Copernicia baileyana

[Joe palma]

7 gallon plant, removed from green house 5.5 yrs ago, 6 fronds or so,10" height, just starting to grow well this past summer, high wind exposure (!), saw 32F (measured far side of prop. under patio cover, temp was almost certainly lower for this location), no canopy, frost at least one day, spike pulled out on 3/14/07, total loss.

3 gallon plants, ~3 fronds, 6" height, virtually same location, w/ less wind exposure, no damamge.

[Shon]

Sorry Joe just saw Ralph Velez's this week. So now I know how much that had to hurt,beautiful palm.

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

One plant, large 15 gal in ground 1 year.

19f, many hours and nights below freezing

5% leaf damage

Fully recovered (this one shocked me...in a good way)

[basilios]

Small seedling (probably a couple of years old) growing in pot with really dry soil, as it likes it, after persistent cold weather with many days and nights with temperatures staying below 8C / 46F, but no actual freeze (the lowest temp was around 1.5C/34.5F), completely defoliated but the spear may be OK, so I'll wait for warmer weather before I declare it a loss. But definitely not a hardy palm, at least at that stage of growth....

[basilios]

The spear pulled out today, so it's officially gone...

[naraj]

I had a seedling survive 33 degrees F in the ground, unprotected, in Sarasota last winter. It didn't see any frost. Seems tough.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Here's a report on the Dec 2013 freeze. Copernicia bailayana planted out in the open about 5 feet away from my weather station in the middle of the frost pit part of my garden, so the temp readings six feet above that plant are accurate, due to strong inversion was probably much colder on the ground.

This specimen was purchased from JD Andersen as a small 5 gallon plant. Has some silver on it, looks like it will turn into a silver bailayana. Threw a cardboard box over it, that's all, just to keep the frost off the plant since it's so small. Not a trace of a damage, not even a hint. Spear is solid and is currently pushing out further after a week of 70-85F temperatures. Nearby citrus suffered some damage low to the ground suggesting it was quite cold down there.

Dec 4/5: 57.4F high, below 32F at 11.17PM steady decline to 26.6F at 7:30AM with a dewpoint of 16F. above freezing 8:47AM

Dec 5/6: 57.4F high, below 32F at 11:30PM steady decline to 29.8F from 4:30AM to 7AM, above freezing 8:30AM

Dec 6/7: 55.9F high, 50F overnight with 1 inch of rain

Dec 7/8: 53.1F high, below 32F at 11:30PM, steady decline to 28.6F, above freezing by 8:45AM

Dec 8/9: 55.9F high, below 32F at 11:30PM, steady decline to 28.6F, above freezing by 5:30AM

Dec 9/10, 60.8F high, below 32F at 6:30AM, down to 30.9F above freezing by 8:00AM

All temps available on Wunderground.