The South American Jelly Palm, also known as the Pindo Palm, is one of the most cold hardy feather palms and has a long history of scientific reclassification. It is commonly mislabeled as its less cold hardy cousin, Butia capitata. Jelly palms can grow in temperate and subtropical climates up to 20 feet in height with a trunk typically up to 2 feet in diameter. The tree grows quickly once established, pushing 6 or more fronds per year even in cooler climates.
This palm produces a fruit typically yellow-orange in color, which is said to taste like a mix of apricot, pineapple, and vanilla. The fruit is commonly consumed fresh, used to make jelly, or fermented for making wine.
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Striking in its look, the Pindo's feather-leaf, silver-colored fronds (some call it more of a turquoise) produce an exceptional contrast to a typical lawn's color.
These are some of the hardiest palms in South Florida, doing fine in cooler temperatures, blazing sunlight, salty air and dry conditions.
An indigenous plant in some cases called "Jelly Palm," the Pindo Palm generates edible berries that can be made into jelly with a sweet banana/pineapple flavor. The fruits are around 1 inch in size with a seed in the middle. However, just one tree is self-fertile and will produce large bunches of dates every season.
The style of this palm is distinct yet functional. It is often used for smaller lawns, found in moderate coastline homes, an antique Florida bungalow, or dressing up the backyard of a ranch-style residence. Pindo Palms look great in large forest estates, horse ranches or waterside houses as an intense spot in the landscape.
The majestic and stately Chilean Wine Palm is truly extraordinary. It is the largest palm in the Western Hemisphere. Until recently, its massive trunk had earned it the title of the largest palm in the entire world – until the larger African Fan Palm (Borassus aethiopum) was discovered. Nonetheless, it is awe inspiring to see any palm of this size.
Seeds of Chilean Wine Palm were brought to California in the mid-1800s. Young specimens were available for purchase at Ralph Kinton Steven’s nursery here in Santa Barbara, from 1882 until his death in 1896. The remaining 37 acres of that nursery are now the grounds of Ganna Walska Lotusland, where many fine specimens of his enormous palms still stand.
Amazingly, Chilean Wine Palm is so cold-hardy that it grows as far north as England, Ireland, and Victoria, British Columbia. More importantly, it grows exceedingly well in our Mediterranean climate, which is very similar to its native habitat in Chile.
Chilean Wine Palm has a straight single trunk that grows slowly to over 80 feet tall. This great trunk height is interesting, since it can take several decades before a trunk even begins to develop on young palms.
At maturity, the trunk is widest at the base, three- to five-feet (or more!) in diameter. After attaining some 30- to 40-feet in height, the trunk gradually narrows to half of that width. This narrowing results in a fully grown palm having the appearance of an elongated wine bottle – and makes identification easy. In addition to its tremendous size and odd shape, the elephant-gray trunk is further distinguished by its smooth texture, which is only marred by faint horizontal scars where shed fronds had previously been attached. It is astoundingly hard – as if made from gray concrete.
The trunk is topped with a large dense crown, consisting of 40 to 50 arching pinnate (feather-like) fronds (six- to twelve-feet long), which stand on a petiole (stem) (1½- to 3-feet long) that bears stiff hairs but no spines. Each frond has many leaflets (to two-feet long, one-inch wide).
As with most palms, on seedlings the juvenile fronds are simple (unsegmented) for several years. Once the seedling stage has passed, on young trees the fronds are straight, rigid, and often stand quite upright. As the tree matures, pinnate fronds emerge glaucus (bluish green) or in various shades of gray-green, depending on genetic variability. The fronds are “self-cleaning” as they will drop when dead, without need of pruning.
Chilean Wine Palm is monoecious, meaning each tree produces both male and female flowers. From April to June, the small (1/2-inch diameter) flowers bloom – maroon in color with a yellow-white center. Large (two- to three-feet long) clusters of flowers emerge from between fronds. The flower clusters are usually very difficult to see from the ground, because they are almost entirely shielded from view by a persistent woody bract (envelope-like sheath) until the fruit is fully formed. However, fallen flowers, like dainty snowflakes, often cover the ground at the base of the trunk.
After pollination, female flowers produce clusters of globose fruit (1½-inch long) covered by an orange-yellow fibrous skin. In late summer to early fall, the fruits ripen and then drop to the ground. Under the fruit skin, there is a round (one-inch diameter) brown nut, which looks like a miniature coconut. When cracked open, the nut reveals a white meat that has the look, texture, and taste of true coconut. In Chile, the nut is called “coquito nut”.
