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PALM PRICES OR CYCAD PRICES SPECIALS AND SALES
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WEDNESDAY, 28 FEBRUARY, 2024

CARYOTA GIGAS
"THAI MOUNTAIN GIANT", "KING KONG PALM", "BLACK STEM FISHTAIL"

COMPARISON WITH CARYOTA URENS

Yes, this beautiful large palm from northern Thailand has been given a lot of common names. I'm showing you today some boxed size plants of this species. We also have 15g for sale. But, I thought I'd make a few points about this plant that you may not know and make some comparisons to Caryota urens:

•It has an extremely thick fat trunk that can get up to three feet wide (see last photo). This is much thicker than C. urens.
•Trunk height in Southern California is hardly ever over 35 feet, less than most of us expected. C. urens can get over 60 feet with ease.
• It appears to tolerate full sun better than C. urens. By this I mean it has less brown tipping on the leaflets
• It appears to have a shorter life span than expected, often blossoming in less than 15 years. This is less than C. urens.
• It has very wide and long leaves, up to fifteen feet in length and provides good shade underneath. Caryota urens' leaves are smaller but still quite large.
• It is not as cold hardy as C. urens and will burn in the low 20's F. But, most plants will survive and return from temperatures of 20 degrees f.
• It is quick growing but does not put on vertical height as fast as Caryota urens.
• If your plant doesn't look good, it's probably from your lack of giving it adequate water (if there's no cold burn)
• It is the most popular Fishtail Palm presently. In the past, before this species introduction, C. urens was the most popular. I think people really like the leaves and leaflet shape..

Presently we have a limited supply of smaller plants of this species. Occasionally we get in 25 gallon size. Nursery photos shown here are only of Caryota gigas.

BAD PALM SEEDS?
HOW CAN YOU TELL?

THE FLOAT TEST
THE PINCH TEST
CUT THE SEED OPEN

Many people love to germinate palm seeds and make their plants. But, there are a few things you need to now right from the beginning if you want to successfully germinate.

1. Get fresh seeds. Right off the tree is best.
2. Pick seeds that are mature, often colorful. Green seeds germinate poorly.
3. Remove the fruit from the seeds until you have a clean, often tan colored inner seed. Fruit can contain chemicals that retard germination.
4. Pinch test seeds. Take the picked seeds (with or without fruit) and squeeze hard between two fingers. They should never collapse.
5. Float Test the seeds. Palm seeds almost always sink in water. Floaters are almost always bad. Inner cavities of rot within the seed make them float.
6. Cut open a few seeds. The fruit should be white or light tan, solid and without signs of rot. And, you definitely do not want to see inner cavities.
7. Always soak the cleaned seeds in pure water, especially if you had seeds shipped to you. This rehydrates them. If seeds are right off a tree and the fruit is moist and fresh, soaking is not necessary. But, they would still be cleaned of any fruit.

Photos here show seeds with fruit, the float test with floaters and sinkers and a few seeds cut open showing inner cavities (a bad sign). For techniques on germination, see our article on Palm Seed Germination at this website.

Butia capitata seeds with fresh yellow fruit
Chambeyronia seeds with red fruit - ripe

Green seeds, not ready to pick -bad germination

Livistona saribus seeds with blue fruit

Cleaning fruit off Jubaea chilensis
Float test: Note floating seeds
Float test - Astrocaryum seeds floating

Float Test: Note good seeds sink to bottom
Sinking seeds on float test
Cavity in bad Astrocaryum mexicanum seeds

Cavity in Astrocaryum mexicanum
Cavity in bad Gastrococos crispa seeds
Cavity in Gastrococus crispa

ARCHONTOPHOENIX "TERACARPA"
THE BEST KING PALM EVER!
MUCH SUPERIOR TO REGULAR KING PALMS

SO, WHAT IS IT?
ARE THEY EVER ON SALE?
YES, 10 DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE - SINGLES OR MULTIPLES

Archontophoenix teracarpa is a fictitious name given to an unknown species/type of King Palm that I have in my garden and no one can identify. I've been collecting seeds from it for quite a few years and offering it for sale. Everyone who gets one agrees - "It's the best King Palm ever!" It got the name from the Latin "Large body", which it has. After trying to identify the species over many years and with no success, we coined the name "Archontophoenix teracarpa". The closest species to it would be A. maxima but it's not the same. So, what are the differences that makes teracarpa more ideal? Shown below is a single of our 15 gallon size but we also have multiples. These are really too big for mail order but we do have 5 gallon which we can ship. We have available both single stem plants and some multiples (more than one in a pot).

It is faster growing than the regular Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
It gets taller than the regular King Palm
It tolerates full sun better
It doesn't brown tip in full sun
It has a blue crown shaft
It has a super thick trunk

It's just a better looking and performing type of King Palm. If you get one, you’ll be bragging about its performance later.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $235
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $210

Remember: mention this Special to get your discount when you purchase!

ARENGA ENGLERI
SUCKERING COLD HARDY PALM FROM JAPAN AND TAIWAN

NEVER GETS OVERLY LARGE – VERY COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICELY SIZE 15 GALLON

This suckering Asian pinnate palm rarely gets over ten feet tall and has medium width leaflets that are jagged at their apical ends. The undersides of the leaflets are silver. But, from afar, it looks like a green palm. It is a clustering plant that suckers heavily and cannot be seen through. Therefore, it's a good species to block visibility. Growth rate is slow. Mature height of this species is eight to fourteen feet. Cold tolerance is into the upper teens F. It can tolerate part day coastal sun or possibly full sun. Far inland areas should grow it in filtered light. Flowers are very fragrant but seeds contain a substance which makes the skin itch. The 15g on special are nicely sized for their pots with an age from germination of about 8 years.

REGULAR PRICE 15G SIZE $235
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE $215

You must mention this blog only special to get this price when purchasing.

DYPSIS DECARYI
THE TRIANGLE PALM

MEDIUM MATURE HEIGHT
THREE SIDED CROWN SHAFT – LOVES HOT SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZED PLANTS

This Madagascar palm is known as the "Triangle Palm" because the crown shaft has three flat sides. It gets to a mature height of about 22 feet in 3 decades. It loves heat and sun. Leaves are a gray-green color and there is prominent speckling in the inner crown with dark colors. It is slow growing. It has a cold tolerance of about 24 degrees F. Be aware that this palm doesn’t do well in shade and doesn’t want to be shaded out by overhead trees. The 15 gallon size on Special are being grown in sun and ready for planting. Mail order possible with a very tall box.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $235
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $205

Mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase. We also have other sizes available.

CHAMBEYRONIA HOOKERI
THE BLONDE FLAME THROWER PALM

GORGEOUS PALM FROM NEW CALEDONIA
TEN DAY SPECIAL FIFTEEN GALLON SIZE

The palm shown in the first two rows is a 5 gallon size of Chambeyronia hookeri with its blonde colored crown shaft. This species is hard to find. It is different in appearance from the dark green crown shafted form, Chambeyronia macrocarpa. Here's some facts about this species:

• Growth habit and care about the same as macrocarpa
• Along the coast will tolerate full sun if you're are not too far inland
• Crown shaft is yellow-tan colored and quite prominent
• Cold tolerance is about 23 degrees
• Growth rate on this species like macrocarpa is slow to medium but improves once planted in the ground.
• Trunk diameter is about 8 inches typically and overall height of mature plants is about 25 feet
• Leaflets are shiny green, thick and sturdy, and quite wide as shown
• Like macrocarpa, about 95% of the time throws newly emerging red leaf as shown here. Rarely a plant will not throw new red leaves and there's no way of predicting this.
• Also makes a great interior palm inside the home

We’re putting nice fifteen gallon on Special but also have one and five gallon sizes available.

REGULAR PRICE FIFTEEN GALLON $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL FIFTEEN GALLON $225

This size is can be mail ordered but would take a very large box to ship. You'll love this species. The sixth and seventh photos below by TS RPS & DL

CHAMBEYRONIA HOOKERI
THE BLONDE FLAME THROWER PALM

GORGEOUS PALM FROM NEW CALEDONIA
TEN DAY SPECIAL FIVE GALLON SIZE

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE FIFTEEN GALLON $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL FIFTEEN GALLON $225

This size is can be mail ordered EASILY.

SYAGRUS (LYTOCARYUM) WEDDELLIANUM
DWARF SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM

RARELY AVAILABLE - FIRST TIME OFFERED IN FIVE YEARS!
SEEMS TO THRIVE ON NEGLECT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

Locality:	Brazil
Cold Hardiness:	25-26s, F.
Trunk type:	This palm has a slender trunk, 4-6 inches. The crown is brown and fibrous.
Leaf type:	Plumose (fluffy appearance), pinnate (feather shape) leaves. The individual leaflets are very slender with a white underside.
Suckering/Solitary:	Solitary (single trunk).
Maintenance:	Easy
Speed of growth:	Slow to moderate.
Height:	8-10 feet.
Soil requirements:	Normal.
Sun Requirements:	Shade or partial sun.
General Description:	This is a very nice slender palm. It does well in darker areas and has dark green leaflets. It can be grown in more sun along the coast, but leaves tend to turn yellow.
Other Notes:	This interesting dwarf palm, through my own experience, seems to thrive on neglect. If you water it too much, give it a lot of fertilizer or pamper it, it will not do well. I found just plant it and check it from time to time and you'll get the best results.
Further Data:	Near impossible to find in nurseries. Mail order possible.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $155
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $135

ROYSTONEA OLERACEA
THE SOUTH AMERICAN ROYAL PALM

TALL PINNATE PALM WITH LUSH GREEN FOLIAGE
LONG PROMINENT CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This species of Royal Palm is native to the lower Caribbean Islands and northern South America. References say it can reach heights of sixty feet but I've personally seen a grove of 100 year old trees in New Caledonia that surpass 100 feet. (8th photo below). They are fast growing, have green leaves, a prominent crown shaft and hold their leaves typically in the upper half of the leaf-crown sphere. They want sun and are cold hardy to about 25 degrees F. On sale are our 5 gallon size. They are putting on some height but are still shippable by mail order. We also have band size available.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $115

CARYOTA URENS
THE GIANT MOUNTAIN FISHTAIL

FAST GROWING - SUPER TALL - DIFFICULT TO FIND
REASONABLY COLD HARDY TALL BIPINNAT PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL JUVENILE ONE GALLON PLANTS

Yes, this species of Fishtail is super fast growing. And, it's not unusual for one to get above 70 feet tall. Some people love the grandeur of these palms. And, for some, they want it "right now". Well, this is an opportunity to satisfy that need. It would not be unusual to go from a seedling to a height of 30 feet in six or seven years. This species is native to northern Thailand and surrounding countries. The trunk is about 16 inches or so thick and light tan in color. The leaves are compound – bipinnate. This means the main stem branches off into secondary leaf stems. Leaflets are jagged at their ends. Also, this is a monoecious palm that dies about three years after flowering. Expect a life span of about 15 years. It wants full coastal sun. It is taller than Caryota gigas and has shorter leaves and a thinner trunk. We’re putting nice one gallon juvenile plants on sale. Easy to mail order.

