Worst Palm Species

[Cikas]

13 hours ago, EastCanadaTropicals said:

The trachycarpus are the least tropical looking palms in my opinion

Depends on Trachycarpus species. 

To me Trachycarpus species look similar to Coccothrinax species. 

[ahosey01]

6 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

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

Never seen T. martianus in person, but photos make this kind of look like the windmill palm version of C. baileyana, no?

Cool palm.

[Jan Jo]

9 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

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

Maybe I too was a little harsh on Ceroxylon quindiuense, to be fair I've never grown one myself... 

This, I like... 

 

This, on the other hand, is really not my thing

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.. 

[ahosey01]

10 minutes ago, Jan Jo said:

Maybe I too was a little harsh on Ceroxylon quindiuense, to be fair I've never grown one myself... 

This, I like... 

 

This, on the other hand, is really not my thing

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.. 

That is literally a giant feather duster.

[Teegurr]

Dypsis lutescens, Queens, and I can't decide if like or don't like Thrithrinax campestris. They look...interesting.

[Chester B]

10 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

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

I'll be that guy.  Terrible looking and the flavor of coconut is one of the most vile things on this earth.

[beliz1985]

Definitely Queens. Weed of the world. 

[Xenon]

Dypsis sp. "Black Stem"

rainbow crownshaft glow in the dark Dypsis sp. 

Butia x Cocos

"cold hardy" variety of coconut

Beccariophoenix alfredii 

"cold hardy" palms that look just like a coconut

[Tracy]

20 hours ago, BigWaveDav3 said:

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.

I agree with Dave, at least here in Southern California.  I will stipulate that my interpretation of the original question was that the palm would be removed from my yard, not from the face of the earth.  So if all the Washingtonia robusta's that sprout like grass from my neighbor's two that shed seeds down like hale when we get Santa Anas, never sprouted in my yard again, I would be thrilled.  It would save me an immense amount of time on my weeding .

[Silas_Sancona]

46 minutes ago, Chester B said:

I'll be that guy.  Terrible looking and the flavor of coconut is one of the most vile things on this earth.

LOL.. I hear the sound of Pitchforks and Machetes now..

Agree w/ Coconut meat.. I was the kid that would pick through my Halloween candy and toss anything that had shredded coconut in it in the trash.. Coconut flavored Rum?, that's a different story however  

As far as Coconuts themselves, beautiful, where they will grow -and look great-  Ravenea rivularis is a close enough, fast enough, and hardy enough substitute to create the same look where coconuts just don't work. Although slower, Beccariophoenix comes in close second, looks-wise.

[Fallen Munk]

I like all palms.  Even the most hated ones on here are spectacular when you see a prime healthy specimen.

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

10 hours ago, gtsteve said:

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.

THIS!  I really wanted to troll it too, but alas I will not.   Could have been worded a lot different though.  I cant help either since I'm in Florida.  Oh well, at least there is some entertainment value here.

[Kim]

Not a fan of Arenga engleri, at least the specimens I have seen. They look like a tangled up mess to me, but I suppose I should prepare to eat my words should someone post a photo of their very beautiful, healthy plant. I'm not growing it.

Of all the palms I AM growing, I'd give up my Phoenix roebelenii in a heartbeat, though I am putting strings of lights up their trunks today. 

[Stevetoad]

Dypsis are gross and sound like a childish insult 

Livistona is just an upside down Washingtonia 

Cyrtostachys renda...whats wrong? cant handle a little bit of cold...

Chambeyronia is like a king palm that craves attention every few months

Coconuts are so lame that they have to give you free food just to make friends

Rhapis I think the name says it all

Mauritia flexuosa needs to stop acting like it has a crownshaft 

Tahina "oh look at me I got big leaves"... blah blah blah

Chamaedorea, being small doesn't make you cute

Syagrus looks like a fluffy Coconut 

Hyphaene cant figure our which way to even grow

Bismarckia nobilis Pffffff... noble my butt, your a fat Brahea armata and everyone knows it.

the list goes on and on...

 

 

 

[IHB1979]

I'm not sure if I have a worst species. I used to think Sabal palms were boring until I spent more time in its natural habitat here in Florida.  I think they're a very interesting palm now. There's that statement, "99% of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth are extinct." So every palm alive today has beaten the odds and found a way to survive.  Cool way to think about it.

[DoomsDave]

On 12/8/2020 at 1:02 PM, ahosey01 said:

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?

Is this open ended or are you looking for advice for your situation?

[ahosey01]

5 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

Is this open ended or are you looking for advice for your situation?

Just figured it would be a fun discussion to get everyone's perspective.  Not specific to me.

[TomJ]

21 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.

My biggest regret for sure.

Biggest regret wasn't the question though LOL.

[WaianaeCrider]

29 minutes ago, TomJ said:

My biggest regret for sure.

Biggest regret wasn't the question though LOL.

The question was "which species would you be the least sad to lose? "  I would not be sad if they all just diapered one night.  LOL

[Jan Jo]

38 minutes ago, ahosey01 said:

Just figured it would be a fun discussion to get everyone's perspective.  Not specific to me.

That was how I interpreted the thread... Obviously all subjective opinions, likes and dislikes, and much of it tongue-in-cheek, no need to take any of it too seriously, no?

And it's a fun topic idea which is obviously popular and getting a lot of replies

 

[Josue Diaz]

On 12/8/2020 at 2:23 PM, Patrick said:

Ceroxylon quindiuense is kind of garbage /s

wHaAaAaAaAtTtTtTt??? lol

[Kim]

4 hours ago, Stevetoad said:

Dypsis are gross and sound like a childish insult 

Livistona is just an upside down Washingtonia 

Cyrtostachys renda...whats wrong? cant handle a little bit of cold...

