Road Trip Down to Columbia, South Carolina and Congaree National Park

[Alex High]

Hello palm lovers,

I was in the Columbia, South Carolina area from December 22nd-24th, and while there I saw many palms, both native and exotic. I will put pictures below of the many beautiful palms I saw on the trip. I alspo made videos on many of these palms on my YouTube channel, PalmsUSA. Take care and happy holidays!

PalmsUSA

Sabal palmetto in Fort Mill, South Carolina, just south of Charlotte, NC:

Saw this massive Butia once I entered Columbia:

Pindos were everywhere around town:

And of course there were Sabal palmetto everywhere in the capital of the palmetto state:

The ones at the SC State House are ancient:

I saw a few needles around town:

Of course windmills were everywhere:

This is the biggest windmill I saw:

I also saw some big Chamaerops in Columbia. I took seed from this one:

An old C. humilis with trunks covered in English ivy:

Some young Chamaerops:

I also visited Congaree National Park while in the Columbia area and saw some beautiful Sabal minor in habitat:

A Sabal minor stand in Congaree. Most of the Sabal minor I saw had developed small trunks:

I also saw these dwarf palmettos at the park visitor center, which were presumably planted. Interestingly there were TONS of seedlings around the visitor center, which is located in the upland pine forest of the park, not in the swamp where the wild palms were growing. I assume all of the seedlings and a few mature palms I saw in the woods next to the visitor center were naturalized, and not part of a wild population such as those in the swamp, but I am not sure. Let me know what you think:

Sabal minor (presumably naturalized?) next to the visitor center in the woods. There were tons of other seedlings around it:

On the way back from Congaree National Park, I drove by this interesting store with a lot of exotic palms around it. First off, there were four 45+ foot Washingtonia robusta:

Several Phoenix roebelenii, all of which looked relatively new, and one of which was already dead. According to Google Maps Street View, they had been through at least one winter Do they have a chance of survival there?:

I also saw this beat up-looking queen palm which has also survived at least one winter according to Street View. The crown looks poorly pruned but the palm is certainly still alive. The furthest north long-term queens I know of are in coastal Georgia and some on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, which have much warmer and more suitable climates than Columbia. Any chance of this palm's long-term survival in Columbia?:

And, although not a palm, there were tons of beautiful sagos around Columbia as well, some of which were quite old and large:

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by PalmsUSA

[JASON M]

Cool to see so many different species growing so far inland. Really interesting about the Pygmy dates; maybe the homeowner protects the bigger ones, or maybe Columbia’s had a lucky string of warm years! 

[Alex High]

3 hours ago, JASON M said:

Cool to see so many different species growing so far inland. Really interesting about the Pygmy dates; maybe the homeowner protects the bigger ones, or maybe Columbia’s had a lucky string of warm years! 

Yeah, there are lots of palms in Columbia. The pygmy dates and queen palm were interesting/surprising find. I wonder if they do get protection, and I hope they pull through. Take care!

PalmsUSA

Edited December 29, 2020 by PalmsUSA

[PalmTreeDude]

Thanks for posting these pictures! South Carolina has some nice palms, I have noticed some of the less hardy species are being planted more often there. That Wodyetia bifurcata and those Phoenix roebelenii don't stand a chance though in the long run endless someone is protecting them. 

Edited December 29, 2020 by PalmTreeDude

[Xenon]

 

5 hours ago, PalmTreeDude said:

Thanks for posting these pictures! South Carolina has some nice palms, I have noticed some of the less hardy species are being planted more often there. That Wodyetia bifurcata and those Phoenix roebelenii don't stand a chance though in the long run endless someone is protecting them. 

Was about to comment on this, the foxtail is an even cooler find than a queen palm. But never mind the long-term, it's a miracle the pygmy date and foxtail palm survived even just one winter at all! Must have been an exceptionally warm winter. 

[Alex High]

12 hours ago, PalmTreeDude said:

Thanks for posting these pictures! South Carolina has some nice palms, I have noticed some of the less hardy species are being planted more often there. That Wodyetia bifurcata and those Phoenix roebelenii don't stand a chance though in the long run endless someone is protecting them. 

Thanks, it is surprising to see them there at all and to see that they have survived at least one winter is great, but you are certainly right that they don't stand a chance in a harsh winter without protection. I hope someone does protect them so that those nice palms don't just die like so many other "annuals" planted in Ocean City, MD and Rehoboth, DE. Take care!

PalmsUSA

[Alex High]

7 hours ago, Xenon said:

 

Was about to comment on this, the foxtail is an even cooler find than a queen palm. But never mind the long-term, it's a miracle the pygmy date and foxtail palm survived even just one winter at all! Must have been an exceptionally warm winter. 

I completely agree, it is certainly a miracle that those palms have even survived one winter in Columbia. I am guessing it was quite mild because last winter in D.C. was very mild. Take care!

PalmsUSA

Edited December 29, 2020 by PalmsUSA