REGULAR PRICE ONE GALLON SIZE $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE ONE GALLON $65

Easy to mail order. Limited numbers available.

DYPSIS SPECIES BEF
SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM FROM MADAGASCAR

THIN TRUNK, ARCHING LEAVES, WHITE CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

For quite a few years, palm enthusiasts have been familiar with this rare species from Madagascar. It has been called "Dypsis species bef". But, to this day, it has no accepted botanical name. It has a rather narrow ringed trunk with arching and keeled green leaves. The crown shaft is white. It is medium sized with a height of about 20 feet. The garden specimen is c/o Steve S., PalmPedia. As a nursery plant it has soft green relaxed leaves with hanging leaflets. But, when older, it is firmly keeled. The first six photos show the plants on special.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $55

This size is easy to ship. This species will take coastal sun. Cold tolerance is unknown although I’d guess it’s in the mid-twenties F.

HOWEA FORSTERIANA
THE KENTIA PALM

GREAT PATIO OR INTERIOR PALM - OR IN THE GARDEN
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZED SEEDLINGS

Howea forsteriana, the popular Kentia Palm, is native to Lord Howe Island. There it lives at lower elevations. At higher elevations up the mountains one sees Howea belmoreana and Hedyscepe. The Kentia does great here in So California. It is a single trunk species that is often grown as a "multiple" with several plants in the same pot. It does NOT sucker. Along the coast it takes full sun or part day sun. Far inland, filtered light is needed. Cold tolerance is about 25 degrees F. Mature height in sun is usually about thirty feet in 30 years. Also important is that the Kentia Palm is a favorite house plant and do quite well inside the home. We’re putting very nice band sized seedlings on special. These plants are singles - not multiples. These can be mail ordered. Of note, this species is slow growing. The bands shown here are three years old and a great starter size for those on a budget.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $60
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $50

Remember to mention this Blog Special at the time of purchase for this discounted price.

CYCAS DEBAOENSIS
SUPER RARE, MULTIPINNATE, SMALL CAUDEX, LONG LEAVES

YES, SEEDLINGS OF THE REAL THING!
FIRST TIME OFFERED FOR TWENTY YEARS
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

In my opinion, this is one of the most desirable cycad species introduced in the past several decades. It was formally described in 1996. Native to China, it is a plant with a rather small caudex, typically under a foot in size, but with long leaves that stretch upwards and will divide to the third order. Some argue that it's just "bi-pinnate", but if you research pictures of the leaves, there is a small stem leading to two or three leaflets. Therefore, I consider it to be "tri-pinnate". In other words, the main stem will fork and that branch will fork again, this last stem holding the leaflets.. The Caryota palm divides to the second order and is considered to be multipinate as well. With this branching, this species produces a very tropical and exotic appearing leaf.

It typically will hold two to four leaves, but has been reported to hold as many as ten leaves. Length of these can reach ten feet. They tend to go straight upwards, flexing down over time. Cycas debaoensis prefers filtered light and is cold hardy to the lower 20's F. For the first time in a few decades, we are offering seedlings for sale. These were domestically produced and definitely the real thing. I've shown other plants of this species before, but such a beautiful plant cannot be shown too many times. At nurseries, this is considered super rare and is always hard to find.

REGULAR PRICE BAND $100
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $85

These would be easy to mail order.

ZAMIA FISCHERI
AKA ZAMIA VASQUEZII

DWARF GREEN MEXICAN CYCAD
CONES AT A SMALL SIZE - NEVER OVER 3 TO FOUR FEET TALL
TEN DAY SPECIAL CIT POT SIZE
This is small Mexican cycad with stems typically under one foot tall in size and leaves green in color and up to three feet long, sometimes shorter. It usually holds about five or so leaves, sometimes more. It is a variable species and leaflets can be lanceolate or wedge shaped. Leaflets are quite thin in texture and have soft spines on the margins. Overall, this species has a "fern-like" appearance and would not be considered spiny. The names "vasquezii" replaced the more commonly known name of "fischeri" in the past fifteen years or so.

The two plants shown here in the first two rows below are eight to ten years old. One is a female in cone (illustrated). Most have caudexes of 2 to 3 inches. I am also showing (last row) two super robust garden specimens.

REGULAR PRICE CIT POT THIS SPECIES $325
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $275

Remember: Mention this Special for your discounted price!

ENCEPHALARTOS LEHMANNII
BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD FOR SUN

GOOD OFFERING OF 15 GALLON PLANTS
CAUDEXES 3.5 TO 6 INCHES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON E. LEHMANNII

This is a popular blue cycad from the Eastern Cape area of South Africa. I say “popular” because some people don't like spines and prickles. The leaflets of this species are narrow with only a point at the end. They are nothing as gnarly as E. horridus. The leaves and crown are very neat and uniform. The nearest species to this one is Encephalartos princeps. Trunks of E. lehmannii can get to five feet, but one with two to three feet of trunk is very old. Leaves average about four feet long and are strongly curled. Sometimes they'll almost do a 180 or more degree re-curve. Leaf color is intensely blue like E. horridus. But, you'll only see this color with full, hot sun. In shade or inside a greenhouse they are often green. Cold hardiness is about 21 to 22 degrees F. In the desert only give it a few hours sun. Next to Encephalartos horridus, this is the second most popular cycad we grow. Shown below is an assortment of 15 gallon plants of this species with caudexes of 3 to 5-6 inches. We have about a half dozen of them. All are sun ready. I am showing some of these 15g below. The sale price applies only to plants that are "ball" caudexes with no older vertical trunk.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON THIS SPECIES $150 PER INCH CAUDEX DIAMETER

TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SPECIES $130 PER INCH CAUDEX DIAMETER.

This size can possibly be mail ordered. This caudex size price applies to plants that do not have vertical trunk height.

ENCEPHALARTOS LEHMANNII
RARE BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD FOR FULL COASTAL SUN

A FAVORITE AMONG CYCAD ENTHUSIASTS
TEN DAY SPECIAL GOOD SIZES & AFFORDABLE 5 GALLON PLANTS

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

Shown below are E. lehmannii that are in 5 gallon pots. They have 4 to 6 leaves with caudexes 2 to 2.5 inches. Within a year they’d like to be repotted into larger containers or into the ground. This size is easy to mail order. We have about ten available this size.

REGULAR PRICE THIS SIZE 5 GALLON $300
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE 5 GALLON $255

DIOON ANGUSTIFOLIUM
THIN LEAFLET GREENT TO BLUE-GREEN CYCAD
LIKE SUN AND HEAT

QUITE COLD HARDY - TO UPER TEENS F.
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS CONING SIZED MATURE CYCAD

This cycad species is from Mexico and is known for its very thin leaflets. You will see this cycad as a single trunk plant or as a cluster with multiple stems. The overall crown size is not large, typically with a spread of four feet. A plant with a caudex of 12 to 18 inches is a very old plant. Cold tolerance is definitely into the low 20’s F. and perhaps it’ll take into the upper teens F. It likes full, hot sun. This would be a good sun species of cycads for those who live in a colder climate. It is closely related to Dioon edule. This species is also ideal where an enthusiast needs a plant that will not get tall and needs to fit into a smaller area. The plant on Special is in a 24 inch box and has a mature caudex 9 inches wide and 14 inches tall with a four inch pup. Estimated age is at least 25 years. It’ll not get much bigger after planting.

REGULAR PRICE THIS 24 INCH MATURE SPECIMEN $2000
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD AS DESCIBED $1700

CYCAS REVOLUTA - THE SAGO PALM
MOST POPULAR CYCAD IN THE WORLD

MEDIUM THICK TRUNK - GREEN LEAVES
EASY TO GROW IN MOST AREAS - TOLERATES FULL COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL OLD AND LARGE 15 GALLON PLANTS
QUITE A FEW TO SELECT FROM

Cycas revoluta, the common "Sago Palm", is native to areas of Japan and China. It is an extremely easy to grow cycad that requires little maintenance. It is also slow growing with fifty year old specimens attaining a trunk height of five feet or a bit more. Leaves are green as shown below, typically five feet long on older plants and have barbs on the stems. Leaflets are "revolute" - cupped on the underside. Stems can be twelve to sixteen feet thick in decades. Male and female cones are quite different, as with all species of this genus. Male cones look like a corn cob without the kernels. Females are a scrambled clump of "tan leaflets" without any emerging structure. You need both sexes to get viable seeds. I'd estimate that there are well over a million plants of this species in gardens worldwide. It tolerates full sun in coastal areas but not in desert climates (where it needs sun protection). Cold tolerance is perhaps as low as 16 degrees F - certainly into the high teens. It can also be grown as a houseplant when smaller and is ideal for a patio plant.

