Chambeyronia macrocarpa hookeri can be flame

[sonoranfans]

One of my hookeris exhibits a dark red from one direction and brilliant flame from the other.  Sun at your back is not nearly as stunning as palm between you and the sun.  I was advised here that the macrocarpa hookeri was a deeper from red than the regular macrocarpas by those with experience here.  Last sunday the leaf opened and a 5 days later its seen 39 degrees 2 nights and is looking great.  WInter and shade seem to make these palms stay red longer in my yard, even more true for the regular macrocarpa which for me turns fast to salmon green in 4 days or less.  

sun at my back its a dark red/maroon leaf

seconds later the 180 degree view shows the "flame" the palm is known for with a transmitted light that is a brighter red.

[Jim in Los Altos]

My experience is the opposite. My several macrocarpa have the most intense ruby red new fronds and my four hookeri have a red that ranges from orangish to pink. Here’s my youngest macrocarpa last winter two top photos and one of my hookeri. 

 

 

 

 

 

[sonoranfans]

here is my macrocarpa just opening,  Clearly more rose than red.  I have another macrocarpa that goes dark maroon but green shows after a few days  So some variability but its not planting site as these pictured here and above are within 6' of each other.  

 

 

[happypalms]

I have quite a few Chambeyronia macrocarpa and hookerii. Through observation, I have noticed temperature and water levels make a difference in both varieties as to the colour, the anthocyanins are at different levels with different amounts of water and temperature. The more anthocyanins the deeper the colour. 

[Josue Diaz]

Here is one of my macrocarpa, top photo is when the spear first split, and the second is maybe a week later. The last photo is a week after that.

[MoPalm]

Do they get more red when they get older? I have a few both have light red and I wish they have a dark red 😅

[sonoranfans]

10 hours ago, MoPalm said:

Do they get more red when they get older? I have a few both have light red and I wish they have a dark red 😅

My rose colored macrocarpa has notably less color in the heat of summer when the sun hits it directly over the house for 3 hrs or so.  In winter the sun is south of a line of trees and doesnt get direct sun and the palm responds with more color and longer periods of color.  This also happens with the Hookeri but to a lesser extent.  Summer full sun weather has much less impressive color and for much shorter durations.  I interpret this as the anthocyanins are already present in the spear and the chlorophyll is synthesized after opening.  Fast grow conditions/more sun intensity leads to faster synthesis of chlorophyll which is the dominant chromophore in a green leaf.  I suspect genetics is involved in which palms are most red

[Harry’s Palms]

I agree that direct , full day sun , reduces the color and length of time that the new frond has . Mine is in full sun almost all day and the red leaf only lasts 3-4 days . I am inland so it is warm here , not like near the coast . With regular flood watering and a bit of organic fertilizer , the burning has been significantly reduced and the palm looks much better than previous summers . The “ red leaf” still doesn’t last but a few days . I only have the one Macrocarpa , no Hookeri . Harry

‘The new frond shows a burgundy color but only lasts a few days. I will say , these palms get huge fronds when they mature. Mine is getting a flower spathe this year.

[Tracy]

On 11/14/2025 at 11:30 AM, Jim in Los Altos said:

My experience is the opposite. My several macrocarpa have the most intense ruby red new fronds and my four hookeri have a red that ranges from orangish to pink. Here’s my youngest macrocarpa last winter two top photos and one of my hookeri.

It seems that there is variability in both.  My best color on my plants comes on the Chambeyronia hookeri forms and they seemed to perform better at younger ages in more sun than the macrocarpa.  My only hookeri in my garden here in Leucadia just opened a new frond a couple of days ago but there are no sunbeams coming through to uplight or backlight the leaflets right now, only clouds and rain.

[sonoranfans]

Looking out 10AM today 7 days after opening and the transmitted red light is as good as it gets.  Winters here are great for these palms, summer they hold spears and sit there and are short lived in color.   When the wind blows, the leaves exhibiting transmitted red vary kind of like a flame.  But they are slow growing, 3-4 leaves a year at this size.

 

[Phoenikakias]

I have two specimens  in the ground one definitely a hookeri the other probably not .

(On the left the hookeri)

The hookeri produced a very colorful leaf in autumn

(Pictures of front and backside)

while the other one produced a leaf during summer which far less and only partly colorful and color lasted for a very short time, one day or two)

And one specimen still in pot in my cold frame opened a new leaf about two weeks later after hookeri. It is supposedly 5he watermelon variety

[Than]

I ordered my watermelon chambeyronia today! I just couldn't keep looking at your photos and knowing I ain't got one of these beauties in my life! 

[Phoenikakias]

2 hours ago, Than said:

I ordered my watermelon chambeyronia today! I just couldn't keep looking at your photos and knowing I ain't got one of these beauties in my life! 

