Palms immune to fasurium wilt

[nessa]

Trying to do research before planting new plants in the area affected by fasurium wilt. Does anyone know if pindo palms and foxtail palms are resistant to the disease. Also looking at the desert willow and mexican feather grass. I'm exhausted from buying plants that just die off from the disease. 

[Silas_Sancona]

4 minutes ago, nessa said:

Trying to do research before planting new plants in the area affected by fasurium wilt. Does anyone know if pindo palms and foxtail palms are resistant to the disease. Also looking at the desert willow and mexican feather grass. I'm exhausted from buying plants that just die off from the disease. 

Not 100% certain, but think Brahea ( Regionally native Genus of Palms )  and Sabal ( another, fan - type Palm Genus ) are resistant.

If you can find one, even if having to start small, Sabal uresana is a great, regionally native " Palmetto "  species for CA.. It and the Brahea Genus handle drought / heat / and the occasional winter cold out there w / out any issue.

As far as Pinnate / Feather - leaved type palms?  there are many choices.  Some require lots of water / fertilizer to look great all the time though.  Others will be more drought tolerant / fairly care- free,  once established. .

Desert Willow? ..Should have no issues w/ Fusarium, ..as far as i'm aware.  Grown by the dozens in landscapes / yards here.  They can have other issues if kept too wet though..

As far as ornamental grasses are concerned, would look at some of the native grasses,  like the native Nassella = Needlegrasses, Side Oats Grama, Leymus sps, Muhlenbergia,  etc  there,  vs. using Mexican Feather Grass.  Pretty, but ..It will seed ...everywhere..   


Stay far  away from Fountain Grass as well  ..Another ornamental grass that might look nice, but quickly becomes an ugly nightmare / can spread ...everywhere.  Think it is banned from sale out there now.  Should be,  if not.

For natives, there should be numerous places you can check out nearby..  Tree of Life Nursery, in San Juan Capistrano is fantastic.  Moosa Creek, Valley Center, is another great resource for natives as well.

California Botanical ( Garden ) in Clairmont ..and Fullerton Arboretum host some of the bigger native plant- themed plant sales in the spring.  Worth some research.

[nessa]

7 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Not 100% certain, but think Brahea ( Regionally native Genus of Palms )  and Sabal ( another, fan - type Palm Genus ) are resistant.

If you can find one, even if having to start small, Sabal uresana is a great, regionally native " Palmetto "  species for CA.. It and the Brahea Genus handle drought / heat / and the occasional winter cold out there w / out any issue.

As far as Pinnate / Feather - leaved type palms?  there are many choices.  Some require lots of water / fertilizer to look great all the time though.  Others will be more drought tolerant / fairly care- free,  once established. .

Desert Willow? ..Should have no issues w/ Fusarium, ..as far as i'm aware.  Grown by the dozens in landscapes / yards here.  They can have other issues if kept too wet though..

As far as ornamental grasses are concerned, would look at some of the native grasses,  like the native Nassella = Needlegrasses, Side Oats Grama, Leymus sps, Muhlenbergia,  etc  there,  vs. using Mexican Feather Grass.  Pretty, but ..It will seed ...everywhere..   


Stay far  away from Fountain Grass as well  ..Another ornamental grass that might look nice, but quickly becomes an ugly nightmare / can spread ...everywhere.  Think it is banned from sale out there now.  Should be,  if not.

For natives, there should be numerous places you can check out nearby..  Tree of Life Nursery, in San Juan Capistrano is fantastic.  Moosa Creek, Valley Center, is another great resource for natives as well.

California Botanical ( Garden ) in Clairmont ..and Fullerton Arboretum host some of the bigger native plant- themed plant sales in the spring.  Worth some research.

Thank you, for pointing me to the right direction. I will take a look at the ones you mentioned. 

[Merlyn]

@nessa there are two types of Fusarium that affect palms in the US. 

• Fusarium Oxysporum v. Canariensis attacks Phoenix and Washingtonia species.  In Phoenix it is usually only seen killing Canary Dates, i.e. the name Canariensis.  But it can infect other Phoenix too and generally causes poor growth rate and poor health in lab tests.  In field testing it infected Washingtonia Filifera, but apparently hasn't been seen killing Filifera in nature.
• Fusarium Oxysporum v. Palmarum attacks Syagrus Romanzoffiana (Queen), Mule palms (Queen x Pindo) and Washingtonia Robusta.  Queens and Robusta are extremely susceptible to it, and I've seen entire rows of Robusta die in a matter of a few weeks after the first symptom on a single palm.  Mules are "somewhat resistant" to it, but there are several people here with mules that died from Fusarium.

Pindos and Foxtails are not susceptible to either type.  If you avoid the above palms you shouldn't have any issues with Fusarium.

[SeanK]

2 hours ago, Merlyn said:

@nessa there are two types of Fusarium that affect palms in the US. 

• Fusarium Oxysporum v. Canariensis attacks Phoenix and Washingtonia species.  In Phoenix it is usually only seen killing Canary Dates, i.e. the name Canariensis.  But it can infect other Phoenix too and generally causes poor growth rate and poor health in lab tests.  In field testing it infected Washingtonia Filifera, but apparently hasn't been seen killing Filifera in nature.
• Fusarium Oxysporum v. Palmarum attacks Syagrus Romanzoffiana (Queen), Mule palms (Queen x Pindo) and Washingtonia Robusta.  Queens and Robusta are extremely susceptible to it, and I've seen entire rows of Robusta die in a matter of a few weeks after the first symptom on a single palm.  Mules are "somewhat resistant" to it, but there are several people here with mules that died from Fusarium.

Pindos and Foxtails are not susceptible to either type.  If you avoid the above palms you shouldn't have any issues with Fusarium.

Interesting that it attacks Queens but not everything in the family of coccoids.

[Merlyn]

2 hours ago, SeanK said:

Interesting that it attacks Queens but not everything in the family of coccoids.

Yep, and to me even stranger that it kills Queens but many other Syagrus are not affected!  I think it was Meg who said her Queens and Mules all died, but Schizophylla and a "x Montgomeryana" (Schizophylla x Romanzoffiana) were okay.  And it apparently doesn't affect Lytocaryum, Allagoptera, or Attalea either.

And then of course Washies are on a completely different branch of the genetic tree...but the closely related Copernicia, Colpothrinax, and Prichardia are unaffected...go figure.