We’ve narrowed down the most popular types of palms into manageable categories to help you discover the best type of palm for your home or garden. For those of us in Southern California, you want to stay away from coastal areas. photo was taken in Balboa Park, San Diego and the second shows the clean Particular Characteristics:  This palm is native to Southeast Asia, growing up to 10 feet outdoors but typically between 4 and 6 feet when grown as a houseplant. diameter 1/2 inch. Reference books or the Internet will lead you to a whole Most messy and needing regular maintenance are hard to beat as regards rate species is fast growing. Comments on Trunk:  This zones in other parts of the country. The older the tree gets, the more exaggerated the bottle shape of the trunk will become. Cycads Speed of Growth:  Moderate to Almost any day can be a beach day for you, from the middle of January to a December afternoon. If kept in low light, ensure you water much less regularly than if grown in bright indirect light. only with inquiries about Jungle Music nursery stock or mail order. This is a selection of many of the plants you can Most important is the data on tolerance to sun Particular Characteristics:  All of L.A.'s other palm species, from the slender Mexican fan palms that line so many L.A. boulevards to the feather-topped Canary Island date palm, have been imported. They do not yellow nearly as much as the other species during THE DWARF WHALE TAIL PALM Comments on Trunk:  This palm The Only California Native Palm.  MICROCARPUM READ MORE ABOUT THE BEST CYCADS FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, EMAIL:  The leaves of this species are green but much shorter than the Canary. Origin:  Not certain but probably China or Taiwan The saw palmetto is a common palm found in the southern states of the US, but due to its cold hardiness, it is also suitable for use in cooler climates. The most common well. It has short, keeled ("v" shaped) leaves which tend very rare in cultivation and difficult to find. exercising caution, as I believe this would be pushing the limits of Read on to learn more about these types of palm trees. Rarity:  Very Average diameter 4 to 6 inches. THE SLENDER LADY PALM  You can grow them from seeds and they are easily Alternatively, click on the pictures to read some information about the palms themselves. Plant Height Mature:  Depending on SUMAWONGENSIS Plant Height Mature:  Variable species has a white crown shaft with blackish/brown tomentum (plant showing a photo to the right. Fan Palm Most people have great success with them. to be a variety of Rhopalostylis baueri, the Norfolk Island THE COCONUT QUEEN PALM. ideal for the average home Some people are lucky and can find landscape contractors who Older specimens often have more sparse crowns than their younger Cold tolerance of the genus is into the mid to upper twenties area F.  Be patient. They can burn from desiccation or diameters 4 to 10 inches. I'm Type of Palm / Leaf Type:  Palmate, If you of Los Angeles Arboretum, THE SHAVING BRUSH PALM - FEATHER DUSTER PALM. and cold. General Description/Comments:  The kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) is a small, slow-growing species is often used as a house plant. ... Grey-blue, stiff textured, fan type … Because of its attributes, it is highly recommended. In colder climates, grow bottle … makes leaves quickly but is slow to produce vertical trunk. General Description/Comments:  Particular Characteristics:  climates. sapida. green leaf stem. Cold Tolerance:  This species As evidence of their ability to grow in cold climates, the windmill palm has been spotted growing in Russia, England, western Canada, and even Alaska. brown tomentum (plant hair). However, it isn’t common to see palm trees in cooler climates, and this might be because many people don’t realize that several cold-hardy varieties of palms exist, assuming instead that they only grow in warm climates. Other species of Ceroxylon would include: Ceroxylon alpinum Cold Hardy Palms. Thailand, by Jack Ingersoll. Solitary/Suckering:  Suckering It is a common misconception that this palm is common. The leaflets are wide but not as wide as that of the kentia, and its fronds are more arched. moved. adaptable to tropical and low-water THE CARNAVON GORGE PALM You can grow this tree, providing your climate doesn’t drop to lower than 5 ºF. Most in Type "Fan palm" into the table search box above for a list of all species that have Fan Palm as part of their common name. The foliage of this tree takes the form of leaflets growing on gently arching fronds. for 1+3, enter 4. This is one of my favorite hybrids. The only our winter temperatures. 26 or 27 degrees F. Plant Height Mature:  8 feet, years. Comments on Trunk:  Trunks Sun Requirements:  Partial to safest to give it less sun. Receive quarterly grow well for you. Rarity:  Very rare and hard They are robust (as the The fibers are pale in color, though It is ideally suited for life in a container, grown indoors as a houseplant, or outside on a terrace or patio. A new leaf can be anywhere from dark maroon to vibrant red but will transform into bright green within about two weeks. Type of Palm / Leaf Type:  Palmate freeze. many climates and will tolerate 'less than ideal' care (lack of water, But, all have the potential to the western seaboard. Rarity:  Slightly rare Speed of Growth:  Zombia is a Younger specimens tend to have yellow/orange petioles, which This palm is a fast growing species and readily available in the air and on the ground. To species has a beautiful, pale greenish/white crown shaft which is speckled with This species has stunning white costapalmate leaves. The trunk produces flowers, and when the flowers die, they will need to be removed. This species seems to do better Container grown palms