My Acrocomia is one of my favorite palms, it take heat, sun, wind, drought, and still looks good.

Last winter it dropped to 18F for two nights in a row. By Feb it loss 75% of its leaves. But after a long warm summer it grew back all its leaves and is back to normal.

What a great palm!!!! I need more of them

Also have a A. aculeata (not in photo) that loss all it leaves after the two nights at 18F it too has a full new head of leaves by the end of this summer....

Acrocomia totai on the right

Another picture

Looks good, I'm glad to here it recovered. I just planted my small Acrocomia aculeata and was concerned about it's cold hardiness.

Could you post a close up pick of the head and one of the trunk so we can see her in better detail? And maybe one of the aculeata?

chris 78

I agree they are fantastic palms, and fast growing if well feeded.-

The best time is when show its fragrants flowers possible to feel it

from a long distance. Unfortunately is hard to germinate.-

Theres a trial for be used for biodiesel production.-

Theres a IPS memeber in Phoenix city, Arizona that i think can have some from seeds i sent him years ago.-

Theres some here that seems never suffer the drougness.-

Cheers. Gaston.-

Chris,

Great that you are growing this species.  A few questions:  At what low temps did this palm go with no visible damage from the cold?  Also, has it always taken the hot Phoenix sun with no problem?

Phil

Phil:

Although it only got down to 23° at my house for two nights, this is the first time that my Acrocomia vinifera ever looked somewhat tough.  The previous lows of 27° didn't seem to affect it at all.  Full sun:  no problem.  It is a much better looking palm than the queen palms that people try to grow here.  All of my acrocomia's have recovered nicely (A. media, A. totai, A. mexicana, & A. vinifera).

I've had my A. vinifera flower for several years now, still no seeds.  I'll have to wait until the other Acrocomias get a little older to cross polinate.

Rod

Phoenix

Do you get any frost Rod? And pics please

Good to hear from you Chris Rod and Phil,

It is one of my favorites also. There is a a couple of them about 80 miles south of Jax in Deland FL that survived the 1980s freezes. I think it got down to 17 F.

These were freezes with high gale force winds so you had significant windchill.  Did Az endure any wind chill with the freezes?  Anecodotally, I heard that there were many growing at Swisher estate in Jax. but these are not around to check.  All of mine were planted after 89',  they are from seed collected in Puerto Rico,

Mexico, and southern Brasil, All survived the 2 weeks of freezes and 21F we endured in 1999. No wind chill to speak of but several degreez above AZ low.

Best regards,

Ed

Here's my Acrocomia vinifera as of today (15 Oct 2007)

Front: 3 A. totai, far left: Hyphaene thebaica (with seeds), far right:  Hyphaene compressa,  lower front:  cycas angulata

Rod

There is a variety of Acrocomia, formerly known as A. totai, that is slower, more coldhardy and smaller than the 'totai' on Florida's east coast and other Acrocomia.  10F killed my first one, but others have survived 12-13F. It seems to have been introduced by Father Jerome of St. Leo Abbey, a charter member of the Palm Society. They were once growing in St. Leo and Deland in Florida.  Doug Keene, serenoa@totcon.com, has had some for sale recently.

Hi, Tank:

Would you be willing to post a picture of Russ's Acrocomia?  Thanks, merrill

Anone know of a source of the form that was formerly known as A. mexicana? This one will hold the dead fronds for a long time before shedding. This often rubs the spines off the trunk giving it a mostly smooth trunk.

(Rod @ Oct. 15 2007,12:26)

QUOTE

Here's my Acrocomia vinifera as of today (15 Oct 2007)

Front: 3 A. totai, far left: Hyphaene thebaica (with seeds), far right:  Hyphaene compressa,  lower front:  cycas angulata

Rod

Awsome pic Rod. You need to give us a complete tour because it looks kick arse from what I can see. Thanks for the info on your Acrocomia.

Eric,

Faith Bishock has a A. mexicana or Acrocomia of Mexican origin that is big .  I have one growing but it may be a few years for seeds.

Best regards,

Ed

Merrill,

Here is the pic of the 20ft+ Acrocomia in Lacrosse FL, just north of Gainesville.

Apparently it has not flowered yet.

It has seen temps into the mid teens(F).

