Worst Palm Species

[ahosey01]

I acknowledge that any palm is better than no palm.  That said - if one palm species suddenly disappeared from everyone's yard forever - which species would you be the least sad to lose?

[Darold Petty]

Phoenix theophrasti    ( I recognize that some will value this palm for its frost hardiness. )    

  Most of the images online show a traditional single trunked palm, but as a juvenile it will sprout myriad growth points, producing an incoherent mess. 

It  is so viciously armed that it is hazardous to attempt pruning.

[Reyes Vargas]

That's a tough question but I would have to go with Sabal Palmetto.

[ahosey01]

Mine is Syagrus romanoffzia.

[Silas_Sancona]

Washingtonia r's, Phoenix, -of any kind- ( except maybe a few Pygmys/ rupicola ), ..and Queens.. Forbidden on/ will get the " Savage Chain Saw Treatment " if on my property.. Trunks will be left for the Owls, wild Parrots, and Woodpeckers however.

[ahosey01]

5 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Washingtonia r's, Phoenix, -of any kind- ( except maybe a few Pygmys/ rupicola ), ..and Queens.. Forbidden on/ will get the " Savage Chain Saw Treatment " if on my property.. Trunks will be left for the Owls, wild Parrots, and Woodpeckers however.

Hey man you supposed to pick one species!  You picked like 14! 

Edited December 8, 2020 by ahosey01

[Silas_Sancona]

Just now, ahosey01 said:

Hey man you supposed to pick one species!  You picked like 14! 

yup..

[Jan Jo]

I also hate Phoenix Theophrasti.. Ugly, ugly, ugly.. 

But I have two Sabal Palmettos which I like.. They're rare here in Spain which I guess makes them slightly more desirable. I prefer them over Washingtonia Filifera (common here) any day... 

[Fusca]

My choice would be Trachycarpus fortunei - at least locally here in Texas.   Here is an example of one that unfortunately is somewhat typical:

Edited December 8, 2020 by Fusca

[ahosey01]

1 minute ago, Fusca said:

My choice would be Trachycarpus fortunei - at least locally here in Texas.  

I would agree with this, except I think it’s really cool seeing pics of them with snow on them knowing it’s not going to lead to total defoliation. But in terms of form and structure and how much they excite me and how commonly they’re planted, I’d agree.

[Fusca]

1 minute ago, ahosey01 said:

I would agree with this, except I think it’s really cool seeing pics of them with snow on them knowing it’s not going to lead to total defoliation. But in terms of form and structure and how much they excite me and how commonly they’re planted, I’d agree.

Around here they look best covered with snow, but that happens only every 20 years or so and doesn't usually last through the afternoon!

[BigWaveDav3]

Washingtonia robusta.... They sprout everywhere and most of them never get trimmed and trunks cleaned. When they get too large, they often get removed because people don't want to pay to maintain them.

[JLM]

I dont have a robusta, but they are hazardous when it comes to winds because they have the potential to fall over. I like my queens though.

[sipalms]

Trachycarpus. Go away!

Seems people most hate the palm/s that are commonly grown the next zone down from them...

[Ben in Norcal]

6 minutes ago, sipalms said:

Trachycarpus. Go away!

Seems people most hate the palm/s that are commonly grown the next zone down from them...

There are some seriously attractive Trachycarpus.  Unfortunately, they aren't the commonly grown ones.

[Ben in Norcal]

Anything Gaussia.  Hurl!  

[necturus]

A healthy old queen is a lovely palm. The hate on here is funny. While I don't want a ton of them in monoculture, they look good mixed in with other palms, especially in zone 9A.

I once felt the same way about sagos and Washingtonia. Then I saw them in habitat and gained a newfound respect for them. I feel similar about Butia - once thought they were the ugliest pinnate palms then saw pictures of tall ones lining the savannah in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, etc. Now I just wish they grew faster. 

[EastCanadaTropicals]

The trachycarpus are the least tropical looking palms in my opinion

[sipalms]

18 minutes ago, necturus said:

A healthy old queen is a lovely palm. The hate on here is funny. While I don't want a ton of them in monoculture, they look good mixed in with other palms, especially in zone 9A.

I once felt the same way about sagos and Washingtonia. Then I saw them in habitat and gained a newfound respect for them. I feel similar about Butia - once thought they were the ugliest pinnate palms then saw pictures of tall ones lining the savannah in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, etc. Now I just wish they grew faster. 

I could not agree with this comment more.

I think any palm looks great when its planted position does it justice. E.g. if it fits in well with it's surroundings. 

Look at the variety of common 9A+ palms that are growing at this kiwi property, the formal way the Queens are planted makes them look fantastic in my opinion:

I also think probably any palm would look great in its own natural habitat, e.g. trachycarpus or washingtonia.

Edited December 8, 2020 by sipalms

[Patrick]

Ceroxylon quindiuense is kind of garbage /s

[HtownPalms]

I remember these being sold along I-10 in East Texas about 15 years ago. Glad to see it appears that they have gone extinct!

[ahosey01]

29 minutes ago, necturus said:

A healthy old queen is a lovely palm. The hate on here is funny. While I don't want a ton of them in monoculture, they look good mixed in with other palms, especially in zone 9A.

I once felt the same way about sagos and Washingtonia. Then I saw them in habitat and gained a newfound respect for them. I feel similar about Butia - once thought they were the ugliest pinnate palms then saw pictures of tall ones lining the savannah in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, etc. Now I just wish they grew faster. 

I couldn't agree with you more about Washingtonia.  Seeing the giant 100+ year old ones in the few canyons here in AZ where they're native made me love all of them.  Now easily one of my favorite palms.

[Jan Jo]

13 minutes ago, Patrick said:

Ceroxylon quindiuense is kind of garbage /s

Strongly agree... 

