Excepted genus name for Christmas tree palm

[Joe palma]

Which is it for the merrilli? Adonidia or Veitchia?

[deezpalms]

Adonidia merrillii

[osideterry]

Considering all the other veitchia are almost indistinguishable from one another, I'm glad for the change. It seems alot of the others are being consolidated into V arecina.

[Joe palma]

Thanks Dave and Terry.

I thought it was Adonidia but wanted to make sure as I am posting freeze damage info.............

[osideterry]

Sorry for your losses. I noticed Adonidias for the first time last Fall in Puerto Vallarta. Just not enough humidity here. Are you in a low area like me? I know a few people got hit hard in San Marcos.

[FossilNypa]

According to Monocot Checklist of Kew the correct is Adoninia merrilii (Veitchia merrilii is considered a synonym).

Here is the link.

[Palmateer]

It was originally Adonidia, was included in Veichia by Dr. Hal Moore in 1957, now back to Adonidia.

[ruskinPalms]

So, it the only palm in the Adonidia genus then?

[ruskinPalms]

(Joe palma @ Mar. 30 2007,12:21)

QUOTE

Thanks Dave and Terry.

I thought it was Adonidia but wanted to make sure as I am posting freeze damage info.............

Hi Joe, these palms are not too tough as you have experienced. They are grown here a lot but just because they are very, very easily acquired in large sizes for relatively cheap. Mine took about 10% leaf burn this winter at a low of 32.2F with some frost in the area but I observed none on the palms themselves. I thought about post in the freeze topic but not sure if it was worth it considering that I had them covered with a sheet which may have hurt more than helped.  I learned this last winter that I cannont let the sheet or whatever touch the leaves of the palms. I am going to have to erect some sort of tarps over the landscape beds next year that do not touch the fronds. I know the sheet was the culprit because the burned areas where the ones directly in contact with the sheet. This happened to the Cocos and Dypsis lutescens in the same bed as well. The dypsis should have had zero burn from those lows. Dypsis and Adonidia in other parts of my yard that I did not cover did not get burned...Neither did my neighbor's Adonidia that were absolutely left out in the open without protection. I think if lows had been into the upper 20's then the sheet would have been more beneficial as at that point the leaves would be fried anyway no matter what I did. At colder temps, I would just be trying to save the trunks and growth points.

[ruskinPalms]

And now that I read your post closer in the freeze data base, I am surprised they were all killed being under the shade cloth as a sort of canopy and only seeing 32F. You mentioned frost, were the palms themselves coated in frost?

[Phil]

Joe,

The "correct" name now is Adonidia.  But, you can call it Veitchia if you wish.  It still communicates.  Remember, you have to get into the mindset of the taxonomists.  Either in the field or at a herbarium, they study and restudy the this's and that's of morphology and split or lump.  And sometimes this changes over time.  Things can change back and forth.  This is what taxonomists do.  But, if you say "Veitchia merrilii" to me, it communicates.  And, BTW, I agree that it's the least cold hardy of the "Veitchias" and typically a risk in So Cal.

Phil

[Davidl]

ruskinPalms  a thin blanket with a light tarp will do the trick. Two layers are better than one.The tarp will allow cold but not frost and blaket to seperate the plastic tarp from touching the frond. Adonidia is the name as others have said.