Colombian Foxtail - Syagrus sancona

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

I'm currently in Medellin and these beautiful palms are planted everywhere in front of malls and businesses.

[brodklop]

They look good planted in groups.

[Really full garden]

They are beautiful! I have a few growing at my beach place.They are just forming a trunk, I cannot wait for them to look like the ones you photographed.

[TropiPalmGuy]

I purchased 3 small packs of these from RPS and the first one has sprouted 4 weeks later. I can't wait to see how they progress. Great photos Jeff!

[edric]

Very nice Jeff, just the thing for south central Florida, Ed

[DoomsDave]

wow!

I have two in the ground, and some baby ones in pots.

They look like they'd rock at the beach here, or even up in SF.

More more more!

[palmislandRandy]

Thanks for the pics, Jeff. At first glance they really do look like Foxtails.

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Thanks guys. I think I like these even better than Wodyetia.

[Mandrew968]

Thanks guys. I think I like these even better than Wodyetia.

Me too--I need to plant a few of these.

[Halekuma]

Looks like you are enjoying "El poblado"... I remember to see nice palms in some malls there like "El tesoro"...

Dont forget to visit "el parque lleras" if looking for palms landscapes!!

My wife is paisa too (from medellin) and we love to spend holydays there... cheap life cost and beautiful weather all year around (like 22-30C/day and 18-22C/night), sadly we only get like 1 month of holidays per year if any...

[grant b.]

The botanical gardens in Medellin are beautiful. They are located right off of one of the train stations and its free admission. Definitely worth checking out.

[edric]

They are beautiful! I have a few growing at my beach place.They are just forming a trunk, I cannot wait for them to look like the ones you photographed.

Hi Scott, could you please post some photos of yours, thanks, Ed

[Really full garden]

Ed, I will be going to the beach this weekend.I will post some photos.

[PalmatierMeg]

Beautiful palms. I was thinking of looking for one then saw they get 100 ft tall. And I thought, "Lightning rod." Then again, when mine gets 100 ft tall I probably won't be around for the fireworks.

[DoomsDave]

Beautiful palms. I was thinking of looking for one then saw they get 100 ft tall. And I thought, "Lightning rod." Then again, when mine gets 100 ft tall I probably won't be around for the fireworks.

Plant one anyway. You and the palm might both get lucky!

[DoomsDave]

Here are mine:

This one's in the front yard, and about 7 feet tall overall. Just getting started.

And, in the backyard. Much shorter, but thicker in the trunk.

[humangenomaproject]

You are in Columbia Jeff? Man I'm effin' jealous dude!!!! Please bring back some cool seeds for your buddy Jason here in Uvita, Costa Rica. I was going to get a S. Sancona from JM but it looks like you have this species taken care of. You are missing a freakishly dry rainy season here.

[Walt]

Very impressive palms, Jeff. Seeing them has inspired me to get one (another one). I had one some years ago and lost it to a disease. Those S. sancona in your photos are the tallest ones I've ever seen in person or in a photo.

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

A few more photos taken today in Medellin

[Xerarch]

Looks like you are enjoying "El poblado"... I remember to see nice palms in some malls there like "El tesoro"...

Dont forget to visit "el parque lleras" if looking for palms landscapes!!

My wife is paisa too (from medellin) and we love to spend holydays there... cheap life cost and beautiful weather all year around (like 22-30C/day and 18-22C/night), sadly we only get like 1 month of holidays per year if any...

"Only" 1 month lol. If only I had 1 month of vacation.

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

You are in Columbia Jeff? Man I'm effin' jealous dude!!!! Please bring back some cool seeds for your buddy Jason here in Uvita, Costa Rica. I was going to get a S. Sancona from JM but it looks like you have this species taken care of. You are missing a freakishly dry rainy season here.

Jason, I'm definitely here at the wrong time of year for seeds. The only palms with seeds right now are Archontophoenix cunninghamiana which are planted all over Medellin. There are three lining the driveway at my hotel and I can get seeds if you want them. None of the S. sancona have seeds right now nor do any of the Ceroxylon quindiuense. I managed to find 3 Parajubaea cocoides seeds, but that's about it so far.