We have a reasonable assortment of 15gallon sized plants that came from a private garden. We were told that they were at least 20 years old. Some are larger than others. The 15g plant shown below has a caudex that is about 12 inches tall or so. The height of the trunk shows you these ages. These are sun grown outdoors. We're putting this size on Ten Day Special. These plants were dug and potted up over two years ago. All are sturdy and healthy cycads.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON SAGOS AS SHOWN $695
TEN DAY SPECIAL SALE PRICE THIS SIZE $500 (ALMOST 30% OFF)

ALOCASIA MAYAN MASK
GREEN EXOTIC WITH UPRIGHT GREEN LEAVES
PURPLE ON THE UNDERSIDES

MEDIUM HEIGHT MATURE - TAKES COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

This hybrid variety of Alocasia is known for its large upright leaves that are green on the upper dorsal side with purple undersides. Both sides show prominent yellow veins. It is easy to grow but does best if you are in a freeze-free area. It likes good draining soil, average water. But, you back off on water during winter's cold. Mature height is six to eight feet. Leaves can easily get three feet long. On the coast it tolerates full sun or part sun. Far inland areas (frost free) would be bright filtered light or a small amount of sun. On sale are our 15 gallon size as shown n the first seven photos. The last photo is c/o the National Gardening Association where this species is being used as a patio plant.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $195
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $175

AUSTRALIAN TREE FERN
CYATHEA COOPERI

FAST GROWING, CAN GET TALLER
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

The Australian Tree Fern in native to several areas on the eastern side of Australia. It is a faster growing tree fern that can get to a height of over forty feet. The two photos from my garden in San Diego show potential height. I have several with twenty-five feet of trunk. I'm about 8 miles from the ocean and they take my sun fairly well. Trunks can get up to twelve inches thick although most are more thin. This species is a bigger alternative to the Tasmanian Tree Fern and has a thicker trunk and longer leaves. This species tolerates coastal sun or part day sun. It is cold hardy into the upper twenties or lower. We're putting nice 15 gallon on sale.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $195
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $175

TILLANDSIA MALLEMONTII
SPECIES WITH VIOLET BLUE FLOWERS
CLUSTERS IN BLOSSOM IN SPRING - SUMMER

A TYPE OF AIR PLANT - EASY TO GROW - BLOSSOMS IN FALL
TEN DAY SPECIAL TWO SIZES OF CLUSTERS

As I've mentioned before, I'm not a Tillandsia expert. But, I could not pass when a private collector offered me multiple clumps of a blue-gray Tillandsia mllemontii in full blossom. The blossoms are a violet-blue (photos make them appear a bit pink - which they are not). I was told by the collector that the blossom every spring to summer with lots of flowers. The clumps are composed of ten to fifteen plants. I have two sizes available. They'd like sun or part sun and to be watered at least weekly. They can be mounted to a tree limb, post or a fence. This species is rare to find. These would be easy to mail order. We have small to medium clusters as well as large clusters on sale. The larger clusters contain 15 to 20 plants. Note that, when you buy Tillandsia on line, you ususally get one dinky plant, not huge clusters 15 years old like shown here.

REGULAR PRICE SMALL CLUSTERS $75, LARGE CLUSTERS $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL - 15% OFF THESE PRICES

ENSETE VENTRICOSUM "MAURELII"
THE RED BANANA

LARGE SINGLE TRUNK TROPICAL PLANT
RED COLOR TO FOLIAGE
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

On sale are nice five gallon plants of the Red Banana, Ensete ventricosum mauerlii. This is a quick growing tropical plant that can get to ten to fifteen feet tall and grows in full coastal sun. Leaves are green with prominent red to both the dorsal and ventral sides. Trunks are at least 18 inches thick and leaves are fleshy and soft - typical of bananas and Ensete. It does not be edible fruit. Cold hardiness is down to about a freeze. Colder weather damages the leaves in winter. This is a fast growing plant but typically only lives for 5 to 7 years before flowering and dying. We're putting our oversized 5 gallon on Special. This size can be mail ordered. I don’t have experience with interior growing but many have bought this size as a “house plant” with no complaints yet. But, if you do this, give it lots of light. Garden photo below by Container Crazy CT Website.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $95

TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $80

Ensete maurellii Red Banana photo by container crazy CT website

MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY, 2024

ROYSTONEA BORINQUENA
PERHAPS A MORE COLD HARDY ROYAL PALM

PHOTOGRAPHS OF MATURE PALMS

During the winter of 2007 when we had a severe cold spell, I came to find that this species or Royal Palm seemed to posses more cold hardiness than Roystonea regia and others that are more commonly seen. Our area got down to about 25 degrees F. An enthusiast about a mile from the nursery said his R. regias were totally burned but the Roystonea borninquena went untouched. Because of this I pursued seeds and grew more. We've sold a lot of this beautiful palm since then. It is native to Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and a few other islands. You'll note the absence of the super swollen base often seen with other species. It likes full sun, enjoys ample water and can get to heights over forty feet. More recently, availability has been less plentiful but we plan to carry them as much as we can. Shown here are mature specimens of this species. In recent times we've had no seeds available, but did get in some last year. So, we can currently offer seedlings for sale.

YELLOW LEAVES ON CONING SAGO PALMS
IS THIS CYCAD IN TROULBLE? LACK OF FERTILIZER?

WHAT CAUSES THIS AND WHAT ONE SHOULD DO

Recently, while driving in a neighborhood close to where I live, I can across a female Sago Palm in cone that had strikingly yellow leaves. This reminded me of the dozens of calls I've had over the years from customers who complained that they thought their cycad was dying when it began to cone. The photos below shown this Cycas revoluta throwing a female cone. Looking at the leaves may make you wonder if this cycad is sick or has a sever nitrogen deficiency. Neither of these things are the case. Look at the basal suckers that come off the primary trunk - you can see their leaves in the background. They are a normal dark green color. The yellow leaves is only affecting the coning trunk.

To understand what's happening here you have to realize that it take a tremendous amount of energy (nutrition - nitrogen and micro elements) for a cycad to produce cones. If the plant is short on supplying these elements, it has to "steal" nutrition from the leaves. It usually steals from the older leaves first. But, the home owner of this plant has cut off all the old leaves to supposedly beautify the plant. So this plant took nutrition from the only leaves that this trunk had. If this plant had an abundant supply of nutrition perhaps this wouldn't have happened.

This leads to the maxim that it's best not to cut green, healthy leaves off of a cycad (or a palm) as this can stress the plant and give it difficulty throwing new leaves. In the case of the Sago shown here, the grower would have been better off leaving two sets of leaves. The plant would have stolen nutrition from the lower set which could have been removed later. On palms, removing all but a few of the healthy green leaves at the top can also leaf to a diminishing caliper of the trunk, penciling of the upper trunk (narrowed diameter) and even a propensity toward fungal infections. Cutting off brown, dead leaves is not a problem. But, cutting off healthy green leaves can put any plant into jeopardy. And, to make things worse, producing a cone takes a tremendous amount of energy. So, cutting off old green leaves when coning is always a mistake.

In summary, this cycad is doing what you might expect and what it had to do to produce the cone. It's not sick. It's just doing what nature taught it to do. With the next coning cycle, the grower should leave at least two sets of green leaves to fairly give the plant enough nutrition to complete its coning cycle. Below I'm also showing two Sagos with healthy green leaves for comparison.

CHAMAEDOREA RADICALIS
TRUNKING FORM

THIN TALL GREEN TRUNKS – TOLERATES FULL COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS HUGE & MATURE 25 GALLON SPECIMEN

Sometime with this blog I may have talked about this variety of Chamadorea radicalis. The latter is a very cold hardy dwarf, single trunk species that is quite easy to grow. But, there is also a trunking species that is not a dwarf. It gets to about 10 to 14 feet tall and is also cold hardy into the lower 20's F, maybe even into the upper teens. It is able to take coastal sun like the dwarf. This variety is hard to find on the market. Shown here below is about an 8 to 10 year old 25 gallon that is easily about 12 feet tall. It is a triple and one stem is a female with red fruit. You can see there is no question that this is not a dwarf and has formed nice trunk. On this form, we may also have 5 gallon and 15 gallon available. I only have this one specimen this large. It is way too big for mail order. Note the thin leaflets and stem. This specimen is for sale.

REGULAR PRICE THIS 25 GALLON SPECIMEN $795
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SPECIMEN $675

ROYSTONEA REGIA
THE CUBAN ROYAL PALM

TALL, SINGLE TRUNK SPECIES
ELEGANT WITH LONG CROWN SHAFT
SINGLE PLANTS AND MULTIPLES
TEN DAY 15 GALLON SIZE

This super popular palm is native to south Florida and Cuba. It gets a very tall trunk with a height of forty feet or more. The crown shaft is long and a prominent green. The base of the trunk is swollen just above the ground. Often, you'll also see bulging in the mid-trunk. It is a full sun plant and some are growing it in desert areas with success - in full sun. Cold tolerance is like a King Palm, about 25 degrees F. The 15 gallon shown here is a double. In this size we also have single trunk plants in addition to multiples. Many in Southern California are growing this species quite well. The 8th photo below was at the home of the late Luis Hooper in La Brea, CA. There's a shortage of this species on the California market. This species is also very quick growing. With our 15g you will probably have leaves over the house in 3 to 4 years. We have singles and multiples. BTW, the 15 gallon shown below is over ten feet tall in its pot. If this one sells, others are quite tall as well.

REGULAR PRICE LARGE 15 GALLON $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL OUR LARGE 15 GALLON ROYALS $225

Mention this Special for your discount.

SYAGRUS SCHIZOPHYLLA
MEDIUM HEIGHT GREEN SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM

A SEED PRODUCING PARENT OF THE BEAUTIFUL COCONUT QUEEN!
SPECIAL 15 GALLON PLANTS

This single trunk species is from Brazil and never gets very tall. Usually they are never over twenty feet in height. A most prominent feature of this species are the retained leaf bases as shown below. It is super slow growing and, when mature, makes sherbet orange fruits of good size. It is unusual for a Syagrus because it has modified small spines (more like saw edge prominences) of the leaf stem. If you cross this plant with pollen from a Queen Palm you’ll get one of the best looking palms ever - The Coconut Queen Palm. This latter hybrid never gets very tall and really resembles a Coconut Palm. We’re putting 15 gallon size of S. schizophylla on sale. We only have a few. Want to be the next palm hybridizer? You better get one of these.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $265
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $225

CHAMAEDOREA GLAUCIFOLIA
SUPER SIMILAR TO C. PLUMOSA

TAKES A FAIR AMOUNT OF SUN – SINGLE STEM, THIN TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON MULTIPLES

From time to time I discuss this interesting single trunk Chamaedorea. It is very similar to Chamaedorea plumosa - except: The plumosa has a more plumose leaf and takes a little more sun. But, the glaucifolia has the silver powder on the leaf stems and crown shaft as shown here. This is quite attractive and typically very prominent. Otherwise, you would mistake the two. And, it too, can tolerate near full coastal sun. They are fast growing and get to a mature height of about 14 feet. They look their best when planted in colonies of three to five plants. The 15 gallon on special are multiples, usually three per pot, and ready for the garden. It is a durable species and seem exempt from fungal problems that can plague C. plumosa. For this reason, they are more reliable than C. plumosa. Cold hardiness is about 25 degrees F.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON MULTIPLES $235
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 15 GALLON $215

Mention this Special for your discount when you purchase.

