Planting a beccariophoenix alfredii how cold tolerant are they

[happypalms]

No time like the present then to plant my alfredii,  if there as tough as they say they are this planting session will be a spring holiday for the afredii then! How tough are they we will find out!

[Tyrone]

They’re super tough. They will laugh at your winters. I’ve got heaps planted out and in pots. They never get damaged by the cold and I’ve gone below minus 2C before. They just need free draining soil. Treat them like a solar panel, just like a coconut, the more sun the better and you will have what looks like a bulky coconut in a few years. 

[happypalms]

6 hours ago, Tyrone said:

They’re super tough. They will laugh at your winters. I’ve got heaps planted out and in pots. They never get damaged by the cold and I’ve gone below minus 2C before. They just need free draining soil. Treat them like a solar panel, just like a coconut, the more sun the better and you will have what looks like a bulky coconut in a few years. 

Ok let it laugh a comedy show will be fun. I was never really interested in them and couldn’t see all the hype about alfredii, so I thought I better get one and see what all the fuss is about these alfredii. 

[Tyrone]

If you can’t grow a coconut, they are the closest look alike to a coconut but way more cold tolerant than a coconut. They’re obviously different to a Cocos nucifera, and much rarer than a coconut. They’re one of my favourites. 

[JohnAndSancho]

I had a few seedlings. I left 3 of them behind in my eviction. Guess what happened to the last one? 

 

It did ok when I left it outside, aside from being a fire ant magnet. I brought it inside and they don't like being houseplants apparently. 

[Merlyn]

@happypalms my 5 larger Alfredii have been through lows of 24.4F (-4C) with only minor leaf tip burn, roughly 25% damage.  Small ones like the size of yours aren't quite as tough, but had minimal damage around 28F (-2C).  And those temps are with frost...

[happypalms]

4 hours ago, Tyrone said:

If you can’t grow a coconut, they are the closest look alike to a coconut but way more cold tolerant than a coconut. They’re obviously different to a Cocos nucifera, and much rarer than a coconut. They’re one of my favourites. 

Iam not worried about not growing a coconut, I would rather see them in habitat, like on a tropical island called Vanuatu. Leave the coconut growing to the exsperts. 

[happypalms]

3 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I had a few seedlings. I left 3 of them behind in my eviction. Guess what happened to the last one? 

 

It did ok when I left it outside, aside from being a fire ant magnet. I brought it inside and they don't like being houseplants apparently. 

Let me guess it lived, one out of three surly it survived. 

[JohnAndSancho]

14 minutes ago, happypalms said:

Let me guess it lived, one out of three surly it survived. 

I left the others behind when I got evicted. I left lots of stuff behind - some cool aloes, C. Lutescens, a big W. Robusta, my giant Cat palm, a bunch of A. Tuckerii, my little Rhapsis, my very leggy Monstera, my orange spider plants, soil amendments and containers, tons of pots And saucers, furniture, a really nice floor jack and jack stands, 2 TV stands, my kitchen appliances and dishes, my truck, tons of car audio gear. I was not in a great frame of mind. Oh well. Life goes on. 

[Harry’s Palms]

I’m sure you can get that going. It has a good chance in your care . I look forward to seeing it in Spring! Harry

[mlovecan]

Looks like a very healthy plant.

They seem to be pretty hardy once fully pinnate.   

You've been dodging the magnesium issues those things have at youger age.  Keep a bit of magnesium available for your palm. 

I have this one, great palms to own:

 

 

 

 

 

[happypalms]

7 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I left the others behind when I got evicted. I left lots of stuff behind - some cool aloes, C. Lutescens, a big W. Robusta, my giant Cat palm, a bunch of A. Tuckerii, my little Rhapsis, my very leggy Monstera, my orange spider plants, soil amendments and containers, tons of pots And saucers, furniture, a really nice floor jack and jack stands, 2 TV stands, my kitchen appliances and dishes, my truck, tons of car audio gear. I was not in a great frame of mind. Oh well. Life goes on. 

