch. Where I am 27 to 28 is a major cold event, so protected it might stand a chance in 9a. I am not going to recommend everyone to try this however it is still fairly rare and no one knows much about it. If it starts to look bad, it will go back in the greenhouse. Thank you Axel; have a nice weekend man.

[palm tree man]

Has anyone tried syagrus x matafome? Does it show good cold tolerance?

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I might plant mine out this year in a protected area. It has been exposed to 28 degrees in a pot and didn't flinch. Where I am 27 to 28 is a major cold event, so protected it might stand a chance in 9a. I am not going to recommend everyone to try this however it is still fairly rare and no one knows much about it. If it starts to look bad, it will go back in the greenhouse. Thank you Axel; have a nice weekend man.

Well then you must have found a nice USDA 10a spot there in Georgia. 27F is not unusual in our 9b zones in California. You should therefore be able to grow what they grow in the lower central part of Florida.

[Jim in Los Altos]

Has anyone tried syagrus x matafome? Does it show good cold tolerance?

I have a young metaforme that spent five years in a three gallon pot before going in the ground last summer. It has never shown any winter stress and perked up considerably soon after being put in the ground.

[BlufftonSC]

We have a seed raised silver form from a San Diego seed source. It has 17 feet of trunk with leaves shooting up to 25'. This winter will be a real test. After one night of 20 degrees and no frost, it was pretty burned. Then we had ice for a day at 29 degrees. I'm holding out hope. I think I see a little green at the base of a frond that will be the next to emerge. Generally, this palm does better than our W. robustas.

[palm tree man]

I would have to agree with you about Washingtonia Robusta; it recovers very quickly and is widely planted and honestly I just like them. They are super easy to grow from seed and really very little problem at all. Like you though I have found that most Australian Livistona tend to withstand our cold events better and some syagrus as well. W. Robusta is just widespread and recovers very quickly which has always made any damage to it more acceptable to many. The dead leaves form a skirt and add character to it in fact. I might try matafome; it is coronata x vagans after all and both parents handle some cold Cool thread.

[Alicehunter2000]

Just hoping my two large Fishbranch queens are the cold hardy variety. ...no spear pull yet....complete defoliation.

[BlufftonSC]

We have a yard full of fried W. robustas but the 10 year old, 28' tall W. filabusta looks as good as it did in September. Nothing shakes that thing... frost, ice, snow... it's always green.