TRACHYCARPUS LATISECTUS
THE WINDAMERE PALM

GREEN LEAVES WITH WIDE SEGMENTS – SILVER UNDERSIDE
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

This very rare species of Windmill Palm is from high elevation areas in India and is most known for the fact that it’s leaf segments are wider than other species. There are two varieties. It is a tall species, up to forty feet, with a narrow trunk of six to eight inches. Its leaves are green with a bit of glaucous color beneath. For this genus, the leaves are wide, sometimes up to five feet with wide segments that are divided about half way into the leaf. The petioles are about three feet long and the leaf shape is semicircular or near totally circular. There is a hope that this species tolerates more heat. Cold tolerance is yet to be determined but at our Nursery it's seen 28 degrees F. We’re suspicious it is not as cold tolerant as other Trachycarpus species. It is extremely rare in cultivation with few photos available of the native population. Both photographs below are of domestic plants, the first showing Martin Gibbons in the U.K. We only have one or two available.

REGULAR PRICE THIS RARE 15 GALLON SIZE $285
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $245

KING PALM
ARCHONTOPHOENIX CUNNINGHAMIANA

TALL TO MEDIUM MATURE HEIGHT - FULL OR PART COASTAL SUN

TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SINGLES

The popular King Palm is also known as the Piccabeen Palm or Bangalow palm. It is native to several areas in Australia. It can in habitat get to sixty feet tall, but in Southern California is usually not over 40 feet tall. It is crown shafted with a gray trunk. The crown shaft is green with some brown speckled areas. Leaf length is 8 to 10 feet. It is not particularly rare. Other species of King Palms are. (we grow them all). Ramenta is present on the back of the leaflets, a hallmark of this species. Cold tolerance is about 25 degrees F. The singles we're putting on sale are in the 15g size. Be aware, you can plant a single, double or triple. All do great although the greater the number of plants put in, the slower the growth rate of the clump. These single 15g plants are about 7 to 8 feet tall in their pots.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $185
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $160

Mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase for this discounted price. We do have other sizes for sale.

SYAGRUS KELLYANA
SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED PINNATE PALM
A RARE AND SMALLER ALTERNATIVE TO THE QUEEN PALM

FULL CROWN OF GREEN LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 5 GALLON SIZE

This single trunk Syagrus is native to Brazil and only gets to heights of ten to twenty feet. The trunk is thin and clean over time. Leaves are somewhat plumose and green. Fruits are fairly large and yellow in color. Some comment that is is similar to S. picrophylla. It is a full sun palm with an, as of yet, unknown cold tolerance. I suspect it'll go into the twenties for sure. It is a newly introduced species so there's little cultural information. Note on the mature palm pictures that the leaves down go much below the spherical circle of crown leaves. I find this very appealing. I’m offering 5 gallon plants on special. They are hug for their pots. This is a very rare species to find. Mature plant photos below are by TS at RPS and Palmpedia.

REGULAR PRICE HUGE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE 5 GALLON $125

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special price when purchasing.

LACCOSPADIX AUSTRALASICA
SINGLE TRUNK MOUNTAIN FORM

BEST GROWING SPECIES OF THE GENUS
RESEMBLES THE KENTIA PALM
TEN TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

When one considers the species Laccospadix australasica, he has to realize that there are different forms depending on native habitats and localities. There are also single trunk and suckering forms. The one for sale here is the single trunk mountain form. I feel it's the best subspecies one can purchase. It doesn't throw the new red leaf although occasionally you see a bit of bronze in the new leaf (as shown below). This variety of the L. australasica is fairly easy to grow in our area. I can’t predict if your plant will sucker or not. The seeds for these plants today came from a local flowering tree here in Encinitas. This variety has thinner leaves that are dull green in color, trunks about six inches thick and reaches a height of 20 feet or a bit more. It sort of looks like a Kentia Palm. I'd recommend morning sun, strong filtered light or perhaps several hours of daily sun. Cold tolerance is into the mid-twenties F. As shown below, sometimes we’ll plant more than one to a pot.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $125

We have extremely limited numbers but hopefully more will become available over time. Mention this Special for your discount.

POLYANDROCOCOS CAUDESCENS
AKA ALLAGOPTERA CAUDESCENS

MEDIUM TO LARGE PINNATE PALM
SILVER BACK TO THE LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON PLANTS

This is a single trunk species from Brazil. Polyandrococos is a monotypic genus with only one species. More recently a taxonomist grouped it with Allagoptera. It doesn’t make sense to me because in no way does it resemble an Allagoptera with its entirely different appearance. In any case, it is a very interesting palm. It's height is variable, depending on conditions. However, some trees can get up to thirty feet tall. The trunk is medium sized, about twelve inches thick, with no crown shaft. The leaves are eight to ten feet long and very silver underneath. Photos below demonstrate the silver back to the leaves. It also has gorgeous clusters or orange colored (mature) seeds that are the color of orange sherbet ice cream. Photos of green seeds are below. This is a very rare plant and hard to find. Shown are 5 gallon that we are putting on special. This species likes sun and is cold tolerant to the mid-twenties F. There is a very large specimen in Ventura, California.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $125

KENTIOPSIS PYRIFORMIS
SUPER RARE SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM

NATIVE TO NEW CALEDONIA
THIN TRUNK - VERY ELEGANT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This is a single trunk, crown shafted pinnate palm native to New Caledonia. Many feel it's the prettiest species of this genus. It gets to a height of about 40 feet or more and has a thin trunk. Leaves are upright, green and arched. They are keeled and green in color. The crown shaft is a copper color, covered with a white wax. It can be grown in some sun, depending on where you live. It's probably best to start it in bright filtered light and let it work its way into overhead sun. Growth rate is good, comparable or faster than K. oliviformis. Cold tolerance is down to about a freeze. This is an extremely difficult species to find for sale nowadays. I have a limited number of 5 gallon plants we’re putting on special. They are nicely sized for as 5 gallon. Newly emergent leaves are red as shown in the next to last photo below of a prior Nursery plant. This new red leaf is a typical trait of New Caledonian palm species. This is an extremely rare species and we rarely have them for sale.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $125

Photo of garden plant by TS at RPS.

BRAHEA MOOREI AVAILABLE
THE DWARF ROCK PALM

SUPER RARE - SOUGHT AFTER MEXICAN FAN PALM
ALMOST SOLD OUT AND NO MORE IN THE PIPELINE
TEN DAY SPECIAL OVERSIZED ONE GALLON PLANTS

Shown below are 2 year old juvenile seelings of the super rare and hard to find Brahea moorei. The seeds for these plants came from a fruiting tree in San Diego County. They were very slow to germinate and these seedlings are 24 months old. We're putting them on sale. Some are on their fifth or sixth leaf.OME ARE O

This is a very small, dwarf species with overall height of four to six feet. Leaves are near fully circular with deeply divided segments. The underside of the leaves are brilliantly white and often you'll see a white color on the dorsal segment margins. The garden specimens are c/o PalmPedia (C.W.) and PACSOA. Culturally, you can grow this in strong filtered light, part day sun or possibly full sun along the coast. Cold hardiness is into the low 20's F. It is very slow growing. The one gallon on Sale are very nicely sized for their pots but we only have as handful left.

REGULAR PRICE ONE GALLON $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON SIZE $65

PTYCHOSPERMA ELEGANS
THE SOLITAIRE PALM - NATIVE TO AUSTRALIA

ELEGANT SINGLE TRUNK SPECIES
CROWN SHAFT - THIN TRUNK - MEDIUM HEIGHT
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON SIZE

This single trunk palm species is native to the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia. It has a rather thin trunk that typically is six to eight inches thick. Leaves are about six feet long. The crown shaft is silver green in color and the leaves are green. Mature height is about 25 feet on average. It tolerates temperatures into the 20's F. I've been growing one in my garden for about 40 years. It's still gorgeous. Some plant them as small colonies, two or three together. We're putting our one gallon size on special. It's been a while since we've offered this species or size.

REGULAR PRICE ONE GALLON $70
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON SIZE $60

Remember to mention this Special. These can be mail ordered

COCCOTHRINAX BARBADENSIS
MEDIUM SIZED, NARROW TRUNK
VERY "CUTE PALM" WITH GREEN OR SILVER GREEN LEAVES

TEN DAY SPECIAL VERY LARGE BAND SIZED PLANTS

We at the nursery are very proud that we offer a good selection of these interesting New World fan palms - Coccothrinax. This species is native to the Caribbean region and gets to heights of about 30 feet in many decades. Leaf color is green to silver-green and trunks are typically six inches thick or a bit more. This species loves full hot sun and is cold tolerant into the mid-twenties F. Many are growing it with good success. In pots, all Coccothrinax are painfully slow. It's taken us about four years to produce the band sized seedlings you see here. Yes, from seed, Coccothrinax are very slow growing. We do have other sizes for sale and multiple other species of this genus. In the ground this genus are much faster.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $70
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $60

Remember: Mention this Special when you purchase to get this discount. These plants would be easy to ship.