As can be inferred from its name, the Chilean Wine Palm is native to Chile, and is endemic to that country’s central Coastal Range. This palm once covered vast areas in this area, before its numbers were decimated by loggers who harvested it for its trunk sap. As its name also suggests, the trunk sap was fermented to produce “palm wine.” It can also be boiled down to make a sweet syrup called “palm honey” for consuming and cooking.
Unfortunately, the palm wine making process required that each magnificent palm be killed – cut down and drained of its “life blood” – simply to collect up to 100 gallons of its trunk sap.
Fortunately, with protections currently in place in Chile, this logging practice is now legally restricted. Almost all Chilean Wine Palm populations in Chile are presently confined to designated preserves. While there are an estimated 100,000 palms in these preserves, Chilean Wine Palm is still listed as endangered by some conservation organizations. Its preservation is aided by the fact that is being planted – and enjoyed only for its beauty – in many other parts of the world that have suitable climates – like ours.
Chilean Wine Palm is also known by several other common names: “Chile Cocopalm,” “Syrup Palm,” “Honey Palm,” “Coquito Palm,” and “Palma Chilena.” Its botanical name is Jubaea chilensis. It is the only species in its genus. The genus name, Jubaea, is derived from the name of Juba (85 B.C. to 46 B.C), who was the king of Numidia (present day Algeria) before the Roman invasion. The specific epithet, chilensis, means that it is native to Chile.
This remarkable palm is both cold-hardy (able to tolerate temperature, for brief periods, down to five degrees F.) and drought-tolerant. However, it seems to grow best in a Mediterranean climate, because it does not like excessive heat, humidity, or moisture. It will not survive either salt spray or salty soil, so it is best to keep it away from beach areas. It can live in clay soils – but prefers a well-drained sandy loam. When a palm is young, overhead watering is discouraged, because it may result in “bud rot” – the infestation of the apical meristem (the growing point of new fronds) by a plant pathogen (Phytophthora palmivora) – that will end in the death of a young palm.
Propagation with fresh seeds is easy – but requires considerable patience, since it can take one to two years for them to germinate! Growth is painfully slow at the earlier stages – but it accelerates once seedlings are planted out in an area with favorable growing conditions. It should be planted in full sun for best appearance. Occasional ground watering during the dry season and an annual application of slow-release fertilizer can also speed growth.
While Chilean Wine Palm is not a palm for small gardens or spaces, it does make an impressive addition to a suitable park or larger property. It can be planted as a single handsome specimen – or planted in a row or a grouping for great dramatic effect.
https://sbbeautiful.org/chilean-wine-palm-jubaea-chilensis-september-2023/
Trachycarpus fortunei - also known as Chinese Palm
The windmill palm is a perennial member of the palm family (Arecaceae) native to subtropical and temperate mountain forests of China. It is one of the more cold-hardy members of the family, and as such, is a popular choice for bringing a tropical flair to temperate landscape. The genus name is derived from Greek meaning "rough fruit," referring to the irregularly shaped fruits. The species epithet honors famed 19th-century Scottish plant hunter Robert Fortune, who first introduced the palm to Europe.
Although it can be grown in full sun, a location that provides some shade and protection from strong or cold winds can be beneficial. When no protection from strong wind is provided, the leaves tend to tear. The damage is not lethal, but it is unsightly. This palm is moderately salt tolerant.
In the wild, the windmill palm can reach 20 to 40 feet tall and sometimes taller. In cultivation, it typically tops out around 10 feet tall. It makes a great specimen plant or is effective in small groups. It has a solitary trunk that appears shaggy and hairy with leftover dried petioles from shed leaves. Fibers from the leaves are often used in weaving. Propagation can be accomplished from seed, however both male and female plants are necessary for seed production.
It can be grown in large containers and overwintered indoors in colder climates. Use it to frame an entryway or garden path. It is an excellent choice for an Asian garden, a tropical garden, a winter garden or a children’s garden.
The Mexican Fan Palm, a most iconic “skyline” tree, is also the most common palm in the beach areas of Santa Barbara. A native of the canyons of Sonora and Baja Mexico, it is now common throughout Southern California and has become associated with the image of sun-drenched coastal communities, including Santa Barbara.
Its common name describes its homeland and its glossy green fronds, which are shaped (somewhat) like the human palm, scientifically “palmate”, but more truly resemble a 4-foot long and 3-foot wide pleated paper fan.
Its botanical name is Washingtonia robusta. The genus name, Washingtonia, honors our first president, George Washington; the specific epithet, robusta, is from Latin and means hardy and strong.
When the Mexican Fan Palm is young, its trunk is slowly covered with depleted dried fronds, which gardeners usually trim off, leaving the frond bases hugging the trunk in an attractive basket-weave pattern. Untrimmed, a young palm retains these dried fronds, which then accumulate against the trunk to form a thick thatch called a “skirt”. Dried fronds should be trimmed, because otherwise they can be a fire hazard and do become home to rats!
