Royals VS Coconuts

[PalmTreeDude]

What do you like better, Royals or Coconuts? It is a hard decision to make! I, in a way, like Royals a little better than Coconuts. 

 

 

[Hammer]

Coconuts by a country mile . 

[Ben in Norcal]

I'll always pick a crownshafted palm, but not a royal.

[Jim in Los Altos]

I'm partial to royals because they can actually grow here. I have three. Coconuts are awesome of course so I've planted the next best thing...Beccariophonix alfredii. 

[PalmTreeDude]

I like Royals because the really make me think of South Florida, they are a little hardier than Coconuts and can be grown in coastal 9b areas and 9b areas close to 10a, they get super tall, and I just personally like their looks. 

[nitsua0895]

The only reason I chose coconut palms is because they produce coconuts and I'd love to always have fresh coconut water.

But when it comes to looks, I prefer Royals.

[Danilopez89]

That's a hard question. I chose coconut. But I need my royals. I couldn't live without one 

[Yunder Wækraus]

2 hours ago, PalmTreeDude said:

I like Royals because the really make me think of South Florida, they are a little hardier than Coconuts and can be grown in coastal 9b areas and 9b areas close to 10a, they get super tall, and I just personally like their looks. 

I agree for all of the same reasons. I think coconuts have an easy-going gracefulness that the columnar trunks of royals lack. However, it is because of the girth and stunning vertical dimension that accompanies the columnar proportions of royals that they strike such a commanding stance among other trees. If I had to rate each on a 1-10 scale, I'd give royals a 10 and coconuts a 9.9 :-)

[rprimbs]

I find royals more asthetically pleasing but coconuts, with their big coconut fruit,  are my favorite palms -- because of the fruit.

[PalmTreeDude]

A lot of people enjoy the fruits of the Coconuts! I do too. 

[doranakandawatta]

It seems it depends where you have your garden:

Srilankan coconut trees belong to native landscape, Royals are 1900's hotels and parks trees. 
But they are not so happy or long living with the srilankan climate; the Royals avenue in Peradeniya had to be replanted several times since 1880.

Here near the Hotel Suisse in Kandy:

[Neil C]

One of the super colourful dwarf coconuts laden with fruit would win hands down. Most coconuts don't look like this so in general I'd probably pick a royal. We have royals everywhere here so I don't really give them much attention.

Regards Neil

[DoomsDave]

Are you gonna torture me?

No?

Darn darn darn

Royals

I can grow them

 

[Sr. Califas]

Coconuts with ten feet of trunk or less are very attractive. When they start getting too tall they  really don't look as good. On the other hand, once the royal starts getting some trunk it really lives up to its name. 

[Tropicgardener]

Coconuts all the way for me......... They scream tropical and separate us from the rest  

[doranakandawatta]

1 hour ago, Sr. Califas said:

Coconuts with ten feet of trunk or less are very attractive. When they start getting too tall they  really don't look as good. On the other hand, once the royal starts getting some trunk it really lives up to its name. 

do they?

in Villa Bentota:

in Peradeniya Royal Botanic gardens

 

[Pedro 65]

Great shots Philippe..

Next time your back @ your 2nd home can you pls find out the name of that very very tall forked tree.

Many thanks, you must be going back soon ?    Pete.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                            

[doranakandawatta]

Next time your back @ your 2nd home can you pls find out the name of that very very tall forked tree.

Many thanks, you must be going back soon ?    Pete.

Pete, it seems you know me very well,
Yes, I'll be in my lovely jungle from december 19 to january 18.
I'll try to see a tag on this tree and make new pics of the palms of Peradeniya.
And Palmatk PRA with User00, Ahamed.

 

[Yunder Wækraus]

5 hours ago, doranakandawatta said:

do they?

in Villa Bentota:

in Peradeniya Royal Botanic gardens

 

Great pix! Those coconuts are amazing!!!! Love the royal-lined road too :-)

[Walt]

For me, it's a tuff choice, but, IMO, is really apples and oranges in comparison of the two species. But, I have to give the coconut palm the edge.

By far the coconut palm benefits man more than the royal palm -- that's just a fact.

The coconut palm is the most important of all cultivated palms, at least with respect to the fruit and all it's uses, commercially and by indigenous people of the tropics that depend on coconuts for part of their sustenance.