[DallasPalms]

1 hour ago, Fusca said:

My choice would be Trachycarpus fortunei - at least locally here in Texas.   Here is an example of one that unfortunately is somewhat typical:

A neighbor here in Dallas grew the most beautiful Trachys I have seen anywhere... there are a few pretty ones in Dallas but most are so-so...  these had the most full crowns (until he chopped them) @ fairly good size nice wide tops... wind resistant and weather loving...  and just a few blocks away one of those tall spindly trunks with a tiny set of leaves on top lol...

I think some have just adapted better. I'm growing from my neighbors seed just to gift them later so that people arent growing too many of the depot trachys. It could be genetics or perhaps watering and being near a driveway or alot of concrete that traps moisture (or both)... a few types look great early but like crap when they get tall

Edited December 8, 2020 by DallasPalms

[WaianaeCrider]

Without a doubt it would be Rhapis excelsa.  Began planting them as a hedge years ago.  Now they trying to take over the world.  My walkways, under fence into neighbor's yard and out into my drive way as well.  Would LOVE to see them all go away in an instant.

[ahosey01]

1 hour ago, WaianaeCrider said:

Without a doubt it would be Rhapis excelsa.  Began planting them as a hedge years ago.  Now they trying to take over the world.  My walkways, under fence into neighbor's yard and out into my drive way as well.  Would LOVE to see them all go away in an instant.

Trying to get a clump of Rhapis excelsis to grow in the shade like this in AZ.  Ain’t as easy here as for you there, lol

[Darold Petty]

This thread cracks me up !   One person's treasure is another's weed.  Wait till I post my Ceroxylon quindiuense !  

[DoomsDave]

5 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

Phoenix theophrasti    ( I recognize that some will value this palm for its frost hardiness. )    

  Most of the images online show a traditional single trunked palm, but as a juvenile it will sprout myriad growth points, producing an incoherent mess. 

It  is so viciously armed that it is hazardous to attempt pruning.

If you’re trying to keep out marauding meth heads its spininess makes it perfect.

[DoomsDave]

Worst palm species sounds like one those questions for which any answer gives another turn of The Rack. 
 

 

[ahosey01]

49 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

If you’re trying to keep out marauding meth heads its spininess makes it perfect.

That or Zombia.

[xoRudy]

Queen palms, wouldnt waste dirt on them

[PalmTreeDude]

This might be weird considering that this is one of the few palm options I have without having to protect it to great lengths, but I don’t think Trachycarpus fortunei look that nice. I appreciate them a ton though, it’s really cool to have such a hardy trunking palm, and I don’t think it is completely ugly, but in the grand scheme of things they don’t really look that nice. It’s still cool to see a few around. Now I do believe that those ones grown in the Pacific Northwest look really good, when they have all of their fronds and they are super green. Same with some of the ones inland from North Carolina to Georgia, in that zone 7b/8a area, a lot of those look quite nice. I kind of wish that people in climates that get colder winters would would try protecting something else though, it seems to always be a Trachy, which of course makes sense with them being the hardiest trunking palm. I’ve been seeing quite a few pictures online recently of people protecting Washingtonia in even lower zones than me, and they grow back so fast in the summer and look really good. Why plant a Trachy and protect it when it is going to likely be beat up all the time (from the winter, high heat, or sometimes both) when you can plant a Washingtonia and have it look great with one month of regrowth, assuming you live somewhere with good summer heat? Just my thoughts, maybe I should say mainly Trachycarpus fortunei in boarderline places or places that get too hot for it. 

[Tyrone]

4 hours ago, WaianaeCrider said:

Without a doubt it would be Rhapis excelsa.  Began planting them as a hedge years ago.  Now they trying to take over the world.  My walkways, under fence into neighbor's yard and out into my drive way as well.  Would LOVE to see them all go away in an instant.

Thats a good problem to have. Pot the suckers up and sell them. They're worth a ton over here.

[ahosey01]

Waiting for someone to start a PalmTalk war by responding to this thread with Cocos nucifera...

[Jim in Los Altos]

8 hours ago, Patrick said:

Ceroxylon quindiuense is kind of garbage /s

That’s a shock! I think they’re incredibly awesome palms. All the Ceroxylon are. But then, you’re probably being sarcastic. 

Edited December 9, 2020 by Jim in Los Altos

[Jim in Los Altos]

I’ve already had several mature Trachycarpus fortunei removed. I love T. martianus (very tropical looking) and T. wagneriensis however. 

[Steve Mac]

I really want to troll this thread too ... but I won't. 

I am assuming that Adam from Arizona genuinely wants to know what he should not plant.

I find that disagreeing with another persons opinion is not really helpful.

Well Adam, my experience here in Sydney, is probably of no value to you.

sorry that I cant help you.

[pigafetta]

I wouldn't say they are the worst palms, but i dont get peoples obsession with coconut palms especially trying to grow them outside of there zone.

[pigafetta]

3 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

Waiting for someone to start a PalmTalk war by responding to this thread with Cocos nucifera...

Ha ha I honestly just read your post after posting that.

I must say i spend a lot of time in remote small Indonesian islands even have land there, and they are like weeds, hundreds of thousands possibly millions of them.

Edited December 9, 2020 by pigafetta

[greysrigging]

Fellas... c'mon... we know what the despicable species are.... haha... its OK to be honest .....
!/- Carpentaria
2/- Clumping Fishtail
3/- Coconuts
4/- Queen Palms ( although the reverse has happened in Darwin, there are so few of the cursed things, the new generations think they're 'cool' )
Mostly no one wants these up in Darwin, in fact there is a whole subset industry of tree loppers who specialise in palm removal.
5/- Cuban Royals get an honourable mention in the removal stakes... the Ganoderma fungus has decimated them in town as well.