Oh the  tail of your palms! What are material possessions anyway and why do we all try to have so many materiel possessions. I guess the old saying goes whoever has the most toys when they die wins. The happiest people on the planet are those that have the least material possessions. Only true happiness can come  from the mind and once cleared of such clutter in our lives then we can see clearly and obtain that happiness. I think you have done pretty well in this situation obtaining happiness. 

Richard 

[happypalms]

6 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

I’m sure you can get that going. It has a good chance in your care . I look forward to seeing it in Spring! Harry

I will kick it as I go past that should get it growing, being as tough as they say they are it should love it. 
Richard 

[happypalms]

3 hours ago, mlovecan said:

Looks like a very healthy plant.

They seem to be pretty hardy once fully pinnate.   

You've been dodging the magnesium issues those things have at youger age.  Keep a bit of magnesium available for your palm. 

I have this one, great palms to own:

 

 

 

 

 

Nice palm growing by the pool and you won’t have to worry about coconuts falling on you as you swim past. For some reason they seem so popular,  iam a collector so I just wanted one in my collection, I guess there beauty will grow on me in time. 

[Merlyn]

@mlovecan it's hard to guess how much clearance there is in the photo, but Alfredii get HUGE trunks near the base.  This photo was from sonoranfans a couple of years ago, I think it's a bit bigger now:

[happypalms]

13 hours ago, Merlyn said:

@mlovecan it's hard to guess how much clearance there is in the photo, but Alfredii get HUGE trunks near the base.  This photo was from sonoranfans a couple of years ago, I think it's a bit bigger now:

I wasn’t going to mention that one to him. Glad you did coconuts or no coconuts! 

[peachy]

My old garden was very exposed, a touch of frost now and then and the winter nights went down to -03c regularly. My Beccariophoenix alfredii was untouched by any of it. As far as cold tolerance goes they are equal to Bismarckia.  I also had B. fenestra which shared cold hardiness with both aforementioned.

Peachy

 

[mlovecan]

6 hours ago, happypalms said:

I wasn’t going to mention that one to him. Glad you did coconuts or no coconuts! 

I'm not so concerned about the distance. Other tight corners I've placed palms, they've tended to grow out and away from cement.

[happypalms]

5 hours ago, peachy said:

My old garden was very exposed, a touch of frost now and then and the winter nights went down to -03c regularly. My Beccariophoenix alfredii was untouched by any of it. As far as cold tolerance goes they are equal to Bismarckia.  I also had B. fenestra which shared cold hardiness with both aforementioned.

Peachy

 

By the sounds of it they could grow in a refrigerator. Now I can see why they are so popular with a lot of palm growers wanting cold tolerance and a tropical look, I guess coconuts you think of warm tropical island paradise’s, and fenestralis falls into that category with cold tolerance. 
Richard 

[Tyrone]

Here is a link to the Palmpedia page. 
 

https://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Beccariophoenix_alfredii

Have a look at the habitat shots. Imagine growing a grove of them. That’s what I’m planning to do in an area here. They’re a magnificent species. 

[Mazat]

22 hours ago, Merlyn said:

@mlovecan it's hard to guess how much clearance there is in the photo, but Alfredii get HUGE trunks near the base.  This photo was from sonoranfans a couple of years ago, I think it's a bit bigger now:

wow, really huge 😄

[happypalms]

1 hour ago, Tyrone said:

Here is a link to the Palmpedia page. 
 

https://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Beccariophoenix_alfredii

Have a look at the habitat shots. Imagine growing a grove of them. That’s what I’m planning to do in an area here. They’re a magnificent species. 

I could only imagine your dreams of a palmtopia!

[sonoranfans]

On 6/12/2025 at 6:51 AM, Mazat said:

wow, really huge 😄

that was 3-4 years ago, it is now self cleaning (to 6 feet) of leaf bases and the bulge in the trunk is 32 inches.  They grow smaller in part shade, thinner trunks, and if watering is inconsistent in the hot season.  Most of my recent overall pics are distorted due to the wide angle lens 28mm required to capture the full crown in my yard.  Leaf tip to leaf tip is over 30' wide.  Another observation is they recover quickly from hurricanes and grow faster in leaf production(10-12 per yr) after they are trunking.  Water a large root zone so they can grow wide as well as deep roots.    In person you can see the leaflets are as long as 4 1/2'.  I have never seen a coconut with leaflets that long, even in Hawaii.  I am very happy with mine, they make local cocos look anemic in both green color and size.