[TikiRick]

Beautiful palm Jeff! One of my favorite Syagrus....see you next week!

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Very impressive palms, Jeff. Seeing them has inspired me to get one (another one). I had one some years ago and lost it to a disease. Those S. sancona in your photos are the tallest ones I've ever seen in person or in a photo.

Walt, they look great in groupings. Why not try three of them?

I've seen some really tall ones around the city but unfortunately I was in a taxi at the time and couldn't get pics. In my opinion, the taller they get, the more attractive they are.

[Really full garden]

This is my Syagrus sancona at the beach.I have three growing about 200 meters from the ocean.Very rarely do they exhibit any salt burn.They are all going on nine years from seed.They were slow to take off,but now seem much faster.I imagine their root system has now tapped into the ground water that is just 4 meters down.

This is a double

Another , a single.This has 1.5 meters of clear trunk

I had some difficulty sizing these photos to post

[edric]

This is my Syagrus sancona at the beach.I have three growing about 200 meters from the ocean.Very rarely do they exhibit any salt burn.They are all going on nine years from seed.They were slow to take off,but now seem much faster.I imagine their root system has now tapped into the ground water that is just 4 meters down.

This is a double

Another , a single.This has 1.5 meters of clear trunk

I had some difficulty sizing these photos to post

HI Scott, that single looks great, is the double from two seeds? thanks Ed

[Mark Heath]

I wish i could post a pic of mine but w/ the new format i have'nt figured out yet.

[Really full garden]

Ed, the double sancona is two plants planted in the same hole. I wanted some drama in my garden.

[edric]

Ed, the double sancona is two plants planted in the same hole. I wanted some drama in my garden.

Thanks Scott, your photo has been included in Palmpedia, Ed

[kylecawazafla]

Beautiful photos!

[Mark Heath]

Here is mine. One of my favorite. .

[Jastin]

Wow Mark, beautiful! Is the date on photo correct?

[tikitiki]

A nursery in Mt Dora had a dzen of these a few years ago. I went back to buy one and they were all gone. They had several foot of wood.

[Mark Heath]

Wow Mark, beautiful! Is the date on photo correct?

Hey Jastin,, I wish it was!! I took the pic a cpl of days ago. I really need to set the proper date again on my camera.

[Alicehunter2000]

Anybody ever try and produce a Mule out of these?

Butia odorata x Syagrus sancona

[Alicehunter2000]

I guess calling Mark might be prudent since he is a hybridizer and owner of this species. Be cool to have a cold hardy Foxtail substitute.

[Capnrey]

oo la la . . . I'll take one! or two.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I wonder why there are practically no syagrus sancona in California. I guess the answer might be that it's actually not at all a highland Andean palm, because it occurs naturally only from sea level in the Amazon basin all the way to maybe 1500m tops and it thrives in Florida. I had some seedlings, and they didn't even make it through the Winter. You see them in the Andes up to elevations where cuban royals and even some cocos nucifera still grow.

You almost never see them at nurseries in California. The only one in California I've ever seen is Jim Denz', and that one doesn't seem to have the foxtail leaves, it looks like a queen with a much more interesting trunk.

[Cedric]

I've just recieved an urgent picture and message from my partners mobile phone (see bellow) of some palms growing At the Jardim Botanico in Sao Paulo SP. They are on a biusness trip and did a look see just for me. Is there maybe Sancona in here? The leaflets look fluffier and fuller but narrower here so Im not sure, the label apparently had weathered to blank like most in Botanix. Or is this something else? Anyway Im getting a large zip lock full of seeds too.

I dunno the leaflets just look fuller more plumose to me than a S .romanzoffiana but not as sparse as Sancona though the leaflets are quite narrow. I dont know these Syagarus very well there is only one romanzoffiana in the whole country and it looks nothing like this, horrible miserable thing doesnt seem to love our humidity etc. The ones I knew from Africa at a high altitude had very wide long flat strap leaflets and weren't very plumose more like a Roystonia regia.

Anyway these look nice enough for a baggie of free seed, foxtail on steroids.

[DavidLee]

Here is one I taken a couple days in Cali, Colombia. They are so gorgeous.