Cold Hardy Palm List.

[stevethegator]

Several A. Engleri survived 16F and temps near or below freezing for 36 hours in Gainesville Fl in 2010, albeit with damage

[Tom GA]

There probably should be two lists: one that states a temperature where damage begins, and another that indicates "has been known to survive." This would establish a continuum between mere survival (which can vary from plant to plant) and where the palm looks good.

I've read many, many times where people report that their Windmill palm, for example, looks really bad after a temp of 5F but they follow with a statement like, "But I thought they were hardy to 0." Well, maybe they are, but that doesn't necessarily mean the palm looks good at 0F.

The other thing to keep in mind is that each winter, and each freeze event, is unique. It's hard to make blanket statements about any of it.

[_Keith]

There probably should be two lists: one that states a temperature where damage begins, and another that indicates "has been known to survive." This would establish a continuum between mere survival (which can vary from plant to plant) and where the palm looks good.

I've read many, many times where people report that their Windmill palm, for example, looks really bad after a temp of 5F but they follow with a statement like, "But I thought they were hardy to 0." Well, maybe they are, but that doesn't necessarily mean the palm looks good at 0F.

The other thing to keep in mind is that each winter, and each freeze event, is unique. It's hard to make blanket statements about any of it.

This is a very old list. David (AliceHunter2000) is beginning just such a list as you describe.

[tjwalters]

This is a very old list. David (AliceHunter2000) is beginning just such a list as you describe.

I've been updating it with some of the suggestions here, so some of the text copied here has been changed. Also, please note there are a lot of disclaimers at the top of the (online) list. Those have always been there. I welcome all suggestions that will help to improve it and make it worthwhile.

[_Keith]

This is a very old list. David (AliceHunter2000) is beginning just such a list as you describe.

I've been updating it with some of the suggestions here, so some of the text copied here has been changed. Also, please note there are a lot of disclaimers at the top of the (online) list. Those have always been there. I welcome all suggestions that will help to improve it and make it worthwhile.

Great news. Put up a link to the new list if you have it handy.

[tjwalters]

The list isn't new...it's updated. The link is the same. Feel free to comment, suggest, etc., especially for glaring omissions or errors. I appreciate all the input.

[willials]

The updates are great. I like how you put a qualifier on there about the factors that affect min. temps, etc. It appears much more realistic to me at least now with the updates and that statement. Well done.

[Umbrae]

I thought Copernici alba was burnt up pretty bad at about 25

I have had ice on mine twice and they never missed a beat

[tjwalters]

The updates are great. I like how you put a qualifier on there about the factors that affect min. temps, etc. It appears much more realistic to me at least now with the updates and that statement. Well done.

Thanks. The qualifier has been there since the page was posted (many years ago). I have updated some of the species minimum temperatures recently.

[The7thLegend]

Paurotis Palm 16? I think 20-22 is pushing it.

[sashaeffer]

Livistona chinensis Chinese Fan Palm 12 15F

While they may defoliate, I have some in the ground that get minimal protection and they come back every year. Last fall had many potted palms left out when low hit 9F one night and 12F the next (I was out of town) Various cold hardy(low 20s) left outside. Only a Silver European fan palm came through totally untouched by the cold, but also a potted Chinese Fan Palm that did defoliate, but STILL came back this spring as well as one I had in the ground that though was dead but now looks pretty good in a 3 gallon pot that I keep in a stream to one of my ponds. I did have on Mexican fan palm that came back as well. It was in a 5 gallon bucket buried in the ground for effect and would have typically been pulled up and over wintered in garage but looked toast and was about to throw away but noticed a bit of a spear trying to grow and now that palm resides in a 15 gallon pot and is about 2 1/2 ft tall.

