Tallest palm in florida?

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

anyone have an idea what the tallest palm in Florida could be? what about the oldest

[Eric in Orlando]

The tallest palm is probably an old, wild Sabal palmetto or Roystonea elata/regia. There are lots of very tall Washingtonia robusta in St. Petersburg. I see more over there than elsewhere as it seems to get less lightning. Around here they don't get much above 40-50 feet before they get struck by lightning. Or Fusarium.

The oldest are probably specimens of Serenoa repens. Based on research of growth rates in the wild it is estimated that some of those taller, older clumps could be hundreds of years old and some could be over 500 years old. I would imagine that some of those super tall Sabal palmetto in the wild (over 50ft) are easily 150 years old and older.

[Eric in Orlando]

My wife and I have hiked a lot of preserves and forest in this area. This is the tallest Sabal palmetto I have come across. It is growing in Spring Hammock Preserve, in Big Tree Park close to where The Senator existed. The Senator was the worlds oldest and biggest Taxodium distichum until some crackhead scrub burnt it down. This is north of Orlando near Longwood.

 

 

 

Another taller one in Spring Hammock. 

 

 

 

 

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

  On 1/5/2017 at 1:51 PM, Eric in Orlando said:

My wife and I have hiked a lot of preserves and forest in this area. This is the tallest Sabal palmetto I have come across. It is growing in Spring Hammock Preserve, in Big Tree Park close to where The Senator existed. The Senator was the worlds oldest and biggest Taxodium distichum until some crackhead scrub burnt it down.

 

 

 

Another taller one in Spring Hammock. 

 

 

 

 

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nice pics! those look quite tall.  shame the senator burned down though.  

[Eric in Orlando]

These are some of the largest Serenoa repens I have come across. They are growing in Split Oak Preserve, south of Orlando.

 

 

[Eric in Orlando]

[Eric in Orlando]

  On 1/5/2017 at 1:54 PM, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

nice pics! those look quite tall.  shame the senator burned down though.  

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Those are probably the tallest I have seen but I have come across lots almost as tall. You find really tall ones back in moist, hammock forested areas near water; springs, creeks, rivers.

 

[Zeeth]

The tallest S. palmetto was something like 90 feet before it got struck by lightning and died. The tallest now is 84 feet. 

The tallest R. regias are probably in the Fakahatchee. There was one on record as being 99 feet tall about 10 years ago, so it's probably over 100 feet now. Here's a pic of a very tall one:

There are also some really tall ones in Florida city along US1. I don't know their exact height, but they seemed taller than the ones at the Edison estate, the tallest of which is measured at 97 ft.

[Xerarch]

Those are insane for Serenoa repens! I've seen those same pics here on PT before, but still, wow. Supposedly not really a trunking palm, right. 

[RedRabbit]

Eventually I think the tallest palm in Florida will be one planted immediately next to a high rise. I know it is strange to think of the biggest palms in an urban area, but high rises provide a lightning free environment which is usually the limiting factor for the tallest palms.

Edited January 5, 2017 by RedRabbit

[Eric in Orlando]

That is probably true! A good example is out at Disney at the Swan and Dolphin Resort. They have Washingtonia planted up against the building and they are probably the tallest in the Orlando area being sheltered from lightning.

 

 

 

[Josh-O]

  On 1/5/2017 at 1:54 PM, Eric in Orlando said:

These are some of the largest Serenoa repens I have come across. They are growing in Split Oak Preserve, south of Orlando.

 

 

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wow Eric, that Serenoa repens is aincent

awesome pictures!!

 

[Cocoa Beach Jason]

  On 1/5/2017 at 1:54 PM, Eric in Orlando said:

These are some of the largest Serenoa repens I have come across. They are growing in Split Oak Preserve, south of Orlando.

 

 

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When I was a kid we often played with atv's in the woods near my house at the time in Port St. John Florida and saw many serenoa repens this big in the forest there. We never realized the history we were looking at and took them for granted as just more shrubbery. 

[realarch]

Great photos guys! Those Serenoa in habitat are astounding.

Tim

[Eric in Orlando]

Some more ancient Serenoa in Wekiva Springs State Park

 

[Eric in Orlando]

And some Serenoa in an undeveloped area just west of Altamonte Springs, a massive very upright clump with tall trunks

 

 

[Eric in Orlando]

And a few more in the southeastern corner of the Ocala National Forest. This is on the St. Francis trail just west of Deland and southwest of the St. John's River.

 

 

 

 

[hbernstein]

Anyone have pictures of old, trunking Sabal etonia? I remember seeing some near the St. Johns river with over 6ft. of clear trunk.

[PalmTreeDude]

I bet it is a Royal.

[sarasota alex]

  On 1/5/2017 at 1:43 PM, Eric in Orlando said:

The tallest palm is probably an old, wild Sabal palmetto or Roystonea elata/regia. There are lots of very tall Washingtonia robusta in St. Petersburg. I see more over there than elsewhere as it seems to get less lightning. Around here they don't get much above 40-50 feet before they get struck by lightning. Or Fusarium.

The oldest are probably specimens of Serenoa repens. Based on research of growth rates in the wild it is estimated that some of those taller, older clumps could be hundreds of years old and some could be over 500 years old. I would imagine that some of those super tall Sabal palmetto in the wild (over 50ft) are easily 150 years old and older.

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Yes I remember when we walked through the Highland Hammocks State Park during the 2014 Biennial, Larry Noblick said that some of the taller Sabal palmetto there are probably 200 years old.