Texas Palms

[MarcusH]

On 4/7/2026 at 4:48 PM, Xenon said:

Hobby has always been palmy

 

Occasionally I run into these unicorn 2021 survivor queen palms.  Look at how fat that trunk is , definitely helps insulate. (And how neglected it is lol) Again showing the genetic variability of queens...some are just naturally more robust with thicker trunks ...and more cold hardy 

 

 

I find it impressive that it survived 2021 but let's be honest,  this is one ugly mofo.  Any Butia you didn't like on the pictures that were posted on here looks a gazillion times better than this Queen .  The car in the background is cool though.  

[MarcusH]

On 4/7/2026 at 7:22 PM, SeanK said:

Somehow, the queen looks as ratty as the rest of the property 

It's a Texas thing. There are some houses like that in my neighborhood.  No HOA!!!!  A lot of people are lazy here.  

[Xenon]

1 hour ago, MarcusH said:

I find it impressive that it survived 2021 but let's be honest,  this is one ugly mofo.  Any Butia you didn't like on the pictures that were posted on here looks a gazillion times better than this Queen .  The car in the background is cool though.  

I didn't offer any commentary about its looks, just that it's there and alive. Obviously, it must have looked a thousand times better in the past in order to be able to grow such a fat trunk. Hopefully it regains its former glory, it has good genetics 🌴

[Robert Cade Ross]

Visited the motherland this week. 
 

The smaller fruiting coconut is from a ditch that was collected by a lady in homestead Fl 5 years ago . receives no love from the owner .
 

second the largest coconut that has managed to evade the 2021 Texas palm massacre lol over on port Isabel if anyone wants the exact address message me . 
 

across the same street I found a yard with 3-4 young cocos that looked really great the lady who lives there mentioned her husband collected all the cocos that washed ashore and they sprouted! 
 

 

other pics are of various parts of the valley for whatever reason palm talk won’t let me insert individual Info per pick so if yall have questions I’ll answer what I can haha . #Zone10A-BTexas

[Austinpalm]

Good pix of my yard.  Thanks!  Wish I had not been out of town for work that day.  Maybe next time.

[Chester B]

@Xenon Did you happen to see the weeping Chamaerops at Hobby?  In that mass planting there is one in there and it looks fantastic.

[Xenon]

4 hours ago, Chester B said:

@Xenon Did you happen to see the weeping Chamaerops at Hobby?  In that mass planting there is one in there and it looks fantastic.

Will keep an eye out next time 

[MarcusH]

On 4/8/2026 at 9:26 PM, Robert Cade Ross said:

Visited the motherland this week. 
 

The smaller fruiting coconut is from a ditch that was collected by a lady in homestead Fl 5 years ago . receives no love from the owner .
 

second the largest coconut that has managed to evade the 2021 Texas palm massacre lol over on port Isabel if anyone wants the exact address message me . 
 

across the same street I found a yard with 3-4 young cocos that looked really great the lady who lives there mentioned her husband collected all the cocos that washed ashore and they sprouted! 
 

 

other pics are of various parts of the valley for whatever reason palm talk won’t let me insert individual Info per pick so if yall have questions I’ll answer what I can haha . #Zone10A-BTexas

IMG_9409.mov

No questions ....we're friends on Facebook I see where you are and what you're doing lol. Wish I could just be on a roadtrip to explore palms like you guys do. I drove through Homestead to Key Largo few years back.  The palms in South Florida are all amazing.  

[Robert Cade Ross]

Seabrook- clear lake today queens planted post 21 

[Ben G.]

Those pygmies look nice. I am guessing those a re post 2021 plantings as well?

[Xenon]

Random corner in Friendswood...pretty old

[Ben G.]

I was pretty happy to get my hands on Butia x Jubaea this last week:

It was shipped from Oregon, so I was happy for a cool rainy week when it was in transit. Looks like it made it in good shape.

