Socratea salazarii

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

I see S. salazarii available at a certain upcoming sale. I can't find much info on this palm other than it is somewhat smaller than the other Socratea, but with larger fruit. I saw one source listing this as a Zone 10a palm. Can it be a Florida hardy stilt root palm?

[MASOALA JASON]

Here is a mature specimen of S. salazarii at the botanical garden in Havana

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Bump. Anybody?

[Pedro 65]

I see S. salazarii available at a certain upcoming sale. I can't find much info on this palm other than it is somewhat smaller than the other Socratea, but with larger fruit. I saw one source listing this as a Zone 10a palm. Can it be a Florida hardy stilt root palm?

Jerry, how do other Socrateas do in the warmer Southern Florida? ( i assume your from the sth) exorrhiza and salazarii live at lower elevation to other Socrateas but it 'amazes me' what does and doesnt grow in Florida, it really does....Nothing like "trying' though is there, the only Socratea survivor so far here is Rostrata...but..im trying again with exorrhiza and for the 1st time i get to trial heconandra which also lives at the same elevation..Have a go Jerry, best of luck and wish me luck too. Pete

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Thanks Pedro,

All of the Socratea grow well here until that one frost or freeze event every ten or twenty years. Unfortunately, we have had two events in the last four years. I will try again I guess.

Good luck on yours.

[sarasota alex]

Bumping this with a question...

Palmpedia says: "Socratea need full sun to partial shade"

Could anyone confirm the full sun part?

I would love to plant mine in the front yard if it can take it.

[realarch]

Well, for what it's worth..........my socratea was in full sun from a very young age but seemed to have some problems developing it's stilt roots to a point where they would reach the ground and take root. A few actually did, but most would atrophy at the tip and stop developing in mid air. I had somewhat better success wrapping the root cone in shade cloth, more roots did make it to the soil, but of course, that was not an attractive look. As a result the palm wasn't that well rooted and I always worried about it in stormy weather, even using guy wires to stabilize it. I loved the palm, but honestly, it was a pain in the ass. The hurricane last year took it out which was a good thing bad thing scenario. It was getting huge too, must have been 25 feet tall.

I have offspring from seed, but haven't decided if I want to plant any more.

I will say however, it was by far the most unusual palm in the garden and the one that got the most comments.

I'll post a pic of the deceased later on.

Tim

[sarasota alex]

Thanks for the info Tim!

[Moose]

If I recall correctly from the Costa Rica Biennel, Socratea is an emergent palm that remains pretty shaded for a long time. Seems they would need heavy shade when they are little guys, mimicking their natural habitat on the rain forest floor. Probably would not be a bad idea to add a bunch of leaf litter around those stilt roots.

Just my opinion ...

[KrisKupsch]

I grow Pandanus...and to encourage aerial roots I fill up 90mm stormwater pipe with peat/soil/media and attach one end to the ground and the other to the growing stilt root. Overtime the stilt root grows down the pipe into the ground regardless of air humidity. I cut slits into the pipe to assist its removal. I have started growing Socratea and could do the same because their roots can be quite wayward and in need of direction straight down into the soil.

[Moose]

I grow Pandanus...and to encourage aerial roots I fill up 90mm stormwater pipe with peat/soil/media and attach one end to the ground and the other to the growing stilt root. Overtime the stilt root grows down the pipe into the ground regardless of air humidity. I cut slits into the pipe to assist its removal. I have started growing Socratea and could do the same because their roots can be quite wayward and in need of direction straight down into the soil.