ENCEPHALARTOS MUNCHII
A BLUE TO BLUE-GREEN AFRICAN CYCAD

RARE AND VERY ATTRACTIVE - COASTAL SUN TOLERANT
TEN DAY SPECIAL GOOD SIZED 1 & 2 GALLON SIZE

Native to Mozambique, this small to medium sized cycad grows in scrub forest among rocks and boulders. It is distinguished by its blue to blue-green color and by having leaflets that are prominently spiny. In my experience, leaf color is sometimes very blue, other times blue-green. You'll sometimes hear the description as "soapy green" to describe the leaves. Overall, the leaf color is variable and I've shown several photos here to demonstrate this. I've seen specimens that are as blue as an Encephalartos horridus.

Trunk size is usually under three feet. Upright leaves are about four feet long or less. Leaves are keeled and leaflets are lanceolate and spiny. This species likes full sun and is cold tolerant into the low 20's F. The one gallon on sale are a good, strong one gallon plant. They came from parents domestically that both had extreme blue color. These can be mail ordered but not outside the U.S. Caudex sizes on these plants are 1-2 inches . Very limited numbers are available.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 1 & 2 GALLON PLANTS $155
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE THIS SPECIES $135

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase.

DIOON SPECIES "RIO VERDE"
MEXICAN CYCAD WITH LONG LEAVES

FULL SUN SPECIES – NEVER SUPER LARGE
FOR A CYCAD, FAIRLY COLD HARDY CYCAD
TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT SIZED PLANTS

This surprisingly cold hardy Mexican cycad is known for its longer leaves. Compared to an ordinary Dioon edule, it has much longer leaves. These leaves have a somewhat yellow petiole and leaf color is green or blue-green. And, there's an extra treat: new leaves flush an interesting pink-green color. This is a slow growing species. Trunks rarely get to two feet. They cluster freely.

It is a sun species that is cold tolerant into the upper teens F. It tolerates heat and full hot sun. Shown here are our citrus pot sized sized plants that are about 8-9 years old. Caudexes are about three inches. The first seven photos below show these plants. I'm also showing a few other nursery plants to demonstrate leaf color.

REGULAR PRICE THIS SIZE CITRUS POT PLANTS $350
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZED CITRUS POT PLANTS $295

You must mention this Blog Only Special to get this price when purchasing.

ENCEPHALARTOS LEHMANNII
RARE BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD FOR FULL COASTAL SUN

A FAVORITE AMONG CYCAD ENTHUSIASTS
GOOD STARTER SIZE FOR CYCAD ENTHUSIAST
TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT SIZED PLANTS

This is a popular blue cycad from the Eastern Cape area of South Africa. I say “popular” because some people don't like spines and prickles. The leaflets of this species are narrow with only a point at the end. They are nothing as gnarly as E. horridus. The leaves and crown are very neat and uniform. The nearest species to this one is Encephalartos princeps. Trunks of E. lehmannii can get to five feet, but one with two to three feet of trunk is very old. Leaves average about four feet long and are strongly curled. Sometimes they'll almost do a 180 or more degree re-curve. Leaf color is intensely blue like E. horridus. But, you'll only see this color with full, hot sun. In shade or inside a greenhouse they are often green because they are not getting full sun and have lots of humidity. Cold hardiness is about 21 to 22 degrees F. In the desert only give it a few hours sun.

Shown below are E. lehmannii that are in citrus pot containers. They have 4 to 6 leaves with caudexes of about 2.5 inches. See first two rows of photos. They can remain in these containers for 2 to 3 more years. Easy to mail order. We do have larger sizes available. These citrus pot plants are easy to mail order.

REGULAR PRICE CITRUS POT WITH 2.5 INCH CAUDEX $375
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS CAUDEX SIZE CITRUS POT $315

The third row of photos show more mature or garden plants.

DIOON CALIFANOI
RARE MEDIUM SIZED MEXICAN CYCAD

KEELED, ARCHING GRAY-GREEN LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL VERY HARD TO FIND 15 GALLON PLANT

There is some type of seductive quality to this rare species – Dioon califanloi. I think it's because of the compact, rigid, keeled and curved leaves. The leaves are very distinct and different - and very appealing. This is a species that takes on the mature appearance over time. As a young plant you might think it's a "ho-hummer". But, as it ages, it develops its traditional appearance and gets more attractive. Leaves are four to five feet long. In a domestic situation, a plant with a three foot trunk would be enormous. It takes full sun and is cold hardy into the lower 20's F. The plant on sale is in a 15g container and has a 4 inch caudex.

REGULAR PRICE THIS ACTUAL 15 GALLON WITH 4 INCH CADUEX $780
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL 15 GALLON CYCAD $625

Remember to mention this Blog Special for this price when you purchase. This plant can be shipped, weather permitting.

ALOCASIA LOW RIDER
TRUE DWARF GREEN HYBRID

NEVER OVER 2 FEET TALL - FAIRLY COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON SIZE

This dwarf Alocasia is a hybrid of Alocasia portora - which is much taller and larger than this hybrid. Mature height of this plant is typically 18 inches. Leaf stems are striped as you can see on the photo. Leaf color is green. This plant tolerates partial or perhaps full sun along the coast or limited sun / strong filtered light in interior areas. It is fairly cold hardy and winters over in zone 7B and above. We're putting one gallon on sale - shown in the first four photos below. Following are our 5 gallon size. Sorry, but I have no photos of mature garden plants.

REGULAR PRICE 1 GALLON $45
TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $35

SILVER BRAKE FERN
PTERIS CRETICA

TWO COLORED LEAVES
LIKES FILTERED LIGHT - NOT TOO TALL
SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

The hallmark of this fern are the green and white leaflets. There are various varieties of this species. On some the lighter color is a white, others sort of yellow and also some with silver inner portions of the leaflets. Leaves come from crawling rhizomes and are about 12 to 18 inches long. This species like ample moisture, filtered light and is cold tolerance to a bit below a freeze. We are offering 5 gallons on sale.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS 5 GALLON $65

KAHILI GINGER
HEDYCHIUM GARDNERIANUM

MEDIUM SIZED - GREEN LEAVES
SUPER FRAGRANT BLOSSOM
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE

This suckering green Ginger is quick and easy to grow. It can take full coastal sun or part sun. Leaves are green and, unlike Shell Ginger, the blossoms are super fragrant - and have a very nice smell. Plants typically don't get over over 7 feet tall and have a tropical look. These 15g plants are good size with multiple tubers and near blossoming age. You can see the health of these plants here. The garden photo is c/o the Queensland Govt. website.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $195
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $175

Just mention this Special for your discount when you purchase.

LIGULARIA TUSSILANGINEA
LILY-LIKE, FLAT GREEN LEAVES

YELLOW BLOSSOMS IN FALL
TAKES SUN - LIKES WATER
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE FIVE GALLON

This is an interesting plant we propagate ourselves from seeds of existing plants. They form small clusters of shiny green leaf plants that don't get over 18 inches. Flowers come in the fall are yellow, daisy-like and medium sized. This species enjoys water and will droop over with too little water. Then, when given water, they bounce right back. It's a good "indicator plant" for how well you are watering the garden. They'll take sun in many areas or part day sun. In full sun, give them plenty of water. These plants do sucker and are easy to propagate from divisions. This is a great "filler plant" to put in areas where you want something but don't know what to use. Shown below are our 5 gallon – which we are putting on Special. We also have one gallon size.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $65

Remember: mention this Special for your discount when you purchase. Flowering photo by RT.

MANGO CARABOA
A SUPER DESIRABLE PHILIPPINE MANGO

SWEET YELLOW FRUIT
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS HARD TO FIND MANGO IN 5 GALLON SIZE

Mango caraboa is a sought after variety of Mango known for its sweet fruit with a hint of honey and lemon flavor. Trees get to about 20 feet tall and produce good volumes of fruit. These trees want ample sun and can be grown in Southern California. Also of interest, it is reported that you can grow more trees from the fruit's seed. Worldwide, this is one of the more sought after Mango varieties and is as good grower. We have a very limited number of 5 gallon plants that we're putting on special. The fruit photo below is a generic picture of Mango fruits.

TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE $85

FRIDAY, 23 FEBRUARY, 2024

WODYETIA BIFURCATA
THE FOXTAIL PALM

TREES IN FRUIT

Wodyetia bifurcata, a species from Queensland, Australia, is known for it's fluffy leaves, medium stature and bright red and large fruit. Shown here are several plants in fruit in various stages. Fruit first appears green. Fruit will attain full size but still be green. Then it changes to a light yellow, then to orange and finally to a prominent red. At this red stage it may fall to the ground. When red, it is ready to be removed and germinated. Green fruit germinates poorly. Fruit size is about like a small chicken egg. Seeds inside are brown and prominently grooved. In our local growing area here in San Diego, we've had scores of mature trees of this species produce viable seeds. BTW, this is a full sun species in most areas and has a cold hardiness into the mid to low 20's F.

Tree with ripe red fruit
First tree in fruit. All seeds are green

Another specimen with ripening fruit

CYCAS THOUARSII
MEDIUM TO LARGE GREEN CYCAD FROM EASTERN AFRICA AND ADJACENT ISLANDS

EASY TO GROW - TAKES COASTAL SUN
VERY DESIRABLE GARDEN CYCAD

This species of cycad is often mentioned as "coming from Madagascar", and that it does. But, there are also native populations in multiple eastern African countries and in the Comoros Islands. It is a large cycad that can get trunks over thirty feet tall and twelve to eighteen inches thick. Leaves are green, tend to be upright and have a length of six to nine feet. A healthy plant can throw forty new leaves all at once. Leaflets are paired and bright green. Leaf stems are armed with small hooks. Leaflets are leathery and reduced in size toward the base of the leaf.

Shown here is a nice boxed specimen ready for someone's garden. We usually have a pretty good supply of this species from small to large plants. It's a great plant for part day sun in our locality. If you are far inland, consider filtered light. And, right on the water, it can easily take full sun. Cold tolerance is into the low twenties F, but definitely not much lower than that. This species is a quick growing cycad and makes a wonderful patio plant. The last picture shows a plant in habitat in Madagascar. Below I'm showing a 5 gallon and a larger specimen at the nursery along with some garden plants.