Scott

Omaha, NE

[Explorer]

This is a nice list. Who wants to poke holes in the temperatures listed?

http://www.hardiestpalms.com/ColdHardyPalmList.htm

This list is out in la la land for quite a few species. Probably a lot of wishful thinking on the part of TJ Walters who lives in a cold place, he's a member of PalmTalk, there's no excuse for this list. It does get relatively accurate only towards the bottom with the Chilean wine palm being one of the only accurate rating. Of course some of the ratings could be ok if you said "palm totally trashed at that temp and 10 years later it might resume growth with a 5 out of hundred chance."

Come on TJ, you can do better than that, don't mis-inform the public, it's not honest and it's detrimental to the cause.

I did some edits, ran out of steam, not entirely sure about the exact numbers, but at least I pointed out the horrible mis-information on those that are rated way higher than they are. Trachy martianus is probably the worst one being off by about 20F, it's a 9b palm.

Rhapidophyllum hystrix Needle Palm -20 Under snow cover maybe

Sabal minor Dwarf Palmetto -5? Not a chance, but maybe for a very, very short duration

Trachycarpus takil Kumaon Palm -5 No way, not on this planet, a lie

Serenoa repens Saw Palmetto -5

Trachycarpus wagnerianus Miniature Chusan Palm -3 Totally untrue, not even remotely close, much more tender than that

Trachycarpus fortunei Chusan Palm, Windmill Palm 0 Ironically, this is the hardiest, should be at the top, typically -5F to 0F but record of −17.5 °F in Bulgaria, See Wikipedia

Chamaerops humilis Mediterranean Fan Palm 5 Perhaps a dry 10F

Trachycarpus martianus Khasia Palm 5 No way, never ever will it survive 5F, try 15-20F, starts to show damage at 27F

Sabal etonia Scrub Palmetto 5 Wow, one that's actually right

Sabal palmetto Cabbage Palmetto 7 Safe rating is 10-15F but there are reports even below 7F

Trithrinax campestris Campestre Palm 7 15F

Butia capitata Pindo Palm 8 15F wet, 10F dry

Washingtonia filifera California Fan Palm 8 20F wet, 15F dry

Chamaedorea radicalis (none) 9 Under canopy maybe, but frozen soil will kill it

Trithrinax brasiliensis (none) 9 15F

Brahea armata Blue Hesper Palm 10 15F

Trithrinax acanthocoma Spiny Fibre Palm 10 15F

Livistona australis Australian Fan Palm 10 15F

Livistona chinensis Chinese Fan Palm 12 15F

Livistona decipiens Weeping Cabbage Palm 12 Another correct one

Phoenix dactylifera Date Palm 12

Acrocomia totai Gru Gru Palm 12

Sabal causiarum PuertoRican Hat Palm 14

Sabal blackburuca (none) 14

Arenga engleri Taiwan Arenga Palm 15

Phoenix canariensis Canary Island Date Palm 16

Acoelorraphe wrightii Paurotis Palm 16

Washingtonia robusta Mexican Fan Palm 16

Syagrus romanzoffiana Queen Palm 17

Copernicia alba Silver Copernicia Palm 18

Jubaea chilensis Chilean Wine Palm 18

Rhapis excelsa Lady Palm 18

Livistona saribus Taraw Palm 18

Phoenix reclinata Phoenix reclinata 18

Corypha elata Gebang Palm 22

Hyphaene dichotoma Doum Palm 22

Bismarkia noblis Bismarck Palm 22

Dypsis decaryi 24

Well the real coldhardiness of Trachycarpus takil we will get to known better the comming yearas as there are more and more planted in gardens now in Europe. Still young, but in lets say 10 years we will now much more of its real coldhardiness. Hopefully it will be hardier then Trachycarpus fortunei, but only time, and cold winters, will give the answer.

It should be a good palm also for the colder parts of the US, well from zone 7 I guess.

Alexander

[alohas]

Hello guys,

I live in the south of France near Toulouse ( zone 8b ), and two years ago we had a terrible cold spell with temps below freezing point for one week with strong wind and a thin layer of snow covering the ground, temperatures as low as 7°F during the night and maybe up to 30°f in daytime. The following week was cold as well with freezing temps every night. The cold was dry.