Chambeyronia is like a king palm that craves attention every few months

Coconuts are so lame that they have to give you free food just to make friends

Rhapis I think the name says it all

Mauritia flexuosa needs to stop acting like it has a crownshaft 

Tahina "oh look at me I got big leaves"... blah blah blah

Chamaedorea, being small doesn't make you cute

Syagrus looks like a fluffy Coconut 

Hyphaene cant figure our which way to even grow

Bismarckia nobilis Pffffff... noble my butt, your a fat Brahea armata and everyone knows it.

the list goes on and on...

 

 

 

 So say you... 

[DoomsDave]

4 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

Just figured it would be a fun discussion to get everyone's perspective.  Not specific to me.

Okay!

[DoomsDave]

The central question asks you to do something impossible. 

At least for me.

Tell everyone your worst hot date?

Or your worst feast of favorite foods?

Or the worst game you won?

Or your worst moment of giving in to glorious impulse with no harm to you or anyone else?

Gonna stop there keep it family oriented!

[Stevetoad]

4 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

The central question asks you to do something impossible. 

At least for me.

Tell everyone your worst hot date?

Or your worst feast of favorite foods?

Or the worst game you won?

Gonna stop there keep it family oriented!

I won on mystery date by accidentally lighting myself on fire cooking carp. 

[DoomsDave]

For a kid from Ohio,  palms in So Cal are home, even if not in my yard.

Love all the Washies on the boolies like Tina Turner or Rod Stewart.

And the avenues of CIDPs in BH, LA or SD to name a few.

Without them might as well be Cincinnati.

[ahosey01]

5 hours ago, Stevetoad said:

Dypsis are gross and sound like a childish insult 

Livistona is just an upside down Washingtonia 

Cyrtostachys renda...whats wrong? cant handle a little bit of cold...

Chambeyronia is like a king palm that craves attention every few months

Coconuts are so lame that they have to give you free food just to make friends

Rhapis I think the name says it all

Mauritia flexuosa needs to stop acting like it has a crownshaft 

Tahina "oh look at me I got big leaves"... blah blah blah

Chamaedorea, being small doesn't make you cute

Syagrus looks like a fluffy Coconut 

Hyphaene cant figure our which way to even grow

Bismarckia nobilis Pffffff... noble my butt, your a fat Brahea armata and everyone knows it.

the list goes on and on...

 

 

 

Only among palm nerds is this even close to funny.

And by God, it’s funny.

[96720]

It would have to be washingtonias they shoot out blossoms all year long are expensive to trim and if you don’t trim them you have palms growing everywhere . Even though I have 12 or so growing on my property!!

Edited December 10, 2020 by 96720

[Funkthulhu]

I'll take this in a different direction.  It would cause untold economic hardship, but it might give the Rainforests a few more decades...

Genie, I wish for the palm tree species Elaeis guineensis (and Elaeis oleifera if you have time) to go extinct!  

[wimmie]

On 12/8/2020 at 10:39 PM, 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:

Nothing wrong with a good Trachy! Besides, it's the only species we can grow overhere!

[Teegurr]

3 hours ago, wimmie said:

Nothing wrong with a good Trachy! Besides, it's the only species we can grow overhere!

You can't grow any Sabals? Butias? Sorry if that's all you can grow.

[Patrick]

On 12/8/2020 at 6:06 PM, Darold Petty said:

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

Yes Jim and Darold I definitely WAS being sarcastic hence the /S

[Frond-friend42]

Hairball-palms like palmettos and schizophylla hybrids. I like Royals for their trunks and beautiful crownshafts, but many droopy leafed or plumose species look kind of screwy.  None of them are quite a blight to my eye like ironwoods.  Big thickets of ironwoods look the end of the world. I like to see them being cut down.

Palm species at least are a fun curiosity even if they are not so aesthetic. I like to make connections and comparisons within the family even if some of them look like hillbillies.

 

[Merlyn]

On 12/9/2020 at 4:49 PM, WaianaeCrider said:

The question was "which species would you be the least sad to lose? "  I would not be sad if they all just diapered one night.  LOL

And I thought toilet papering houses and trees was bad...???

I have no problem with Phoenix thorns, because they are mostly easy to avoid.  But I'd vote for anything Daemonorops.  Viny, clustering, ultraspiky, fast growing.

[wimmie]

On 12/10/2020 at 8:23 PM, Teegurr said:

You can't grow any Sabals? Butias? Sorry if that's all you can grow.

Thanks for your compassion, but Trachy really is the only species we can grow here unprotected!

[EastCanadaTropicals]

On 12/8/2020 at 11:37 PM, PalmTreeDude said:

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. 

I agree

[EastCanadaTropicals]

6 minutes ago, wimmie said:

Thanks for your compassion, but Trachy really is the only species we can grow here unprotected!

Your lucky I can't even grow rhapidollum unprotected out here, they'd do well because of the summer heat however

[EastCanadaTropicals]

On 12/8/2020 at 4:13 PM, Reyes Vargas said:

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

Why though? Just asking because regular sabal palmetto looks like crap when young.

[Reyes Vargas]

42 minutes ago, EastCanadaTropicals said:

Why though? Just asking because regular sabal palmetto looks like crap when young.

I had to choose one and they are over planted just like washingtonias.  I live in a fairly tropical area where I can plant a lot more tropical palms. I prefer any sabal over the palmetto.  That being said if I lived in a place where the only palm that grew was palmetto I would plant it.

[greysrigging]

This is why we despise Carpentarias. Every tree produces thousands of seeds......  and they have a 101% strike rate, even on concrete driveways and tin roofs.