Cocoid palms in the PNW

[tarnado]

Hey yall, I happened to be biking through part of my neighborhood in Anacortes with kids just after the New Year. My kids, being familiar with my

willingness to stop everything to admire palm trees, shouted out: "Look, baba! Palm trees!"

Sure enough, there was one Trachycarpus fortunei standing tall as a flagpole. Then I noticed the fronds of some cocoid looking palms (or rather, should I say: Attaleanid) tucked along the driveway. I'm going to go back up there and see of I can chat to the folks living there and get any intel!

[tarnado]

I went back over and spoke to the folks about the palms. The guy who planted them owns and operates a landscaping company. 

The big Trachycarpus was rescued from a client's yard rather than being cut down and destroyed. Evidently it and the root ball weighed 3000 pounds / 1400 kg. 

The two small palms he said he got from the local Home Depot but didn't know what kind they were. I dont know what kind they are either!

The third palm is a big honker. The fronds are taller than me, about 8 feet tall. The guy also couldn't give an ID, but said a local nursery was selling the same type.

I took a few closer pictures to try to help identify, but this is where I NEED help. Totally put of my depth here!

[tarnado]

Ope, forgot a few of the close-ups of the big palm! The rachis:

The base of the fronds:

[Fusca]

24 minutes ago, tarnado said:

I went back over and spoke to the folks about the palms. The guy who planted them owns and operates a landscaping company. 

The big Trachycarpus was rescued from a client's yard rather than being cut down and destroyed. Evidently it and the root ball weighed 3000 pounds / 1400 kg. 

The two small palms he said he got from the local Home Depot but didn't know what kind they were. I dont know what kind they are either!

The third palm is a big honker. The fronds are taller than me, about 8 feet tall. The guy also couldn't give an ID, but said a local nursery was selling the same type.

I took a few closer pictures to try to help identify, but this is where I NEED help. Totally put of my depth here!

Two smaller palms are definitely Phoenix palms (most likely roebelenii aka, pygmy date).  Tall palm is Syagrus romanzoffiana (aka, queen palm).

[JLM]

1 hour ago, Fusca said:

Two smaller palms are definitely Phoenix palms (most likely roebelenii aka, pygmy date).  Tall palm is Syagrus romanzoffiana (aka, queen palm).

I agree with these ID's with high confidence. The guy needs to let those roebelenii grow out and be palms. All three palms need a good dose of fertilizer in the spring for sure. Interesting to see up there in Washington state nonetheless.

[Las Palmas Norte]

None of those palms are considered survivors in the region. Some protective measures would give them a chance when any cold weather arrives.

[tarnado]

2 hours ago, JLM said:

The guy needs to let those roebelenii grow out and be palms

When I was talking to him, he mentioned that these palms had a lot of brown fronds after winter. Last year was down into the teens with snow and ice along with our normal garbage rain and wet. Since he's a "landscaper" he must have trimmed the damaged fronds off, which would hurt the recovery I assume!

[tarnado]

23 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

None of those palms are considered survivors in the region

Yeah, I imagine not! The Phoenix palms must have passed at least one winter here. I can't imagine the Syragus romanzoffiana passed a winter here, we were down in the teens with storms and ice and snow, and the winter before that we had down to single digit (9 F) in a big Fraser outflow. I'll see if they pit any protection up.

[Las Palmas Norte]

11 hours ago, tarnado said:

Yeah, I imagine not! The Phoenix palms must have passed at least one winter here. I can't imagine the Syragus romanzoffiana passed a winter here, we were down in the teens with storms and ice and snow, and the winter before that we had down to single digit (9 F) in a big Fraser outflow. I'll see if they pit any protection up.

I wasn't aware the Fraser river winter outflow would reach Anacortes or have much effect. Bellingham for sure. Now that you mention this pinnate palm discovery, there's one I spotted in the neighborhood last summer. It's located a few blocks away from my usual travel pattern, but I should swing by there for a look.

[Fallen Munk]

Only the trachy will survive.  If you are serious about palms that will survive in the PNW look into Jubaea chilensis and Butia odorata.  I'm also having luck with another species that I'm reserving my opinion on until it gets through a few more winters. Also, there are other types of Trachy to consider like princeps that do very well in the PNW.  Chamerops humilis is another good one.  

[tarnado]

4 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

the Fraser river winter outflow would reach Anacortes

No worries! Anacortes, Sequim, Port Townsend, Bow, etc. as well as Whatcom County (Bellingham etc.) makes up one of the very few areas of the USA that have *colder* average winter minimum temperatures in the USA compared to previous decades due to a trend of stronger weather patterns increasing the strength and reach of the Fraser outflow Squamish winds!

[tarnado]

2 hours ago, Fallen Munk said:

survive in the PNW look into Jubaea chilensis and Butia odorata

I appreciate the intel. I have a bunch of baby Trachy fortunei that I started from seeds I collected in Anacortes from a trio of palms that sailed through a brutal 24 hours of 20 knot winds hammering them relentlessly at 9 F / 10 F, the 2023-2024 freeze. They came through looking completely unscathed.