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

This palm is one that I absolutely wish I could keep alive. I have lost 2 of these to cold snaps here in South Texas and no longer have a proper spot to try again. Haven't had one long enough for it to harden off which I think comes with size. Magnificent palm but still not cold hardy enough for my zone. 

T J 

[happypalms]

4 hours ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

This palm is one that I absolutely wish I could keep alive. I have lost 2 of these to cold snaps here in South Texas and no longer have a proper spot to try again. Haven't had one long enough for it to harden off which I think comes with size. Magnificent palm but still not cold hardy enough for my zone. 

T J 

I do the same with certain palms keep on trying and trying u til I give up and accept they won’t live. It’s funny how a species of palm will live in an area that is colder than your own climate, yet when we try that same species it won’t live no matter what we do. 

[Tom in Tucson]

On 6/14/2025 at 11:01 AM, sonoranfans said:

that was 3-4 years ago, it is now self cleaning (to 6 feet) of leaf bases and the bulge in the trunk is 32 inches.  They grow smaller in part shade, thinner trunks, and if watering is inconsistent in the hot season.  Most of my recent overall pics are distorted due to the wide angle lens 28mm required to capture the full crown in my yard.  Leaf tip to leaf tip is over 30' wide.  Another observation is they recover quickly from hurricanes and grow faster in leaf production(10-12 per yr) after they are trunking.  Water a large root zone so they can grow wide as well as deep roots.    In person you can see the leaflets are as long as 4 1/2'.  I have never seen a coconut with leaflets that long, even in Hawaii.  I am very happy with mine, they make local cocos look anemic in both green color and size.

I concur with your watering advice. For my largest one I've noticed that the first instinct for this species is to start by producing deep roots before sending out roots closer to the surface. So I advise that if planted in the desert, to make sure the deep roots are not subject to obstructions like caliche (hard pan). Once these roots are 2-3 years old, the palm is very resistant to winds, such as thunderstorm down drafts.

Hi 99°, Lo 76°

[sonoranfans]

7 hours ago, Tom in Tucson said:

I concur with your watering advice. For my largest one I've noticed that the first instinct for this species is to start by producing deep roots before sending out roots closer to the surface. So I advise that if planted in the desert, to make sure the deep roots are not subject to obstructions like caliche (hard pan). Once these roots are 2-3 years old, the palm is very resistant to winds, such as thunderstorm down drafts.

Hi 99°, Lo 76°

Yes they need good drainage, otherwise the roots wont grow deep and the palm will be a smaller slower growing palm that will not stand up in winds.  However the surface roots are important to preventing it from getting knocked down.  The first roots to tear in wind will be the surface roots, lots of then say 1' deep or less will be important to preventing the knockdown.  The deep roots ensure drought tolerance as well.  

[kinzyjr]

In regard to cold-tolerance of Beccariophoenix alfredii, there are 9 observations in the Cold Hardiness Master Data showing that 24F is roughly when the potential for damage and death becomes a possibility.  These observations are primarily from the recent freezes in Texas.

@peachy mentioned the Livistona genus, which has been a solid replacement for the Phoenix genus here in the land of Lethal Bronzing.

[happypalms]

7 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

In regard to cold-tolerance of Beccariophoenix alfredii, there are 9 observations in the Cold Hardiness Master Data showing that 24F is roughly when the potential for damage and death becomes a possibility.  These observations are primarily from the recent freezes in Texas.

@peachy mentioned the Livistona genus, which has been a solid replacement for the Phoenix genus here in the land of Lethal Bronzing.

Thanks for posting I will have a look. I don’t think my cool climate will harm my one I planted, in fact it will most likely grow really well if anything.

[Tyrone]

Richard, if your place goes down to 24F we are all doomed. 

[happypalms]

6 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Richard, if your place goes down to 24F we are all doomed. 

I guess climate change in reverse can’t be that bad, oh I forgot that is right it’s called the ice age, blooming great where all doomed like the dinosaurs! 🦕 

[96720]

I have noticed that if you have hot sun they are not happy mine grows good because it is in the shade of a huge CIP but when it outgrows the CIP I don’t think it will look good or survive!!