When trimming, it is best to remove only the brown and yellowing fronds and to leave the green fronds intact, so they can continue to provide the palm with photosynthesized plant sugars. When working with these fronds, beware, each has a 3-foot stem (or petiole) which is armed on the margins with stout, recurved spines, ½ to ¾ inch long, that can leave nasty scratches. In an older and taller palm, the fronds in the higher trunk area may be entirely whipped off by high winds.
As the palm ages, its trunk, 8 to 12 inches in diameter, turns a soft gray color and bears rings of frond scars. An older palm can develop a bulge at the foot of the trunk, where exposed, adventitious roots may grow out seeking water.
The black, ovoid-shaped, fruits, called “drupes”, with one seed in each, are ¼ to ½ inch long. Propagation by seed, which will germinate within 2-3 months, is fairly easy.
A Mexican Fan Palm can grow to over 100 feet tall, adding 2 to 3 feet per year when young and slowing to about 1 foot or less per year near maturity. Research on native stands shows that they can live up to 500 years.
This lovely palm is hardy and extremely drought tolerant when established – and can grow in almost any soil, including sand. It does best in bright sunny conditions, but will tolerate some shade. Because of its ultimate height, it should not be planted in a confined area or under power lines. It is cold-hardy to 20 degrees for short time periods, but foliage can be damaged at that temperature. It is also very drought tolerant when established.
They are frequently planted in clusters of two or more, to create a fuller canopy and a more tropical look. They are also planted singularly, in long rows, for a stately formal effect.
On January 28, 1861 the General Assembly at the time adopted the current version of South Carolina's flag—which prominently displays a palmetto tree--to symbolized Colonel Moultrie's heroic defense of the palmetto-log fort on Sullivan's Island against the attack of the British fleet on June 28, 1776.
The triumph at Fort Moultrie was largely accredited to the ability of the palmetto tree fort to absorb the force of British cannonballs. The palmetto became a symbol of liberty and safety in South Carolina. The palmetto tree was first included as a decorative element on the South Carolina state seal in 1777 and then added to the state flag in 1861. The flag design has remained in tact since then and has become a symbol of pride for many South Carolinians. June 28th is remembered, each year, as "Carolina Day" and celebrated in Charleston each year, with images of the palmetto tree depicted throughout the city.
What's so great about the palmetto tree? Well, the trunk of palmetto trees are not comprised of wood but a fibrous material that allows the tree to bend in the strong winds common along the South Carolina coastline. They endure salt spray and sandy soils and stand tall and beautiful throughout the year. In the United States, the native range of the palmetto tree is the coastal plain of the lower East Coast from southeast North Carolina southward to Florida and west along the Gulf Coastal plain to Texas.
The main difference between palmettos and palm trees are their size. Palm trees can top 80 feet tall, while the largest palmetto grows only about 30 feet tall. Palm tree trunks grow vertically, while the main stem of most palmetto species generally stay on or just below the ground and grow horizontally.
https://www.cedarlawnandlandscaping.com/blog/palmetto-pride-a-brief-history-of-our-state-tree
(naturalnavigator.com)
The coconut palm tree (Cocos nucifera) does something that very few trees do. It leans into wind.
Most trees have trunks that will bend away from the wind. A trunk that leans downwind is less exposed and structurally better for surviving strong winds. But the coconut palm is a rebel. Its trunk bends into wind.
Strictly speaking, the palm is growing towards the light (phototropism) not the wind, but since they grow best at the edge of tropical islands, the effect is the same, as most coastline trees are exposed to strongest winds from the sea.
Why does it do this? It is a bit odd for a tree to grow in a way that makes it more exposed and more vulnerable to storms from the sea.
There is a good reason. The palm tree needs to drop its seed, the coconut, as close to the water as possible. Many seeds are carried by wind or animals, but coconuts are taken to start a new life elsewhere, often on another island, by sea currents.
Besides, coconut palms are very sturdy individuals. It takes an extraordinarily strong wind to threaten them. A gale will shake some coconuts out of the tree, but is unlikely to tug hard enough at the roots to cause any problems. A storm will flatten a lot of other species before troubling the tough palm.
It is very likely you know where the sea is already if you can see coconut palms, but if not, remember they grow towards the light, usually the open skies of the ocean and away from the darkness of other trees.
If you look closely, you’ll actually notice that the main trunk leans towards the sea, but the very top bends back slightly towards the land. This is the result of the light and wind working in opposite directions. The top of the tree bears the brunt of the strongest winds.
https://www.naturalnavigator.com/news/2020/02/why-the-coconut-palm-points-to-the-sea/