All parts of the palm can be used to one extent or the other. The leaves can be used for thatch and shade. The flowering stalk can be tapped for sugar, and is a source for palm wine.

With respect to the fruit, the nut shell is used for charcoal, heating fuel; the mesocarp (coir) is used for synthetic soil for potted plants, and can be used as a mulch ; the nut water is a refreshing drink containing minerals and electrolytes;  the meat (copra) can be squeezed for oil and milk, and dried for use in foods -- unlike the royal palm.

As far as the aesthetic, graceful look of the coconut palm, IMO, it symbolizes the tropics like no other palm species.

That being said, I like the royal palm of all the crown shaft palms. I think they work so nice as solitary specimens or to line driveways and roads, or in large groups. There's just something very imposing and impressive with their huge column-like trunks and glossy green crown shafts (of a well cared for specimen).

Yes, I must say I loved coconut palms from a very young age, seeing them in movies, TV, books, etc. I never say that with royal palms.

I didn't even know what a royal palm was until I was in the navy. My ship steamed down to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in February of 1969. I was on liberty walking around Old San Juan when I came across an old government building of Spanish architecture.  Three was a concrete walkway leading to a wide set of steps leading up to the façade and entryway of the building. Each side of the walkway (near the entryway steps) was flanked by two huge royal palms.  I looked up at these two imposing palms and I was stunned! My eyes were arrested! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The big emerald green crown shafts just blew me away, forever etched in my brain to this day.

It was right there and then that I had to learn what species of palm these were. Even the coconut palm didn't make such an initial impression on me as the royal palm did (I assume now the royals I saw in San Juan were Roystonea borinquena, but I will never know for sure now).

When my wife and I move to Highlands County, Florida, in 1997 I figured I couldn't grow a royal palm here. But I visited my county extension office and the horticultural agent told me there were royal palms growing here. He told me where to find them -- and I couldn't drive over to see them fast enough. Sure enough, there they were. That did it. I drove down to a palm nursery in Ft. Myers and bought one. Unfortunately, that one died from a severe freeze when it was very young. But I've since bought more and they are standing the test of time.

[Josh-O]

17 hours ago, Danilopez89 said:

That's a hard question. I chose coconut. But I need my royals. I couldn't live without one 

[Josh-O]

I vote royal.

simply because I cant keep a coconut alive for more than a few years in my climate.

[GottmitAlex]

2 minutes ago, Josh-O said:

I vote royal.

simply because I cant keep a coconut alive for more than a few years in my climate.

You mean indoors or outdoors?

[Josh-O]

14 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

You mean indoors or outdoors?

outdoors

I'm to close to the coast and I don't have the heat they need.

I may try one at my "fair View" garden in vista. perhaps a yellow Malay?

[Palm Tree Jim]

Coconut over the Royal.

It screams tropical.......and soon I will have some of my own that will grow!

[Sr. Califas]

10 hours ago, doranakandawatta said:

do they?

in Villa Bentota:

in Peradeniya Royal Botanic gardens

 

Cool pictures. Yes, I think the very tall coconuts look very disproportionately tall and skinny.It reminds me of the same look that Washingtonias get after a certain height.  That's why having many in the same picture is necessary to keep from focusing solely on the unattractive trunks. Even the rows of Royals are getting too tall.

Just from the internet, the perfect size(for me).

Again from the internet, royals in all of their glory.

[doranakandawatta]

Just from the internet, the perfect size(for me).

these palms are teenagers !

On my side, I love the coconut canopy we can see in srilankan countryside:

[Yunder Wækraus]

Florida royals in habitat 

[Mandrew968]

Give me an oleracea any day.

[DoomsDave]

They all scream tropical

But cocos do benefit people more, no two ways, though royals make a giant delicious palm heart.

 

[Really full garden]

Roystonea oleracea is my choice over Cocos .  Roystonea oleracea is an incredibly regal palm. Here Cocos are very common and sprout all over my garden like weeds. 

[hbernstein]

How about both ?

[Mandrew968]

46 minutes ago, hbernstein said:

How about both ?

Harvey!! How you doing? I gotta come and see you at the garden sometime. Still have that sonoran lignum vitae for you...