There are many old trachycarpuses ( fortunei ) in the area and all of them were nearly untouched, but they had already survived lower temps in the 80's.

Trachy wagnerianus mostly ok

There are also many CIDP, and many of the biggest ones were of course completely defoliated, but they came back.

Most butias disappeared, some survived, very few were untouched.

Most sabals were burnt ( except minors ), but none died.

All the established jubaeas and brahea armatas that I know of survived, with different degrees of damage.

I saw two mature Trithrinax campestris (fully exposed to the wind) that were untouched.

Chaemerops humilis were burnt but all survived.

Some washis in protected spots survived.

Chamaedorea radicalis made it but were burnt

Edited September 29, 2014 by alohas

[Scot from SC]

I would like to see hybrids put on the list too. I think most of us agree that the Jubaea X Butia hybrid seems to be hardier than either parent...I have one that is faster growing and seems to be hardier than my regular butias.

[NorthFlpalmguy]

I had a short duration of 20 degrees kill a few hundred 3G size of P. recilnata... maybe specimen size in the ground can take 18

[Jimhardy]

Some of those numbers could be accurate on a given palm under specific circumstances

if the palm is established,healthy,mature...problem is getting one acclimated,healthy or mature

to handle those temps...buying larger palms helps but there is something to be said for starting with smaller

palms- seeds/seedlings observing which are the most vigorous/cold hardy and planting those-you also get to

learn each individual palms limitations this way...

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

I have personally seen 20G potted Jubaea survive without any damage at 16 degrees outside in DFW during a wet winter. There are several medium sized Butia planted around town that never burned during the really cold 2011 winter. They were on the Southeast side of a homes/buildings though; but still no burn or spear pull @ 12 degrees and 36 hours below freezing.

Date Palms will not survive anywhere close to 12 degrees here in DFW. I had a Mature 7'CT date that completely defoliated last year when it saw 17 degrees and ice a few times. My identical sized filbustra is just about as hardy.

This winter I will have the following 1 year old seedlings outside to test their hardiness:

Sabal D.

Sabal B.

Phoenix C.

Phoenix T.

Jubaea

Butia O.

Washy Filifera

Sabal Texana

Nannhorp Arabica

Fortunai

Waggy

[John Case]

Dyno,

I think you will not lose a single tree....

[_Keith]

Nice group of plants, especially the Nannhorp Arabica. Good find on that one.

[smithgn]

Dyno, I'll be interested to see how they fare. Especially the phoenix C and T.

[Bigfish]

I can attest to Rhapidophyllum hystrix surviving -21F in Knoxville, Tennessee in Jan. 1985. One of those palms, planted in 1970, is still there today. There are a few other specimens in Southern Middle TN that were planted in the mid 1960s that are still there today and survived similar temps.

I think -5F is a fair number for Sabal minor also. We hit 0F last winter and mine didn't even defoliate, just a bit of pinhole damage.

I have a friend that has a mature clump of Serenoa repens (green) planted in his yard north of Nashville that has been in the ground, unprotected, since 1998. It does get burned back to the ground on the coldest years, but it is still there. 10F is probably still a fair number though.

Chamaedorea radicalis and C. microspadix can survive in a protected microclimate in zone 8a in the SE USA.

That's my .02 for now.

[CumberlandPlants]

Hello. I can also vouch for the claim of Serenoa in northern Middle TN since 1998. I have seen it. Pulled through -0 temperatures during the winter of 2013-14 out in the open with no protection. I do not know if it was damaged or if there was die back on it, but the palm definitely survived.

Regarding Sabal Minor, my Sabal Minor handled -3F with only 30% of the fronds being burned from the winter of 2013-14 in Gallatin TN. I am located about 45min. Northeast of Nashville TN. Also have a Needle Palm that handled that same year with no frond damage at all.

[CumberlandPlants]

The same individual that has Serenoa Repens also has a Sabal (Cabbage) Palmetto that survived Similar winter conditions. The only difference is that the Sabal was planted along the south facing side of his house which makes for a pretty nice micro climate. The Cabbage Palmetto had zero damage through the winter of 2013-14.