CHAMAEDOREA HOOPERIANA
BAMBOO PALM THAT IS TALL AND FULL

STRONG & LARGE SQUAT 15 GALLON PLANTS
ALMOST SOLD OUT OF THESE
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE PLANTS

It's not that uncommon that I'll talk about various types of Bamboo Palms. Three decades ago this species (Chamaedorea hooperiana) would have probably been called a variety of Chamaedorea costaricana. But, in his book on Chamaedorea, Don Hodel described this species named after friend and palm enthusiast Louis Hooper. So, it now enjoys its own status as a species. And, it deserved species status because it is quite different than Chamaedorea costaricana. This species is native to high elevation rain forest in the Veracruz area of Mexico. It grows at up to 5000 feet elevation in habitat.

It reaches an overall height of twelve to fourteen feet. It is also quite wide at maturity with many canes. These canes will sometimes lean outwards, making the clump wider. Trunks are about one inch thick. Compared to Chamaedorea costaricana, this species is more full and wide. It's hard to "see through" this species whereas you'd have a better chance of seeing through a costaricana. Both are suckering types of Bamboo Palms. Also, the leaves of costaricana are shorter. Hooperiana leaves are four feet long or more.

Shown here is one of our ten or fifteen gallon plants. This species likes good draining soil, adequate water, filtered light and is cold hardy to the low 20's F. It is an ideal patio plant and can be grown inside the home. Of note, we only have a couple left.

REGULAR PRICE THIS BATCH SQUAT 15 GALLON $300
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $250

Mention this Special to get your discount. BTW, these are not easy to find on the market. The size on sale is shown in the first six photos. I'm showing you a large and old 25g plant at the nursery in the last row of photos. The garden photo is by T.S. at RPS.

READ MORE ABOUT THE BAMBOO PALMS

ARCHONTOPHOENIX PURPUREA
THE PURPLE CROWN SHAFT KING PALM

VERY BEAUTIFUL - GOOD GROWER
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON MULTIPLES

The native home of Archontophoenix purpurea is the Mt. Lewis mountain range in Queensland, Australia. This species is known for the purple color to the crown shaft. It is found at an elevation up to 4000 feet. Mature height is quoted to be over fifty feet, but in habitat and culture I didn't see one this tall. Cold hardiness is about 25 degrees F. It takes full coastal sun. The degree of purple in the crown shaft is variable but never "lollipop" purple. The underside of the leaves is silver and there is ramenta hairs only on this side. On younger plants the leaf bases and leaf stem tend to have a yellow color.

I'm showing our 15 gallon size which we're putting on a Ten Day Special. Shown are triples although we also have singles on sale for the same price. Also available are one gallons. .

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $235
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE MULTIPLE 15 GALLON $210

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special when you purchase to get this discount.

BECCARIOPHOENIX ALFREDII
THE MADAGASCAR PLATEAU COCONUT PALM

MEDIUM SIZED TRUNK
VERY SOUGHT AFTER - FOR FULL SUN ALONG THE COAST
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON 15 GALLON PLANTS

This species of exotic palm is from the island of Madagascar. It is the third of three Beccariophoenix species described from this palm-loaded country. It is so sought after because some feel that it's the prettiest species of the three. And, because it may possess the best cold hardiness. I've documented other Beccariophoenix species tolerating temperatures below 25 degrees at our nursery. So, this species may survive in areas like San Francisco, Phoenix and Houston. It grows to a height of about thirty feet and does not have a crown shaft. Leaves are long and minimally curved. The crown of leaves are densely placed - so it offers privacy and screening of neighbors. Growth rate is medium in most areas and along the coast it likes sun. This species is hard to find. We are offering 15 gallon plants on a ten day Special. This size is shown in the first six photos below. We also have 5 gallon available (see below) and much larger sizes.

REGULAR PRICE15 GALLON SIZE $255
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $225

Limited supplies available. The habitat photo is by TS at RPS.

BECCARIOPHOENIX ALFREDII
THE MADAGASCAR PLATEAU COCONUT PALM

MEDIUM SIZED TRUNK
VERY SOUGHT AFTER - FOR FULL SUN ALONG THE COAST
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON 25 GALLON DOUBLE

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE 25 GALLON SIZE DOUBLE $525
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON DOUBLE $450

We only have a couple of these available.

CHAMAEDOREA SCHIPPII
AN ALMOST UNKNOWN AND NEVER AVAILABLE SPECIES

UNDERSTORY PINNATE SUCKERING PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

Taxonomically, this species of Chamaedorea is an accepted species. When I got started in palms about 44 years ago, you could occasionally find one available but you really had to seek it out. Then they disappeared from the market. I have a friend with a mature matched and sexed pair of them who set seeds last year. I haven't this species for sale for at least 20 years. No one has them. We're offering them in a small size and have very few available.

This is a suckering green leaf understory species of Chamaedorea. They get a mature height of twelve to fourteen feet and have an appearance similar to C. costaricana. But, the leaves are longer and the trunks are thicker. Trunks remain vertical and don't usually lean. This species has historically been used to make some of the more interesting Chamaedorea hybrids including the famous "Irving Cantor" cross. They were chosen for hybridization because of their strong vertical trunks. Cold tolerance is into the twenties F. We’re putting our 5 gallon size on sale. We only have a few available. Note on the closeup photo of the base of trunk how thick it is. This is much thicker than costaricana.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $155
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $135

Remember: Limited numbers and mention this Blog Only Special to get this price. The 9th photo is c/o Wikipedia Commons

DYPSIS ARENARUM
THE SAND PALM

SIMILAR TO DYPSIS LUTESCENS
BUT WHITE CROWN SHAFT
TEN DASY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This thin trunked suckering palm is native to Madagascar where, in the northeastern area, it lives close to the sandy beaches. Thus the common name. It has green curved leaves with small leaflets. The tubular crown shaft is white and the thin trunk is ringed. It is distinguished from the Areca Palm by it's reddish petioles and blue-green leaflets. It typically forms a clump of four to five individual plants. It tolerates coastal sun and is cold hardy in the mid to upper 20's F. It is a very rare species. We rarely have it for sale. We are putting our 5 gallon plants on sale as shown below. The mature plant photo is c/o TS at RPS.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $125

RHOPALOSTYLIS SAPIDA
THE SHAVING BRUSH OR FEATHER DUSTER PALM

ROBUST GROWER - SWOLLEN CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE

The Shaving Brush Palm is super popular here in Southern California and is native to New Zealand. It is fairly rare and sometimes difficult to find. This is suprising as it's so beautiful and can be grown by many. It is cold hardy down to the low 20's F. and perhaps even into the upper teens F. Along the coast it can tolerate full sun or part sun. Inland areas should give it a few hours of sun - best is morning sun. The trunk is medium sized and mature height is about 25 feet. Leaves are green and upright. The crown shaft is green or lime green and swollen. Shown below in he first five photos are our 5 gallon size followed by a 15 gallon. We have an assortment of sizes available.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $115

Remember: Mention this Special when purchasing.

DYPSIS LEPTOCHEILOS
THE TEDDY BEAR PALM

EVERYONE LOVES THIS PALM
ONE OF THE BEST MADAGASCAR PALMS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

The Teddy Bear Palm has become super popular because it grows well in Southern California, has a rusty colored, fuzzy crown shaft, has a silver, ringed trunk and doesn't get too tall. For most enthusiasts, it's among the "top ten" Madagascar palms. Mature height is about 25 feet. Right on the coast it does well with full sun. Cold hardiness is about 25 degrees F. Growth rate is medium. One can grow it in part day sun as well. The average enthusiast, once he sees a mature plant, just "has to have one". Expect a mature height in California of about 25 feet or a bit more. Trunk diameter is usually about eight inches. The crown shaft is the most prominent trait - fuzzy, rusty red and quite touchable. The latter trait is why it's called the "Teddy Bear Palm". We’re putting five on Sale but only have a handful available..

REGULAR PRICE 5G SIZE $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $115

Mention this Special for your discount.

DYPSIS LEPTOCHEILOS
THE TEDDY BEAR PALM

RUST COLORED CROWN SHAFT
THIN SILVER RINGED TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE BAND SIZE

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE LARGE BAND SIZE $70
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE BAND SIZE $60

Just mention this Blog Special to get the discount at time of purchase.

TRITHRINAX CAMPESTRIS
BLUE, SUCKERING FAN PALM
VERY COLD HARDY

LIMITED NUMBER OLD SUCKERING 5G
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON SIZE

This South American suckering fan palm comes from Argentina and Uruguay. From these locations, you might suspect it could have quite a bit of cold hardiness, and this is the case with not only this species of Trithrinax, but of the genus as a whole. Availability of seeds of this species has been sparse to nonexistent. And, as a young plant, it is quite slow growing. Consequently, to get a good sized container plant can take a decade or more. We are fortunate to offer some one gallon juvenile plants as shown below. I'd estimate their age at 4 years. They will need acclimation to full hot sun and leaves will be intensely blue. This is a perfect selection for someone who lives in an interior area with lots of heat.

Overall height of this species is up to twenty feet. Multiple stems are produced, but usually the number is just several. Leaves are small, typically about two feet wide. The segments of the leaves are pointed and sharp. Trunks retain old leaf bases but, like Washingtonia, eventually fall off. This is a drought tolerant species and can take temperatures well into the 100's F. and cold tolerance is into the teens. Of note, most specimens I've seen are blue.

REGULAR PRICE ONE GALLON $70
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $60

But, remember to mention this special when purchasing to get this price.

ENCEPHALARTOS LONGIFOLIUS – BLUE FORM
MEDIUM TO LARGE RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

BLUE STACKED LEAFLETS - MINIMAL IF ANY SPINES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON PLANT

This rare South African cycad is also from the Eastern Cape region of South Africa. It is a good sized cycad with leaf color variable from dark green to brilliant blue. The plant on Special should be a nice blue form. Trunks of this species can reach a height of twelve feet or more. Leaf lengths are four to six feet with stacking leaflets and minimal if any spines when mature. Leaves are often curled downward toward their ends. It loves full sun along the coast but in desert areas would want a few hours of sun. Cold tolerance is about 22 degrees F. The 15 gallon plant on special has a caudex of 5 inches. It is shown below. It could be mail ordered in a large box. Below I'm also showing a few garden specimens of this species.