My Butia (purchased locally) that spear pulled and started to die, is doing a bit better now, though it will be a long time before it looks normal:

Trunk cutting sets them back badly, but it has sure helped me rescue the plant just about every time I have done it.

Another example is my Sabal mexicana that performed so poorly last winter:

Its twin spear pulled also, but had a new spear growing pretty quickly. So, it didn't need surgery:

[ChrisA]

Given the cold snap and freezing rain there are many palms in the area that suffered damage.  Lots of bruised fronds in larger California or California Fan dominant hybrids while many very young Calis spear pulled with a few dying.  My Mexican Fans are making a comeback but they did suffer spear rot and are pushing out dwarfed fronds now. I’ve said it before but Washingtonia DESPISE frozen precipitation and freezing rain probably the most. So worth saying again! Happy Summer!

[Robert Cade Ross]

On 4/25/2026 at 9:17 AM, ChrisA said:

Given the cold snap and freezing rain there are many palms in the area that suffered damage.  Lots of bruised fronds in larger California or California Fan dominant hybrids while many very young Calis spear pulled with a few dying.  My Mexican Fans are making a comeback but they did suffer spear rot and are pushing out dwarfed fronds now. I’ve said it before but Washingtonia DESPISE frozen precipitation and freezing rain probably the most. So worth saying again! Happy Summer!

I had to trunk cut a 1’ robsuta it’s growing back fast now . 

[MarcusH]

On 4/25/2026 at 9:17 AM, ChrisA said:

Given the cold snap and freezing rain there are many palms in the area that suffered damage.  Lots of bruised fronds in larger California or California Fan dominant hybrids while many very young Calis spear pulled with a few dying.  My Mexican Fans are making a comeback but they did suffer spear rot and are pushing out dwarfed fronds now. I’ve said it before but Washingtonia DESPISE frozen precipitation and freezing rain probably the most. So worth saying again! Happy Summer!

As expected everything is growing the way it should.  I don't see any casualties but the freezing precipitation really took a toll on a lot of palms this year.  Both of my Butia Oderata took spear damage . I'm still looking for a normal spear to come out but from my observations it looks like I can see the tip of a healthy ones.  Robusta as always comes back as usual.  All Filiferas show cold damage on old fronds now . It was only 22F  at my place but the wet cold for 2 days was something else.  Nobody got time for that.  CIDPs look sad and ugly.  Maybe next winter we come out of it better. 

[Chester B]

I lost two small palms,  and had a Needle palm spear pull, along with a a bunch of cosmetic damage to the newly growing spear on a number of mostly Butia and butia hybrids.  That spear damage usually result in 2-3 blemished or broken off fronds, but with all the heat, everything has moved on to 100% blemish free fronds.  The needle that spear pulled fortunately is pushing  all new growth now.. So I'm hoping that now many will after this summer be established and less likely to take damage.  Sabals, Filiferas , Trachys and Chamaedoreas all didn't seem to care about the cold.

Weirdly I lost all nine of my Plumbagos even though they are hardy to zone 8.  I finally gave up on them this weekend and started replacing them.

[Ben G.]

13 hours ago, Chester B said:

I lost two small palms,  and had a Needle palm spear pull, along with a a bunch of cosmetic damage to the newly growing spear on a number of mostly Butia and butia hybrids.  That spear damage usually result in 2-3 blemished or broken off fronds, but with all the heat, everything has moved on to 100% blemish free fronds.  The needle that spear pulled fortunately is pushing  all new growth now.. So I'm hoping that now many will after this summer be established and less likely to take damage.  Sabals, Filiferas , Trachys and Chamaedoreas all didn't seem to care about the cold.

Weirdly I lost all nine of my Plumbagos even though they are hardy to zone 8.  I finally gave up on them this weekend and started replacing them.

That's too bad about your plumbagos. I really like them, and they are pretty common all around San Antonio. I was considering removing some nice (but bland) dwarf yaupon holly and replacing them with plumbago. Perhaps I should reconsider though.