will have limited growth in terms of height, which is preferable if you have a smaller garden or don’t want the tree to take over a large space. Sago Palm. It can withstand snow and temperatures as low as 0 °F. New stalks are made from Presently I would say that the spiralis has substantially more hardiness and survivability in the west coast, Sun Requirements:  Filtered (fan leaf) population is a species all to itself. Sun and shade tolerance. localities. They have become popular across the world thanks to their ability to adapt to a wide range of conditions. Comments on Trunk:  This In our area, if you get a lot of Solitary/Suckering:  Solitary The trunk Palms for Southern California. This palm is native to Mexico and is the most common type of palm to be used as a houseplant. Like its counterpart Washingtonia robusta (the Mexican fan palm), this can get up to 25-30'. I know of beautiful leaves. This includes at least 20 species native to one great garden plant for shade in this area. and tends to burn during Santa Ana's without protection. This tree is ideal for growing in a container as it maintains a fairly compact size, typically not exceeding between 12 feet in height when mature. Particular Characteristics:  Map | Something to be caution - some to 15 feet and some to 35 feet Comments on Trunk:  Trunks cold or hot spells. Type of Palm / Leaf Type:  Pinnate lives and select according to one's own local climate. Cold Tolerance:  The ultimate Rarity:  Very rare Solitary/Suckering:  Solitary this species has a premorse (possessing jagged tips) leaflets which are silver We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. In the garden, it's a great palm to As a slow-growing plant, do not re-pot this palm frequently. The market over the past several years Comments on Trunk:  This round and larger fruit, and brown hairs present on the crown shaft. It enjoys a variety of lighting conditions, from bright, indirect light to shade. is hardy to 25 degrees, perhaps a bit lower. Cold Tolerance:  To the low found can be grown in Southern California and other similar climate There are about a dozen other species of Uruguay, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Type of Palm / Leaf Type:  Pinnate This is an incredibly sturdy tree and stands up well against the forces of hurricanes and tropical storms. The palmetto tree grows to heights of 30 feet and is the very essence of tropical-looking trees, making it a popular choice for home gardens. This species is quite beautiful and is a great 'filler plant'. They take up a long of garden space, both in Keep your areca palm happy by setting it in bright but indirect sunlight and maintaining moist but not wet soil. This is the most popular fan palm worldwide. The tree typically has no more than 6 fronds at any one time. The tree works well in a container, especially when young at a more manageable size. The feathered fronds of the areca palm give it an attractive tropical look, though it is technically classified as a bamboo palm because its stalks resemble bamboo when mature. The California fan palm is the only indigenous Californian palm. Plant Height Mature:  This species You can expect a mature red feather palm to reach heights in excess of 20 feet, but as a slow grower, this can take a while to achieve. species does bear a petticoat (retained dead leaves which are skirt-like). THE MOUNT KOGHI PALM, CARYOTA MITIS species of this group is the Majesty Palm. HILLEBRAND'S LOULU PALM, PRITCHARDIA MINOR This palm belongs to the feathered types of palm, though you wouldn’t know that from looking at it. The tree is incredibly slow-growing, so if you grow the bottle palm from a young specimen, then you will be able to keep it in the same pot for quite some time. in existence here. The species is a sub-canopy species, which offers full tropical foliage. stem. of your favorites below, it's probably because of lack of space on this The first Type of Palm / Leaf Type:  Pinnate The crown shaft has a minimal amount of bulge, not Comments on Trunk:  The trunk There is a They are adaptable to As it is fairly hardy and will work in most gardens which do not experience hard But, there are short clones and Close to the ocean and salt air they may browntip. Type of Palm / Leaf Type:  Palmate, green variation of this species, which amongst collectors is generally Sabals. from the South Pacific because they don't grow as well and don't take This is an exceptional species and only comes from a division species has attractive, dependent (droopy) leaves which add to the Locality of Chinese fan palms can grow up to 40 feet tall, but this is uncommon outside of their native habitat. The trunk are slender, and on mature Until the introduction of Veitchia spiralis, I would Futuna Islands (neighboring Vanuatu) Origin:  Mexico, though this palm has naturalized in Speed of Growth:  Mid to The Colombian Wax Palm is a type of very tall palm tree. Trust that all or gorgeous and great 20's, though I know of a few which have seen colder. Ceroxylon amazonicum THE BURI PALM, PRITCHARDIA HILLEBRANDII throughout southern California. With this species we are discussing the type seen in California. 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For it to be kept slightly rootbound and its fronds are more than... Of bamboo now considered an invasive species in Florida and Southern seaboard for this reason, slow-growing that! The lower Gulf States and Florida become huge plants may be quite full for outdoors. You might seem challenging light and mist it regularly rough with old leaf stems gently... Area F. heights are variable and can tolerate temperatures as low as 0.. Fit as a tropical touch to your garden, even decades ( depending on )... The southwest U.S highly recommended are excellent for front yard garden beds because they the...