I bought some Butia x Jubaea seeds but I didn't have any germination. I stuck some Jubaea seeds in the ground rather than wait for ... ever, fussing indoors. No sign of germination from those yet ... I need to either up my seed game or just buckle down and purchase started palms if/when available!

[Chester B]

If you want a definitive list - this is what works and look good.  Zone 9A Portland.  Surviving and looking like crap don't count:

Trachycarpus fortunei, wagnerianus, princeps, nainital, nova, takil

Chamaerops humilis

Jubaea chilensis

Butia odorata

BxJ and JxB

Chamaedorea radicalis

Rhapidophyllum hystrix

Sabal minor, Louisiana, Birmingham, rosei, brazoriensis

Others

I had Livistona nitida for 5 years in a protected spot and it never took damage so for me this is a maybe

Sabal uresana "highlands form".  Very slow but I had it for 5 or 6 years in ground.  One year it got nuked and I thought it died, but it came back bigger

Sabal palmetto - I only had mine for 2 years so I never got to fully test it

Trachycarpus fortunei hybrids - unavailable to me at the time but I know most crosses would survive

[tarnado]

Ooooh I want hybrids so bad my teeth hurt

On 1/9/2026 at 3:22 PM, Chester B said:

Butia odorata

BxJ and JxB

n't know straight Butia odorata was hardy enough and could take the moisture too, good to know. B. eriospatha must not have *what it takes* then, good to know.

I guess the one thing I would really like to try are potential hybrids between bomb-proof Trachy fortunei and other less hardy palms in the Trachycarpeae subtree. Anyone doing those?

[Chester B]

I have waggie x princeps but my issue now isn’t the cold, it’s the intense sun and heat. 

[tarnado]

That is *not* one of my problems (although the summers can be super-dry and the Trachys really appreciate water)

[Chester B]

On 1/10/2026 at 5:39 PM, tarnado said:

n't know straight Butia odorata was hardy enough and could take the moisture too, good to know. B. eriospatha must not have *what it takes* then, good to know.

It's the most hardy Butia.  I'm not sure if it would survive in your area as WA is a lot cooler than Oregon, especially in summer and they need some heat.  I had mine for 8 years and only wrapped the spear during freezing rain.  It survived a lot of cold and the Great Ice Storm of 2021.  This was in 2022, it got bigger each year and I had lots of volunteers.

 

[Chester B]

2024 pictures 

[Chester B]

Old video from Seattle area, not mine.

https://youtu.be/yUpkvN38r4A?si=h7A-QpB9KrGZEiUF

[tarnado]

4 hours ago, Chester B said:

I'm not sure if it would survive in your area as WA is a lot cooler than Oregon, especially in summer and they need some heat

Yeah, that's the trouble - heat. I even live on an island in the Salish Sea nowadays. I'm trying to open base-50 degree Growing Degree Day geospatial data from the National Phenology Network, but - like so many things that interact with federal websites like NOAA - a lot of it seems to be broken.

Anyhow, yeah. Anacortes - ~1,400 GDD at base 50; Portland area is more like 2,400 (this is 2025 GDD data). I think this is the problem that I had with my Sabal palm; it was just too cool and wet to really thrive, especially as a baby.

[Fusca]

Has anyone up there tried Parajubaea sunkha?  They tolerate humidity better than cocoides or torallyi and prefer cool night temps.  I had one in San Antonio a couple of years that survived Palmageddon but carked after a couple of rainy days during summer.  Maybe it's not doable there though in areas with lots of rain in summer but if temps aren't that high in summer...

[tarnado]

4 hours ago, Chester B said:

Old video from Seattle area, not mine.

https://youtu.be/yUpkvN38r4A?si=h7A-QpB9KrGZEiUF

Oh, a Brahea armata that looks really nice in there. I've seen a few pictures of this garden with those Jubaea and, well, the best time to plant a Jubaea is 25 years ago. The second best time is today, obvs...

[Chester B]

2 hours ago, Fusca said:

Has anyone up there tried Parajubaea sunkha?  They tolerate humidity better than cocoides or torallyi and prefer cool night temps.  I had one in San Antonio a couple of years that survived Palmageddon but carked after a couple of rainy days during summer.  Maybe it's not doable there though in areas with lots of rain in summer but if temps aren't that high in summer...

Too cold for straight sunkha I would say.  But @matthedlund has a B x PJS I think, or it may be B x PJT which has been growing for a few years now.  I think it gets help on the coldest nights.

[tarnado]

2 hours ago, Chester B said:

B x PJS I think, or it may be B x PJT

That's totally cool, and would love to hear from @matthedlund on the matter. But - where are you all getting these hybrids? Just gotta jump when seeds are available and be successfull in germination?

[tarnado]

On 1/9/2026 at 3:22 PM, Chester B said:

Chamaerops humilis

Hey, interesting thing I found when searching through iNaturalist for extreme palm trees - a report of a wild Chamaerops humilis growing in the dredged sediment of the Columbia River shipping channel.

