Mazari Palm...anyone have any experience?

[Mandrew968]

Here is my neglected one--weeds and all.

Do you know who you got yours from? I got mine from Claude Roatta/ Action Theory Nursery at one of the South Florida sales. Really nice plants. I'm pretty sure these are the "standard" N. ritchiana silver.

I got mine at Botanics.

[Umbrae]

this is my Mazari, at Least I am pretty sure thats what it is, it has withstood quite a few cold events and gets little to no care what so ever, it's in a part of the yard that is heavy soil and can some times stay wet and soggy for a while,

Edited March 13, 2015 by Umbrae

[Alicehunter2000]

THAT'S NICE!

[Umbrae]

Thanks, I got the seed from either RPS or Ortanique it's been so long I cannot remember and there was no choice back then on any form or different type it was just plain old Nannorrhops ritchiana....

[smithgn]

Good lawd... Awesome. I have one that is similar in color to this, although it's about 1/100th the size. I plan on planting it in a special area of my yard because I really have no other choice (It wants out of the pot that it's in). Is this an Arabica or the other cold hardy kind?

[Umbrae]

i'll have to defer the "experts" like I said when I bought the seed there was only one choice on the menu

[palmsrgreat]

That palm is sweet umbrae

[smithgn]

Ooops, sorry. I have the bad habit of skimming through posts and couple that with a long work day, my reading comprehension is lacking... BUT, expounding on what I was saying earlier, since your nannorhops is similar in color to mine, I'd say you have an Arabica. Mine was labeled such by the "experts" when I posted a thread not too long ago... Doesn't like the wet and anything near freezing. Blah. But a real pretty color to it.

[Umbrae]

this one gets flooded and stays soggy from time to time its in a low spot and it has seen some nasty weather too, but it just keeps on chuggng along

[Julio ABQ]

I bought 10 seeds for the mazari/nannorrhops and they all sprouted, the first year I kept them in 1 gallon pots inside my unheated green house here in Albuquerque, NM Zone 7b and this last summer I planted them on the ground and all I did to protect them from the winter was to pile some leafs on them. They all survived the winter with several snow storms and no damage, not even to the leafs.

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/gallery/image/762-mazari-palm/

[Josh-O]

They are pretty tough palms and can hang in the teens for a short period of time.

Umbrae, yours look perfect!!

[sashaeffer]

Here are my 3. Larger one have had about a year from Jungle Music and the other two seedlings(among other palms) I just bought from Palm Talk member Dynodaddy when I was in Texas.

We've had such a wet spring I try to keep them either under the eve of the house in full sun, or here in the small greenhouse.

[Josh-O]

already turning blue

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

The Arabica I have are immediately VERY blue from the very first leaf. The Ritchiana are green from the start and I haven't had one turn blue at all. Both absolutely hate any root disturbance whatsoever and will usually die if you break a few roots. They also prefer to be extremely rootbound and do not do well in larger pots if not completely rootbound before potting them up.

[PAPalmGrower]

I have eight Nannorrhops growing in pots here in Pennsylvania - two of the standard Nannorrhops ritchieana 'green form' from Afghanistan/Northern Pakistan, five of the Nannorrhops ritchieana 'Kashmir form', and one of the N. ritchieana sp. 'Silver' (not 'arabica').

I had the white-leaved Nannorrhops 'arabica' last year, but it was killed at 26 F. Unfortunately, I had seen people posting that "Mazari palms are one of the most cold hardy palms on the planet" and that lead me to believe that all "Mazari palms" were super hardy - now, I have learned that some forms of "Mazari palms" detest even light freezes (many of the silver or white leaf forms), whereas some others like the 'Kashmir form' and green leaf form do very well in cold winter temperatures.  The 'Kashmir form' handles moisture extremely well, as long as the soil/planting medium provides excellent drainage.

In the wild, Nannorrhops may grow in very arid and hot conditions; however, their long roots extend deep into the ground in search of permanent groundwater.  Because of this habit, their "tops" like to be in dry and sunny conditions, but their roots need to find that "moisture source".  Many people try to treat them like a cactus; but, without the water source below ground for their roots to find, these plants sulk and often die.  They do not have the water storage capabilities of a cactus.

[hbernstein]

Hot, hot weather (S. Florida in Summer) with mucho, mucho water, good. Cold weather, water bad. Excellent drainage at all times. Root access to groundwater is a big plus, think Phoenix dactylifera.

I'm sure that the Midwest or upper East Coast climates of the U.S. are  nothing like the areas of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan where the cold-hardy forms originate.

In habitat, summers are scorching. Humidities are low year 'round with lots and lots of sun. Bet that leaf surface temperatures are often higher than air temperatures when the sun is shining.