[happypalms]

5 hours ago, 96720 said:

I have noticed that if you have hot sun they are not happy mine grows good because it is in the shade of a huge CIP but when it outgrows the CIP I don’t think it will look good or survive!!

My one will receive dappled bright light. And with 30 meters of gum trees all around I can’t see it breaking through the canopy in a hurry that is for sure. It does get in hot in my area but the gum trees willl protect it.

[Tyrone]

18 hours ago, 96720 said:

I have noticed that if you have hot sun they are not happy mine grows good because it is in the shade of a huge CIP but when it outgrows the CIP I don’t think it will look good or survive!!

What part of the world are you in? I imagine that may be the case in places like Arizona,, but in my area I’ve found the opposite. Those in shade are the slowest whereas those in the hottest sunniest spots grow fastest and look happy. 

[kinzyjr]

On 6/24/2025 at 5:16 AM, happypalms said:

Thanks for posting I will have a look. I don’t think my cool climate will harm my one I planted, in fact it will most likely grow really well if anything.

You're welcome. 

I made a mistake on the numbers since my last work was on the observations for the Texas freezes and my count was done before the filter on the location was cleared.  There are almost sixty Beccariophoenix alfredii observations. 

A breakdown of the observations by state for each of the Beccariophoenix species is shared below. 

[happypalms]

2 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

You're welcome. 

I made a mistake on the numbers since my last work was on the observations for the Texas freezes and my count was done before the filter on the location was cleared.  There are almost sixty Beccariophoenix alfredii observations. 

A breakdown of the observations by state for each of the Beccariophoenix species is shared below. 

Thanks, who does all that research in finding out how many and where they are? 

[kinzyjr]

16 hours ago, happypalms said:

Thanks, who does all that research in finding out how many and where they are? 

This project was mine specifically. 

It combined all of the observations from one of the old CFPACS publications, Larry Noblick's observation spreadsheet, and as many observations from this site and other sources as possible to provide the greatest coverage possible. 

The first post on the first page outlines the premise of the project: 

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/61358-0000-cold-hardiness-observation-master-data/

The last post on the last page is the most updated version of the data.  

@amh had been working on a web version.  

CFPACS also hosts a link to this and other resources on the Publications page: https://cfpacs.com/org/palmateer/

[happypalms]

1 hour ago, kinzyjr said:

This project was mine specifically. 

It combined all of the observations from one of the old CFPACS publications, Larry Noblick's observation spreadsheet, and as many observations from this site and other sources as possible to provide the greatest coverage possible. 

The first post on the first page outlines the premise of the project: 

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/61358-0000-cold-hardiness-observation-master-data/

The last post on the last page is the most updated version of the data.  

@amh had been working on a web version.  

CFPACS also hosts a link to this and other resources on the Publications page: https://cfpacs.com/org/palmateer/

Well you definitely get an A+ plus for doing your homework. But an interesting bit of data and it will become useful for those intrested in that for future reference. But what would be interesting is a follow up as to how many are alive still. But definitely keep up the good work iamnn no impressed! 

[tep1981]

This is my Beccariophoenix Alfredii, Port Richey, Florida. I planted it August 2022 from a 3g/$35. It sailed through this past winter low of 26.6°F, taken a few feet away, so it may not have been that cold, but my dwarf powderpuff, closer to the house was frozen back about a foot and it was behind this palm, closer to the house. Not a blemish on my Beccariophoenix.

[happypalms]

22 minutes ago, tep1981 said:

This is my Beccariophoenix Alfredii, Port Richey, Florida. I planted it August 2022 from a 3g/$35. It sailed through this past winter low of 26.6°F, taken a few feet away, so it may not have been that cold, but my dwarf powderpuff, closer to the house was frozen back about a foot and it was behind this palm, closer to the house. Not a blemish on my Beccariophoenix.

I like it, when I think of Florida I always thought it was this tropical paradise they make it out to be in the television shows. Not the case as I have learned. Apparently it gets cold and your palm is living proof of that I guess. And from what you say it gets cold in paradise!