Where from?

[Than]

13 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

Where from?

Giliansplants. It'll be tiny so I will have to wait some years to see colour..

[Jim in Los Altos]

This young macrocarpa just “popped” today. Color should last at least two weeks with the cooler weather. Last winter, one of my macrocarpa held a bright red leaf for two months. 
 

[JD in the OC]

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden. Two weeks ago 

JD

[Stevetoad]

I love these posts. I can never get enough of the red. I only get to see mine when I’m on the roof now that it’s squirting out the hole I made for it. I missed it at its reddest but I am happy to see that it’s finally starting to acclimate to full sun. It has had a rough go since popping through the roof.  Summer heat would burn it and winter frost would hit just as it thought it was in the clear. 
 

 

[DoomsDave]

41 minutes ago, Stevetoad said:

I love these posts. I can never get enough of the red. I only get to see mine when I’m on the roof now that it’s squirting out the hole I made for it. I missed it at its reddest but I am happy to see that it’s finally starting to acclimate to full sun. It has had a rough go since popping through the roof.  Summer heat would burn it and winter frost would hit just as it thought it was in the clear. 
 

 

Fear not it will toughen up a lot as it gets older and bigger.

[DoomsDave]

8 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

This young macrocarpa just “popped” today. Color should last at least two weeks with the cooler weather. Last winter, one of my macrocarpa held a bright red leaf for two months. 
 

Wow two months is a long while to hold a redder!

I think that the day length influences red duration more than temperatures. I’ve had hookeri throw redder in November that lasted red for almost two weeks, even when it hit the 90s for days on end. (Not happening this year!)

[sonoranfans]

11 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Wow two months is a long while to hold a redder!

I think that the day length influences red duration more than temperatures. I’ve had hookeri throw redder in November that lasted red for almost two weeks, even when it hit the 90s for days on end. (Not happening this year!)

yes day length and sun intensity are going to influence the rate of chlorophyll synthesis.    Google AI "Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is significantly higher in the summer than in the winter due to the sun's higher angle and longer days. This leads to a greater amount of total PAR reaching the Earth's surface and a higher PAR fraction in summer. Consequently, plants are able to photosynthesize at a much faster rate in summer compared to winter, when shorter days and lower light intensity limit the process. "

 

Temperature also effects phjotosynthesis:

Google AI:  "Ambient temperature affects photosynthesis by increasing the rate up to an optimum point, beyond which the rate decreases and enzymes can become denaturedLow temperatures slow down or stop photosynthesis, while high temperatures can lead to water stress and the closing of stomata, reducing carbon dioxide intake and slowing the process. The relationship between ambient temperature and photosynthesis is an increase to an optimum temperature followed by a sharp decline. "

So yeah, length of day, intensity of sun, and ambient temp all play a role and their impact can differ with different palms(plants).

[Phoenikakias]

56 minutes ago, sonoranfans said:

yes day length and sun intensity are going to influence the rate of chlorophyll synthesis.    Google AI "Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is significantly higher in the summer than in the winter due to the sun's higher angle and longer days. This leads to a greater amount of total PAR reaching the Earth's surface and a higher PAR fraction in summer. Consequently, plants are able to photosynthesize at a much faster rate in summer compared to winter, when shorter days and lower light intensity limit the process. "

 

Temperature also effects phjotosynthesis:

Google AI:  "Ambient temperature affects photosynthesis by increasing the rate up to an optimum point, beyond which the rate decreases and enzymes can become denaturedLow temperatures slow down or stop photosynthesis, while high temperatures can lead to water stress and the closing of stomata, reducing carbon dioxide intake and slowing the process. The relationship between ambient temperature and photosynthesis is an increase to an optimum temperature followed by a sharp decline. "

So yeah, length of day, intensity of sun, and ambient temp all play a role and their impact can differ with different palms(plants).

Summer grown fronds in full sun are considerably hardier to cold in my climate.

[Mazat]

On 11/14/2025 at 8:13 PM, sonoranfans said:

One of my hookeris exhibits a dark red from one direction and brilliant flame from the other.  Sun at your back is not nearly as stunning as palm between you and the sun.  I was advised here that the macrocarpa hookeri was a deeper from red than the regular macrocarpas by those with experience here.  Last sunday the leaf opened and a 5 days later its seen 39 degrees 2 nights and is looking great.  WInter and shade seem to make these palms stay red longer in my yard, even more true for the regular macrocarpa which for me turns fast to salmon green in 4 days or less.  

sun at my back its a dark red/maroon leaf

seconds later the 180 degree view shows the "flame" the palm is known for with a transmitted light that is a brighter red.

Beautiful 🤗