REGULAR PRICE THIS ACTUAL 15 GALLON, CAUDEX 5 INCHES $750
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL 15G CYCAD $650

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase to get this price!

DIOON SPINULOSUM
A CUSTOMER FAVORITE CYCAD

FILTERED LIGHT IN GARDEN OR INSIDE THE HOME
GREEN LEAVES, ELEGANT
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 15 GALLON SIZE

This species of a green cycad can be grown in the garden or as an interior palm. Although you can't tell from the photos here, this cycad species can get quite tall. I've seen photos from habitat with what appears to be over 20 feet of trunk. But, such heights would require several centuries to occur. Dioon spinulosum is native to tropical areas in Mexico where it grows in limestone forests. Trunks don't get overly thick, typically 12 to 14 inches thick - but domestically often thinner. Leaves are green and mildly armed. Leaf length is about six feet. My preference is to grow this species in filtered light. Cold tolerance is into the mid twenties F. At the nursery we usually have a good selection of this species from small to large. We’re putting a nice 15 gallon on sale - this actual plant. It has a caudex 7 inches wide and 10 inches tall - age about 15 years.

REGULAR PRICE THIS 15G CYCAD $1100
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD $975

This plant can be mail ordered in a very large box.

CYCAS PETRAEA
SUPER RARE GREEN CYCAD FROM THAILAND

TWENTY YEAR OLD SPECIMEN WITH VASE SHAPED TRUNK
AS FAR AS WE KNOW, A SPECIMEN LIKE THIS AVAILABLE NOWHERE ELSE
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD

This is an unusual Cycas species from colder parts of northern Thailand. In locality, freezes are experienced and it's reported this species will even tolerate snow. Cycas petraea can get trunks over 15 feet tall in dozens of decades. More typically, domestic plant trunks are under three feet tall. Leaves are flat and green and about four to six feet long. Crowns consist of dozens of leaves. The bases of the trunks have a peculiar swelling to them as seen here. They can form a classical "water vase trunk" which is fat and swollen and then gets thinner above. Culturally, this species likes nice draining soil, temperatures above a freeze and part day or filtered sun. As an interior cycad, this would be one to try. This is probably one of the coolest Cycas species around. The plant on special is in a 7 gallon pot and is about 20 years old from seed. The caudex has the classic “vase” shape, is 9 inches wide at the base and 11 to 12 inches tall. As you can see it’s holding a nice set of softer green leaves. We’re putting this plant on a Ten Day Special. This is an old, near impossible species to find, especially with this size & age. It can be mail ordered.

REGULAR PRICE THIS ACTUAL PLANT $2100
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE THIS ACTUAL PLANT $1775

The cycad on special is shown in the first six photos. The 8th photo is by Amazon.de website, the 9th by the late Ken Hill.

HAEMANTHUS ALBIFLOS
UNDERSTORY COMPANION PLANT

WIDE "TONGUE-LIKE" LEAVES
INTERESTING SPRING - SUMMER BLOSSOMS
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON CLUSTERING SIZE

This species is native to various regions of South Africa. It prefers filtered light but can tolerate some sun. Leaves are thick and green in color. In sun they are more of a lime green and shorter. Interesting blossoms emerge faithfully and are shown in a nursery plant below. Surprisingly, these are a bit difficult to find. They do tolerate cold into the mid-twenties or lower and are being grown in the SF Bay area with ease. The first four photos show the one gallon size on sale. Most are clustering with 2 to 3 plants per pot. They'll be blossoming with two months..

REGULAR PRICE THESE CLUSTERING 1 GALLON $55
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $45

Mail order possible. Mention this Special for this Blog Only Discounted price.

THE TRAVELER PALM
RAVENALA MADAGASCARENSIS
BANANA APPEARING TREE IN ONE PLANE

CAN BE GROWN IN SOUTHERN CA
NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND LATELY
TEN DAY SPECIAL FIVE GALLON SIZE

For about a year folks have called us to obtain smaller sized Traveler Palms. But, we didn't have any. In fact, the industry is totally sold out of this species. We can now announce that we have available a small number of fairly nice 5 gallon plants. They are about 3 to 4 feet tall in their pots. We have about ten for sale. This is a quick growing plant and these should do well for most of you that don't freeze. These are fast growing. They like sun in most areas but do not take a freeze - which will melt them overnight. Also be aware that they do sucker. We recommend removing the suckers as they look better as a single trunk plant. Remember, this species puts out banana type leaves in one plane. We’re putting our 5 gallon on sale but only have a handful available in this size – and they’ll sell out quickly. There are just too many people seeking this interesting plant.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $155
TEN DAY SPECIAL SALE PRICE 5 GALLON $135

To read more on the Traveler Palm, click here:
TRAVELER PALM ARTICLE

MUSA SUMATRANA HYBRID
A NON-FRUITING BANANA CROSSED WITH A FRUITING BANANA

MAKES A PRETTIER FRUITING PLANT
DEFINITE RED COLOR TO LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON PLANTS

The plants I'm showing here may be very interesting. It's a cross between the ornamental Musa sumatrana (zebrina) and a fruiting type of Banana. The hybridizer told me it produces edible bananas but do have some small seeds in the fruit. Mature height should be about 8 feet. Like most Bananas, it does sucker and the fruiting stalk is replaced by a new stalk. It has light green leaves with attractive purple splotches and maroon underside. See photos below. It'd want full sun and should be cold tolerant well into the mid-twenties F. Below I'm showing you the 15 gallon size. These plants are very nicely sized with some overhead. BTW, they are near impossible to find. I have no mature photos to show you as it's a new hybrid. Of note, only a few left.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $195
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE 15 GALLON $175

EPIDENDRON ORCHID
VARIOUS COLORS AVAILABLE - PINK – BLOSSOMS SHOWN HERE

REEDSTEM TYPE TERRESTRIAL ORCHID
HARD TO FIND PINK-PURPLE COLOR
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON SIZE

The family of Epidendron Orchids are loaded with species/varieties of lots of different colors. These include pink, purple, orange, red, white and yellow. But, one of the most vibrant is the pink-purple as shown here. It is also an easy variety to grow. This is the color I'm showing here. We're putting blossoming one gallon purple-pink on sale. These plants will have tons of reed-like stems, most of which will blossom this summer. Leaves are thick and small and plants can be divided in the future to easily add to other areas of the garden. They'll take coastal full sun or strong filtered light. Some sun is needed for flowering. You can plant these right in the soil. They are cold tolerant into the mid-twenties F. BTW, this color is difficult to find. You’ll love them in your garden or in a pot. If we run out of this color, we've got lots of other great colored blossoms in the same size/price.

REGULAR PRICE THESE ONE GALLON $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $65

Just mention this Special at the time of purchase for this discounted price.

WEDNESDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 2024

JUBAEA CHILENSIS
CHILEAN WINE PALM
FATTEST TRUNKED PALM IN THE WORLD

I have written a very comprehensive article on this species found elsewhere at this website. I'll put the link to this article at the end below. This species is from South America and can get over fifty feet tall with the thickest trunk of any palm species. Specimens over four feet diameter have been reported. They are very slow growing and it takes decades to get a nice, mature plant. Mature trunks are clean of leaf bases, the color of the leaves is almost always green, the leaves are essentially flat in cross section or have a minimal keel to them. The petioles are unarmed. At the nursery we have multiple sizes for sale and can possibly find you a larger tree if that is what you seek.

Below I'm showing photos of Jubaea including some close up detail pictures. With this speices, the leaves are flat in cross section and more or less upright with minimal re-curve. The leaf stems are rather clean at the base and have no barbs. In the photos below, note the appearance of the trees with their thick, semi-smooth trunks. This species is a full sun plant and is cold tolerant to about 15 degrees F. This species is known to do quite well in the San Francisco Bay area and further north. The 6th photo shows a tree in Sacramento, CA.

I am also showing you a pictures of mature fruit. They are yellow in color. To germinate seeds you would remove this fragrant fruit. We've had sporadic luck with germinating what appear to be good seeds. I've hear rumors that some trees produce good looking seeds that never germinate. These seeds are easy to clean as one photograph shows. Overall germination rates of 30 to 40% would be excellent.

Below is the link for a full article on this species.

LINK TO JUBAEA ARTICLE

ENCEPHALARTOS NATALENSIS
MEDIUM SIZED GREEN CYCAD

NATIVE TO SOUTH AFRICA
GOOD SUPPLY AVAILABLE AT NURSERY

This is a South African cycad species that has green leaves and makes a medium sized
adult plant. By this I mean you, over several decades, will get a plant with perhaps 4 feet of
trunk. It's crown width is about 8 feet. It likes full sun and heat unless you are in a desert
locality. It is a quick grower and has cold tolerance to the low 20's F. It can go even to lower temperatures if you give it some cold protection. It is also known to be a reliable and relatively fast growing cycad. Below I’m showing a combination of garden plants as well as nursery containerized plants. We can easily mail order smaller plants.

MULE PALM
BUTIA X SYAGRUS (QUEEN PALM)

MEDIUM SIZE MATURE HYBRID PALM
SUPER COLD HARDY - TO ABOUT 16 DEGREES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25 GALLON SIZE

This popular inter-generic hybrid palm was probably first created by a man made cross of both parents about a hundred years ago. It has been given a trade name of "Butiagrus nabonnandii" but most people call it the Mule Palm. The latter name is utilized because it's been found on most specimens to have sterile fruit or no fruit at all. Any seeds formed almost always won't germinate to grow a new palm. Butia capitata is a monoecious species. This means that flower stocks have both male and female flowers.

To produce Mule Palm plants, it takes a tremendous amount of work to viable and true seeds. On the seed producing Butia flowerstock, all the male flowers must be meticulously removed manually to prevent self-pollination by itself. Only after this can the Queen pollen but put onto the receptive Butia blossoms. This takes a lot of experience, effort and time. This is one of the reasons this hybrid is so rare and usually pricey.

Mature height is up to thirty feet, much shorter than the Queen Palm. But, cold hardiness is better than a Queen as well. It'll take temperatures down to about 16 degrees F. This species prefers a bright sun location and can be grown in the desert in full sun.