[Fusca]

3 hours ago, tarnado said:

That's totally cool, and would love to hear from @matthedlund on the matter. But - where are you all getting these hybrids? Just gotta jump when seeds are available and be successfull in germination?

Patric Schafer is the man!  Maybe follow the following thread as to what's going on with him.

 

[matthedlund]

On 1/12/2026 at 4:40 PM, tarnado said:

That's totally cool, and would love to hear from @matthedlund on the matter. But - where are you all getting these hybrids? Just gotta jump when seeds are available and be successfull in germination?

I'm in West Seattle and I grow a whole bunch of palms. Established in the garden I have Butia odorata, Jubaea chilensis, Trithrinax campestris, Chamaerops humilis, Chamaedorea radicalis, Chamaedorea microspadix, Butia odorata x Syagrus romanoffziana, Butia eriospatha x Butia microspadix, Jubaea chilensis x Butia yatay, Butia odorata x Parajubaea torralyi, Parajubaea cocoides x Jubaea chilensis, and Trachycarpus princeps.

I have many more in containers waiting to be planted.

[tarnado]

On 1/18/2026 at 8:43 AM, matthedlund said:

utia odorata, Jubaea chilensis, Trithrinax campestris, Chamaerops humilis, Chamaedorea radicalis, Chamaedorea microspadix, Butia odorata x Syagrus romanoffziana, Butia eriospatha x Butia microspadix, Jubaea chilensis x Butia yatay, Butia odorata x Parajubaea torralyi, Parajubaea cocoides x Jubaea chilensis, and Trachycarpus princeps

That is a heck of a list. One day, I hope I can visiit your palm forest extravaganza! At least, keep up with you here. Those are some excellent and interesting ... and ambitious! choices. The Trithrinax campestris, I have been wondering about that here in the PNW and our wet winter regime. Lordy that's an amazing list.

Patric did reach out and said that he had some B. yatay x Jubaea and Jubaea x B. yatay seedlings, but I was thinking that the yatay genetics would not be as hardy nor as wet-winter resistant as B. odorata. Do you have any thoughts or experience with the two?

[matthedlund]

On 1/19/2026 at 2:56 PM, tarnado said:

That is a heck of a list. One day, I hope I can visiit your palm forest extravaganza! At least, keep up with you here. Those are some excellent and interesting ... and ambitious! choices. The Trithrinax campestris, I have been wondering about that here in the PNW and our wet winter regime. Lordy that's an amazing list.

Patric did reach out and said that he had some B. yatay x Jubaea and Jubaea x B. yatay seedlings, but I was thinking that the yatay genetics would not be as hardy nor as wet-winter resistant as B. odorata. Do you have any thoughts or experience with the two?

I run a plant nursery and you're more than welcome to visit by appointment. www.wanderlustnursery.com. 

I highly recommend either Jubaea x Butia yatay or Butia yata x Jubaea. One of the best hybrids out there. Trithrinax campestris does just fine in good drainage.

[tarnado]

5 hours ago, matthedlund said:

I run a plant nursery and you're more than welcome to visit by appointment. www.wanderlustnursery.com. 

That's you??? Awesome! I've lurked those pages many a time! I'd love to come and visit some time in the near future. I don't see an address. Are you near any frequent Metro bus lines? (I regularly pack small trees and plants on the Metro)

Edited Wednesday at 08:51 PM by tarnado
updated to say I can shop for plants *and* ride the bus

[matthedlund]

On 1/21/2026 at 12:50 PM, tarnado said:

That's you??? Awesome! I've lurked those pages many a time! I'd love to come and visit some time in the near future. I don't see an address. Are you near any frequent Metro bus lines? (I regularly pack small trees and plants on the Metro)

That's me. We're located in West Seattle, open by appointment only. If you schedule an appointment on our website, you'll get driving directions in your confirmation email. We're trying to move into a new commercial space right now, then we'll have regular hours and a published address.

[Las Palmas Norte]

On 1/9/2026 at 1:20 PM, tarnado said:

No worries! Anacortes, Sequim, Port Townsend, Bow, etc. as well as Whatcom County (Bellingham etc.) makes up one of the very few areas of the USA that have *colder* average winter minimum temperatures in the USA compared to previous decades due to a trend of stronger weather patterns increasing the strength and reach of the Fraser outflow Squamish winds!

I finally thought to check out that palm I spotted during Summer. It would seem to be a Ravenea (Majesty palm). The coldest we've dropped so far is 29°F, so the frost has burnt it badly.

 

[Fusca]

18 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

I finally thought to check out that palm I spotted during Summer. It would seem to be a Ravenea (Majesty palm). The coldest we've dropped so far is 29°F, so the frost has burnt it badly.

Yes, they're not very leaf hardy but if it stays above 25°F it will recover - at least in Texas.  Might not like extended freezing temperatures - they're usually less than 12 hours in south Texas.