Suggestions for easy exotic palms for South Florida

[GeorgeFtLauerdale]

Hi all,

I've been looking to add some less-ubiquitous palm species to my yard and have been researching for a while and reading through this forum and one thing seems to be a theme: 

  There are many exotic palm species available but many of them are difficult to grow (and keep alive) in a specific area. 

So I wanted to create kind of a compilation here in this topic for now and for future readers from South Florida that can guide them to palm species that are different from the dozen we see EVERYWHERE and at the same time are fairly easy to grow in our climate and soils (majority of SFlo really being marl or sand) and not overly prone to diseases. 
 

Please share only personal experience or direct observation. 

Please skip these already overused species:
Sabal Palmetto

Bismarckia Nobilis 

Phoenix sp. (any of them)

Livistona Chinensis

Washingtonia Robusta

Cocos Nucifera

Acoelorrhaphe Wrightii

Syagrus Romanzoffiana

Butia Capitata

Hyophorbe Lagenicaulis

Dypsis Lutescens

Dypsis Decarii

Roystonea sp

Wodyetia Bifurcata

 

Thank you all and looking forward to all the insights.  

Edited September 21, 2022 by GeorgeFtLauerdale

[aztropic]

16 minutes ago, GeorgeFtLauerdale said:

Hi all,

I've been looking to add some less-ubiquitous palm species to my yard and have been researching for a while and reading through this forum and one thing seems to be a theme: 

  There are many exotic palm species available but many of them are difficult to grow (and keep alive) in a specific area. 

So I wanted to create kind of a compilation here in this topic for now and for future readers from South Florida that can guide them to palm species that are different from the dozen we see EVERYWHERE and at the same time are fairly easy to grow in our climate and soils (majority of SFlo really being marl or sand) and not overly prone to diseases. 
 

Please share only personal experience or direct observation. 

Please skip these already overused species:
Sabal Palmetto

Bismarckia Nobilis 

Phoenix sp. (any of them)

Livistona Chinensis

Washingtonia Robusta

Cocos Nucifera

Acoelorrhaphe Wrightii

Syagrus Romanzoffiana

Butia Capitata

Hyophorbe Lagenicaulis

Dypsis Lutescens

Dypsis Decarii

Roystonea sp

Wodyetia Bifurcata

 

Thank you all and looking forward to all the insights.  

Any Pseudophoenix, Coccothrinax, Thrinax, Hemithrinax, or most Copernicia species.

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[PJP]

Here are some that work for me

Kentiopsis

Chambeyronia

Satakentia

Carpoxylon Macrospermim

Cyphophoenix nucele, elegans

Areca Vestiaria (in shade)

Acanthophoenix Rubra

[idontknowhatnametuse]

Areca Catechu

Areca Triandra

Chamaedorea Tepejilote

Bismarckia Nobilis

Thrinax Radiata

Sabal Mauritiiformis

Sabal Yapa

Chambeyronia Macrocarpa

Dypsis Madagascariensis

Attalea Cohune

Attalea Butyracea

Ptychosperma Elegans

Ptychosperma Macarthurii

[Foxpalms]

Dictyosperma album var. rubrum

Beccariophoenix fenestralis

Adonidia merrilli golden

Burretiokentia hapala

Kentiopsis oliviformis

[PalmatierMeg]

Agree. Also, add the Veitchia spp, Leucophoenix morrisii, Hydriastele dransfieldii, the less common Chamaedoreas, i.e., ernest-augustii, deckeriana, metallica, geoniformis, adscendens, hooperiana, klotzschiana, Sabal palmetto ‘Lisa’, Sabal miamiensis, Dypsis (formerly?) pembana, cabadae, Gaussia gomez-pompei, princeps, maya

[Looking Glass]

You can organize these in different ways, depending on if you are a lumper or splitter.   You also have to consider if you are closer to the coast, with sand for soil, or out toward the Everglades in dug up suburbs, where black muck is more plentiful.   
 

I’m a lumper, and view them in a few big catagories:

1) The common basic landscaping palms here, like you mentioned. Coconuts, Bottles, Spindles, Various Veitchia, Ptychosperma, Bismarcks, Various Phoenix, Queens, Royals, Sabals, Triangles, Foxtails, Washingtonia, etc….  These are all great palms.  So great, every yard has a few of them at least.  They are the basic landscaping trees and bushes in most yards of non-plant people here.  Available at any nursery or big box store.   Require no special care normally.  

2) Natives and near-Natives.    These grow really well and deal with poor soils, drought periods, and then deluge conditions.   The native Florida Palms, the Carribean palms, and the Cuban Palms.   Pseudophoenix, Coccothrinax, Copernicia, Thrinax, Leukothrinax, etc..  These look great with some care and feeding.  They are also slower and harder to find, so not as popular.  

3) More exotic Palms that still do well with some extra care and TLC.  Chambeyronia, Satakentia, some bigger Dypsis/Chrysalidocarpus (Madagascarensis, Carlsmithii, Prestoniana, Leptocheilos, Pembana, etc…), Beccariophoenix, Dictyosperma, Burritokentia, Carpoxylon, Acanthophoenix, etc….  And many others.  These are the ones I’m constantly searching for also.  Things that are harder to find, and somewhat unique, but doable.  The “sweet spot” for palms.  

4) Real exotic stuff that is possible with ICU level care.  These are the “heart breakers”.  Remotely possible sometimes with a lot of work, monitoring and luck.   Too many to mention by name.  The killers of hopes and dreams.  Things you see in exotic Hawaii gardens and think you can pull off.   
 

 

[D. Morrowii]

@Looking Glass Your chunk category system is easy to absorb lol. I like it. 

[SeanK]

The intersection of easy AND exotic may be a null set.

[idontknowhatnametuse]

You can also try growing Sabal Mauritiiformis and Sabal Yapa instead of Sabal Palmettos that you see all around florida.