I could always use some salvia for a nice long blue/purple bloom season.

[Chester B]

13 hours ago, Ben G. said:

That's too bad about your plumbagos. I really like them, and they are pretty common all around San Antonio. I was considering removing some nice (but bland) dwarf yaupon holly and replacing them with plumbago. Perhaps I should reconsider though.

I could always use some salvia for a nice long blue/purple bloom season.

Some of the plumbagos had some pretty long and thick roots that had spread a few feet from the base of the plant.  Not sure why they died but sometimes these things happen.  I had varying success with Tecoma this year too.  Two did great, two not so good, and the two largest and earliest planted ones are barely showing signs of life.  

Some of these plants I have not grown before so it's all a learning experience.

The salvia guaranitica varieties do bloom profusely, but they do need a little more water than say farinaceae or greggii.  My S guaranitica "rhythym and blues" spread immensely this spring taking over a pretty decent area.  That was new to me.

[Robert Cade Ross]

On 4/27/2026 at 8:39 AM, Chester B said:

I lost two small palms,  and had a Needle palm spear pull, along with a a bunch of cosmetic damage to the newly growing spear on a number of mostly Butia and butia hybrids.  That spear damage usually result in 2-3 blemished or broken off fronds, but with all the heat, everything has moved on to 100% blemish free fronds.  The needle that spear pulled fortunately is pushing  all new growth now.. So I'm hoping that now many will after this summer be established and less likely to take damage.  Sabals, Filiferas , Trachys and Chamaedoreas all didn't seem to care about the cold.

Weirdly I lost all nine of my Plumbagos even though they are hardy to zone 8.  I finally gave up on them this weekend and started replacing them.

I give up on plumbagos I tried the white and blue multiple times they die in the summer for me for zero reason lol . In Manvel /Alvin 

[Robert Cade Ross]

Houston botanic garden yesterday and a yard with a fairly large pindo in Pearland towards 45 South . 
 

peep the new washys along the freeway under planted with sabal minors @Xenon your favorite 😹😹😹dead  Jubaea…. As expected lol

[Xenon]

Anyone else think this Sabal looks weird...but attractive? Huge crown, long petioles, but thin trunk ....has the coloring, big seeds, and leaf shape of mexicana ??? Spotted in southeast Houston 

[MarcusH]

9 hours ago, Xenon said:

Anyone else think this Sabal looks weird...but attractive? Huge crown, long petioles, but thin trunk ....has the coloring, big seeds, and leaf shape of mexicana ??? Spotted in southeast Houston 

Yes it does . Doesn't look like a pure Palmetto to me,  even their crowns can grow to a large size when old . Hybrid ? 

[Xenon]

1 hour ago, MarcusH said:

Yes it does . Doesn't look like a pure Palmetto to me,  even their crowns can grow to a large size when old . Hybrid ? 

It doesn't look like a palmetto at all imo. It looks almost exactly S. mexicana and has the big seeds like S. mexicana but the petioles are just slightly longer than usual and the trunk is way too thin relative to the crown. Looks like one of those big shell fireworks. I dig it 

No palmetto has a crown this big and robust in full sun. This is Caribbean Sabal size but none of them afaik have thin trunk. 

[MarcusH]

1 hour ago, Xenon said:

It doesn't look like a palmetto at all imo. It looks almost exactly S. mexicana and has the big seeds like S. mexicana but the petioles are just slightly longer than usual and the trunk is way too thin relative to the crown. Looks like one of those big shell fireworks. I dig it 

No palmetto has a crown this big and robust in full sun. This is Caribbean Sabal size but none of them afaik have thin trunk. 

S. Mexicana have large thick petioles and slightly less dense crowns . Tons of them growing in SA. Palmettos look like midgets compared next to them lol.  Interesting palm though, kind of out of proportions like a big guy with legs that look like a flamingo bird lol. 

[Meangreen94z]

San Antonio Botanical Garden

This last one is Encephalartos inopinus not heenanii