The bananas at the bottom of the pic were about 10ft tall.

Jason

How old is that Acrocomia?

Both A. aculeata and A. totai survived the 3 big freeze events of the 1980's here, even the 2 nights at 19/20F in 12/89. A. aculeata will show burn at 27F but must be trunk hardy. Unfortuneately both of these specimens succumbed to ganoderma in the early 90's (poor maintance at the time, weedeater damage). Since then seedlings have resprouted. The A. aculeata were almost 30ft after 5 years from germination. An A. totai sprouted a several years ago after the seeds lay dormant for years. It sprouted at the base of 2 Queen Palms that were about 10 ft tall and had several years on it. The A. totai is just passing the Queens heightwise.

A. aculeata, 14 years old from seed, grew quickly to 30ft in 5 years then slowed down

A. totai, about 7 years old from seed

Thanks Ed.

(richtrav @ Oct. 16 2007,11:49)

QUOTE

Jason

How old is that Acrocomia?

Richard,

I'll have to ask the owner again about its age as I do not remember.  

It has not flowered but I do not know whether or not this is a good measure of age.

This plant was collected as a seedling from the trees growing in Dade City.

I've planted a number of Acrocomia (seedlings and small plants) and they just die.

I suspect that my clay soil is the problem.

Anyone have any specific thoughts?

dave

Hi, Dave:

I saw an extremely healthy Acrocomia in those very red soils near Sao Paolo.  I just don't know; the soil may have been more lateritic than clay, but it certainly wasn't Florida/sandy!

Mmm, they seem to do OK in the heavier soils in South Texas, though there aren't that many of them. In southern Tamaulipas A. mexicana is seen on sandy soil near the coast, but inland near the Sierra Madre it is found on fairly heavy soil.

I saw Acrocomia totai growing as wild in pure fine sand (poor soils) near the Parana river, red soil also, and some cultivated in my city grow well in claysh somewhat heavy soil without problem.-

They had passed neglect care, drougtness without watering, heavy frost and the rare snow this past winter.-

Something interesting is that Acrocomia totai can grow 1/3 higher (taller) then any queen palm around here.-

Unfortunately seeds are very hard to germinate and seedlings from wild didnt transplanted well for me.-

Gaston, I heard that it was as cold as -14C in parts of Corrientes province this winter and that palms such as Phoenix were killed.

How do Acrocomias fare in such temperatures ?

to add to the others commentary.  The Pantanal in Brasil Bolivia and Paraquai where I saw Acrocomia was orange clays like you see in Piedmont soils of East.

It might be the cool temps. that compromise growth.

Best regards

Ed

Interesting website with range maps for economically important plants.

List several palms including 5 Acrocomia spp. (I guess officially 2 now??)

Some species have range maps while others only have occurance locations.

Maybe the range maps show where they should be able to grow?

Not sure how they qualify the point locations.  Butia capitata only has one point location and it appears to be at Merrill's house.

http://www.bioversityinternational.org/Informa....dex.asp

They have about 110 palms listed

(Nigel @ Oct. 17 2007,03:53)

QUOTE

Gaston, I heard that it was as cold as -14C in parts of Corrientes province this winter and that palms such as Phoenix were killed.

How do Acrocomias fare in such temperatures ?

Nigel

I think that -14° C. and Phoenix killed in Corrientes is exagerated.-  Many kilometres to the south, drier and away of any water body nearly as in Cordoba the lower was -6° C. (july 10th) in an extremely cold and long winter.-

Yet, around here its possible to see Phoenix and Washingtonia robusta leaves dammaged but none was killed by cold in a place where Chorisia branches had suffered, burning the branches tips so deep to 5 cmts. wide but the cultivated Acrocomias none.-

I think Acrocomias can tolerate any cold, lower temps. longer winter and hardiest then queen palms but i also think they would need heat in summer for grow well.-

With this, sure can grow in south of Europe but in England perhaps not because the lack of heat.-

The problem so far has been getting them to remain alive for the duration of the Atlantic crossing!  I persuaded a nursery to buy some of Doug Keene's plants a couple of years back and they never recovered from being in the container.  Then again, they weren't large plants.  But if queen palms can't make it here I don't see an acrocomia doing it.