Hi need help if possible differentiating these two palms. I’m in VA Beach, USA, zone 8a, trying to zone push with a brahea armata. But, the local seller didn’t have tags and I forget which of these he sold to me as a brahea. The other should be a Sabal (unknown species but likely palmetto). 
Can someone help me ID it? Or maybe neither are a brahea and I got sold the wrong plant. This first photo is Plant A. The next post has Plant B. 
 

 

Edited September 15, 20232 yr by ShrimpoDimpo

This is Plant B below.

 

 

 

Edited September 15, 20232 yr by ShrimpoDimpo

Palm one is the Sabal. It has a heal and if you look at the way the petiole attaches to the leaf it is indicative of a Sabal. Most likely palmetto but definitely not S minor. 
 

Second palm should be the Brahea armata but it’s not as blue as I am accustomed to seeing. Yours is quite green. 

Thank you 😄 I very much appreciate the help. Yeah I’m hoping it blues up with age or maybe it’s because of having too much sun? As long as it survives I’m happy. I got some blue sabal uresanas from palmsrgreat, hopefully those do well long term here.
 

It’s probably too late to plant either of these (definitely the brahea at least), though they’re very root bound with roots coming out the bottom. Got both from Ralph at Pungo Palms nursery for $10 for the Sabal and $30 for brahea, great prices. For all the palmettos and minors and chamaerops people talk about seeing in Va Beach, have never really seen any type of Brahea here. And Ralph wasn’t sure it’d survive here either. Hopefully mine survives long term in a semi protected spot.

I think both of them are sabals. They have the heels. Nice palms though. 

12 hours ago, ShrimpoDimpo said:

Can someone help me ID it? Or maybe neither are a brahea and I got sold the wrong plant.

I can't really see much of the photos on my phone but another way to distinguish between Sabal and Brahea are the thorns on the leaf petioles.  Sabal palms have smooth petioles that never have any thorns while the majority of Brahea are armed.  I believe only Brahea calcarea and super silver are unarmed.

I think both are Sabals as well. 
 

If one is a Brahea it’s not armata; they’re really gray or blue even when young and slow as Congress in a dither..

Armata aren’t armed they have smooth petioles. More sun brings out the blue.  I don’t see a heal on the second palm, resembles a Serenoa to me. 

3 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

I think both are Sabals as well. 
 

If one is a Brahea it’s not armata; they’re really gray or blue even when young and slow as Congress in a dither..

  Was thinking the same thing.. Even seedlings i keep in mainly shade are blue.

1 hour ago, Chester B said:

Armata aren’t armed they have smooth petioles. More sun brings out the blue.  I don’t see a heal on the second palm, resembles a Serenoa to me. 

B armata is armed. Armata means armed in latin. 
 

I agree with the above, both are Sabals I think.

Sabals.

Even though I live in FL I have not seen any Brahea for sale at even specialty commercial nurseries, except for Searles, where years ago I bought a Brahea decumbens, the only species in the genus that had even a prayer of surviving in my garden according to literature (wrong!).  It limped along for 3 years in the ground before carking. That ended Braheas for me. No BB garden center that I know of on the east coast carries Brahea. This genus wants a dry climate, hates East Coast humid heat and rain.

1 hour ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Sabals.

Even though I live in FL I have not seen any Brahea for sale at even specialty commercial nurseries, except for Searles, where years ago I bought a Brahea decumbens, the only species in the genus that had even a prayer of surviving in my garden according to literature (wrong!).  It limped along for 3 years in the ground before carking. That ended Braheas for me. No BB garden center that I know of on the east coast carries Brahea. This genus wants a dry climate, hates East Coast humid heat and rain.

Only Brahea -anything- ( maybe armata?? ) specimen  i recall,  ...that i've seen w/ my own eyes there..  ..Pretty sure there were a couple others which had been discussed in the past also..

Shot taken from the Kopsick last December.  Hopefully someone out there is trying seed off of it..


 

10 hours ago, Chester B said:

Armata aren’t armed they have smooth petioles. More sun brings out the blue.  I don’t see a heal on the second palm, resembles a Serenoa to me. 

My armata had curved spines.

This Palm might be B.edulis, which is greener than armata and seems to lack spines, at least on young plants.

Both look like Sabals to me, although the 2nd one does resemble a Brahea decumbens in a way. Decumbens have that heel as well. Definitely not Brahea edulis.

3 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Only Brahea -anything- ( maybe armata?? ) specimen  i recall,  ...that i've seen w/ my own eyes there..  ..Pretty sure there were a couple others which had been discussed in the past also..

Shot taken from the Kopsick last December.  Hopefully someone out there is trying seed off of it..


 

I wonder whether that palm’s location 120 miles north of me gives it some kind of survival edge, although seems not likely. Colder, dry winters may help it eke out a life. I know some people in NFL have written of success with the genus Trachycarpus but they die a pitiful death here. I’ve also had no luck with FL native Rhapidophyllum either. The SFL summers are brutal and long.

4 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

I wonder whether that palm’s location 120 miles north of me gives it some kind of survival edge, although seems not likely. Colder, dry winters may help it eke out a life. I know some people in NFL have written of success with the genus Trachycarpus but they die a pitiful death here. I’ve also had no luck with FL native Rhapidophyllum either. The SFL summers are brutal and long.

Not sure,  but possible for sure.  ..I mean, it sits ~roughly~ 250ft from the bay,  so i'm sure it is bathed in constant humidity, even if it isn't quite as humid there at the park,  as it can be down your way....  

I remember eye balling it numerous times while roaming Kopsick wondering just how long would it last before giving up  ..Given what is thought about it's climate preference. 

To see it taller, looking pretty good ..Though maybe of a thinner profile  -compared to the husky specimens one might see here, or in CA at least-  ..and setting seed is a bit of a unexpected surprise.. 

If the maintenance folk don't kill them, would be interesting to hear of any seedlings growing under / near it, or planting of seedlings from it in other parts of the park, / other areas around the bay,  just to see how they do.. 

If not a hybrid ( doesn't look like one to my eye ) possible this specimen may have originated from a seed collection sourced from specimens located as far south as they grow in Baja, thus ..perhaps.. having a little better tolerance for humidity, and /or rainfall??  🤷‍♂️.. Tough to say w/ out peering at it's genetics i suppose..

23 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

I think both are Sabals as well. 
 

If one is a Brahea it’s not armata; they’re really gray or blue even when young and slow as Congress in a dither..

It looks kind of like a Brandegeei, but again Sabal is more likely correct. 

13 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Sabals.

Even though I live in FL I have not seen any Brahea for sale at even specialty commercial nurseries, except for Searles, where years ago I bought a Brahea decumbens, the only species in the genus that had even a prayer of surviving in my garden according to literature (wrong!).  It limped along for 3 years in the ground before carking. That ended Braheas for me. No BB garden center that I know of on the east coast carries Brahea. This genus wants a dry climate, hates East Coast humid heat and rain.

There is one species from central America that should be trialed (if you can find one) in southern Florida: Brahea salvadorensis is native to Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. It looks a lot like B. nitida.

Hi 104˚, Lo 64˚

Edited September 17, 20232 yr by Tom in Tucson

9 hours ago, Tom in Tucson said:

There is one species from central America that should be trialed (if you can find one) in southern Florida: Brahea salvadorensis is native to Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. It looks a lot like B. nitida.

Hi 104˚, Lo 64˚

Thanks, Tom. I don’t know that one. My chances of finding it in FL or anywhere else in the US likely are nil to none. Too bad.