I am now experimenting with Serenoa and Cabbage Palmetto because of the success that my friend has had with these two.

[Bigfish]

Does he still have the Livistona right up near the front porch? That came back for him so many years in a row, I was shocked that it was able to grow enough the following years to not go into decline and die. It much grow just enough leaves each summer to get it through to the next year. I forgot about his Palmetto in the back.

[CumberlandPlants]

Just checked with Tommy about the Livistonia. It is still kicking!

[Bigfish]

That's insane, lol...even after last winter! It never looks like much, yet it keeps coming back.

[CumberlandPlants]

I am amazed too. Sounds like another palm that I need to experiment with!

[vcross]

I grew up in NE Louisiana where Sabal minor is common. It is native to McCurtain Country in SE Oklahoma. Historically is has been below zero Fahrenheit (-15 Celsius) where it is native. It is even native in Webster Parish, Louisiana where my parents live. Temps have been to -16F/-20C?? but that was very localized due to radiative cooling in an event in 1895. That's the lowest officially recorded temperature in Louisiana history. (Edit: Average annual minima in the 20th century were around 14F/-10C but around 19F/-6C since 2000 in Webster Parish.)

Sabal minor only grows in swampy areas in this part of it's range, so even in these extreme events, I am sure the ground did not freeze more than a couple feet (0.75m), so the growing bud of these palms were not killed. (I have dug them up! they have deep trunks!)

Sabal minor is considered a weed in fields and is mowed to the ground every year yet still persists. I think this shows Sabal minor's hardiness and how it survived the last ice age and migrated back north when the climate became more amenable.

Edited February 8, 2015 by vcross

[GarrettP1]

Fort Walton Beach (Florida) here; about 1/4 mile from a large bay, and approximately 1 mile from the Gulf of Mexico.

This winter my Parajubaea torallyi saw 18 degrees F with just some browning of the tips. It's 4 years old, in the ground for about 18 months.'

The only protection was my putting an incandescent light at the base on the nights it was expected to get into the low 20's.

[Tropicdoc]

Garrett you need to make sure you post that data in the freeze damage data section of palmtalk so that others can easily search it out.

[Alicehunter2000]

Fort Walton Beach (Florida) here; about 1/4 mile from a large bay, and approximately 1 mile from the Gulf of Mexico.

This winter my Parajubaea torallyi saw 18 degrees F with just some browning of the tips. It's 4 years old, in the ground for about 18 months.'

The only protection was my putting an incandescent light at the base on the nights it was expected to get into the low 20's.

OOhh....that's encouraging

[Tropicdoc]

Any frost? Do you have microcarpa or torallyi? What's the difference?

[Bigfish]

Fort Walton Beach (Florida) here; about 1/4 mile from a large bay, and approximately 1 mile from the Gulf of Mexico.

This winter my Parajubaea torallyi saw 18 degrees F with just some browning of the tips. It's 4 years old, in the ground for about 18 months.'

The only protection was my putting an incandescent light at the base on the nights it was expected to get into the low 20's.

Wait a couple of months and let us know what it looks like then.

[dida]

When temperature hits -15*c for 10 or more days no hardy unprotected palm can survive that ( or barely survives, which is the same, it takes years to come back..)

So the question is for how long period of exposure to cold are we talking about.. yes, the list stands for short exposures to cold.

[tjwalters]

When temperature hits -15*c for 10 or more days no hardy unprotected palm can survive that ( or barely survives, which is the same, it takes years to come back..)

So the question is for how long period of exposure to cold are we talking about.. yes, the list stands for short exposures to cold.

Rhapidophyllum hystrix and Sabal minor should tolerate those temps without much trouble, assuming those are the nighttime lows.

[dida]

R. hystrix, not sure about S. minor ( i have both in the ground, covered ) actually lows went from -17*c to -10*c but freezed water and moist around them is what causes the damage.