On special are our squat 25g plants. They are ten to twelve feet tall in thier pots. They are ready for planting but we only have a few of them left.

REGULAR PRICE 25 GALLON $695
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $595

Remember: Mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase.

DICTYOSPERMA ALBUM VAR RUBRUM
PRINCESS PALM, HURRICANE PALM

MEDIUM HEIGHT - CROWN SHAFT – THIN TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

This is a somewhat rare, collector type of palm that would be attractive in almost any coastal or near-coastal garden. Native to the Mascarene Islands, this thin trunked, crown shafted palm gets to a height of about 25 feet. This variety is called "rubrum" because of the red color that is present on the stems and on juvenile leaflets. One photo shows this below. The leaves are green, arching and without any spines. Growth rate is medium. This is a coastal sun or part day sun species with a cold tolerance in the upper twenties F. I've had one in my garden for years in San Diego.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $220

Just mention this Blog Special when ordering to get this price.

CHAMAEDOREA ARENBERGIANA
SINGLE TRUNK UNDERSTORY PALM WITH WIDE LEAFLETS

MEDIUM HEIGHT MATURE - PROMINENT TRUNK RINGS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

This single trunk species is from Mexico and Central America. It is pinnate like other Chamaedoreas with a trunk diameter of an inch or a bit more. The leaves a five feet long with wide leaflets and prominent drip tips. It prefers moist but good draining soil. The trunks are dark green and prominent trunk rings are present. Mature height is about 12 feet. Low temperatures tolerated are about to a freeze and this species likes filtered light. A photo below shows the unusual clustering of seeds on a female flower attached to the trunk below the leaves. In the last photo, the seeds are green and have not yet turned color.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $215

CHAMAEDOREA TRUNKING RADICALIS
MEDIUM HEIGHT MATURE - THIN TRUNKS

SUPER COLD HARDY AND TOLERATES COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE MULTIPLES

Speaking of cold hardy, filtered light palms, let me mention Chamaedorea radicalis. Today I’m talking about the tunking form of this species. Decades ago we didn't even know this species existed. All Chamaedorea radicalis were dwarfs - rarely over five feet tall. The trunking form rapidly puts on trunk. Mature, plants can get up to fifteen feet tall. Leaflets are wider than the dwarf form and there's a bit of silver color to the stems and trunk. Trunks mature are narrow, under an inch thick. They can bend slightly as they get height. See photos below of a mature specimen at the nursery. It is also very quick growing. These 15g on Special should have a ten foot height in under five years. Both forms tolerate full sun along the coast but can also be grown in strong filtered light. Cold hardiness of 18 degrees F. Some in the SF Bay Area are successfully growing this species. Also, enthusiasts in Houston, TX have as well. We have a limited number of 15g plants on special. This larger 15g size can be mail ordered but do consider smaller sizes to save money if you are out of our area. Note that I have put six photos below of our fruiting triiple trunking radicalis. It's about ten years old in a 25g pot.

REGULAR PRICE 15G MULTIPLES $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G MULTIPLES $220

You get this discount when you mention our Blog Only Special. BTW, that huge 25 gallon plant, the mature one with seeds, is also for sale.

PHOENIX RUPICOLA
THE CLIFF DATE PALM

MEDIUM SIZE -THINNER TRUNK THAN CANARY
FAIRLY COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE PLANTS

I don't know if you've looked for this species, but the Cliff Date Palm is not so easy to find. It is native to India and is about half the size of the Canary Island Palm in terms of trunk diameter and mature height. Also, the crown is much smaller. It is an armed species and has other characteristics of Phoenix like the induplicate leaflets (water held "in" - V shaped ). But, many think this is the prettiest of all the Date Palms. It typically gets fifteen to twenty-five feet tall. The leaves are very pretty and green. The crown is not overly large. Leaves curve downwards. Growth rate is medium, it tolerates full sun and is cold hardy into the mid-twenties or lower. Shown below are our 5g plants, mostly singles with a few doubles. We’re putting them on special. These are shippable.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $115

Remember to mention this Special for this discount.

SABAL CAUSIARUM
LARGE TRUNKED TROPICAL FAN PALM

SMOOTH AND LIGHT COLORED TRUNK
SUPER COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This is one of my favorite Sabal species. It's native to various Caribbean Islands including Puerto Rico and Cuba. It can get to height of at least 35 feet and has a trunk that is smooth and a light tan to gray color. Trunks are thick, up to about 30 inches. Leaf color is blue-green. Growth rate is good and it likes sun. Cold tolerance is into the mid-teens F. The 5g size shown below are nice. We’re putting this size on sale. Get them in the ground and within a few years you’ll have a decent sized palm. I’m showing some mature plants below as well.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $115

GAUSSIA GOMEZ-POMPAE
BIGGER AND TALLER THAN GAUSSIA MAYA

PINNATE LEAVES, NO CROWN SHAFT
VERY RARE - NEW TO CULTIVATION
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZED PLANTS

This is a fairly recently described single trunk pinnate palm is from southern Mexico. There it lives among rugged outcroppings in mountainous areas. Little is known about its domestic culture. It gets to heights of over 30 feet with an 8 to 10 inch thick trunk. It has a clean trunk and no crown shaft. Leaves are green and fairly straight. The mature photos below were taken in Miami, Florida where it seems to be doing fine. I would anticipate that it wont' take temperatures much below a freeze. But, if you can grow G. maya, I'd suspect you can grow this species. These plants are a first for the market and the first batch of this species we've ever offered.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $125
DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $100

CHAMAEROPS CERIFERA
NATIVE TO MOROCCO
THE SEMI-DWARF "BLUE MED FAN"

FULL HOT SUN - EXTREMELY COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL FIVE GALLON PLANTS

This interesting palm is a suckering blue fan palm is native to Morocco. It's actually quite amazing that it took a long time for taxonomists to realize that it was a species and had it's own unique characteristics. It's definitely a deep blue color but also it never gets as large as Chamaereops humilus. The problem was that there were also native short clones of the later. Chamaerops cerifera is one of the most cold hardy species for those of you in super cold areas. I've had reports of it going down to 13 degrees F. Mature height is about six feet or so. Color is blue in hot sun. This species does sucker. Most importantly, with age and full sun, they will have blue leaves (see garden photos). The plants on special here are nicely sized FIVE gallon plants. They can be shipped for mail order customers. We also have 15 gallon size available.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $100

Remember: Mention this Special for your discount.

DYPSIS "MAHAJANGA"
SINGLE TRUNK OR SUCKERING

FLUFFY PLUMOSE LEAF
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON SIZE

This is a species of plant from Madagascar. The name is a “locational” name – where the plant is from. I am unaware of an exact species name at this time. The seeds of this "species" first came out about twenty-five years ago. From seeds, some of these plants ended up being single trunk, others suckering. Seeds came from as private grower in El Cajon, CA. His tree has three trunks, see photo below. He said it was an easy grow in his full sun. I have a limited number of one gallon plants which I’m putting on sale. Leaves are quite plumose or “fluffy” in appearance. They seem to be reasonably cold hardy and should mature at heights under twenty feet. I'd give part day sun. The most similar species to these plants is Dypsis madagascarensis. The mature palm below was photographed by Al Bredison. It's suckering with two trunks, possibly three. This species is recommended.

REGULAR PRICE 1 GALLON $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $65

Mention this Special to get this price at the time of purchase. This size would be easy to mail order.

HOWEA BELMOREANA
THE SENTRY OR UMBRELLA PALM

ANOTHER PALM FROM LORD HOWE ISLAND
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZED SEEDLINGS

There is a second endemic species of Howea on Lord Howe Island. This is Howea belmoreana. Common names used to describe this species include the Sentry Palm, the Belmore Palm, the "Kentia Palm", and even the Umbrella Palm. However, the name "Kentia Palm" is usually used to refer to the H. forsteriana. Howea belmoreana comes from a higher elevation in its natural habitat compared to the H. forsteriana. And, given this fact, one might expect that this species is a little more cold tolerant. Most growers have found this to be true, tolerating temperatures to about 25 degrees F.

The main difference between this palm and the standard Kentia is that the crown of leaves are quite curved pointing downwards toward the grown. This gives the crown an overall umbrella appearance. Like the H. forsteriana, the Belmore Palm doesn't like full sun if away from the Coast and is rather slow growing. Most find it to be slower than the regular Kentia Palm. Culture is similar and there is little data on the transplant of this species, but I suspect it will perform about the same as the standard Kentia. We’re putting band seedlings on sale.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE SEEDLINGS $60
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZED SEEDLINGS $52.50

Please mention this Special at the time of purchase. Easy to mail order. BTW, folks are growing this species in the SF Bay area.

ENCEPHALARTOS HILDEBRANDTII
LARGE SIZED GREEN CYCAD

UPRIGHT LEAVES – GOOD GROWER
TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT CYCADS

This species has a fairly wide distribution in the coastal regions of Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar Island (Tanzania) and into northern Mozambique. Its habitat consists of rocky, sandy soil in dry coastal forest and bush. This is a large sized species. Leaves can reach three meters in length. Over many centuries, stems become quite wide and can reach six meters or more! This species can produce basal suckers, but this is not very common. This is a fast growing cycad. Crowns tend to stay erect, though can become wide with full crowns. Leaflets and petioles are armed with sharp spines, though the leaflets have some flex to them. This species is moderately rare among Encephalartos, but is quite rare in cultivation. It is tolerant of coastal full sun, but look better in partial sun. For inland areas, I recommend this plant for partial sun or shade. This plant is great for established gardens with canopy, or gardens with shade. This is a fast growing species and requires space. It will make a large showy plant and will enhance the tropical look of any garden in the right application! The citrus pot size we’re offering on special have caudexes of about 4.5 inches - see first five pictures below. They are ready to go into the garden or be repotted. Mail order possible, weather permitting. The citrus pot size is shown in the first five photos followed by a 15 gallon larger plant

REGULAR PRICE CITRUS POT THIS SIZE CAUDEX $450
TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT THIS SIZE $385

DIOON EDULE
SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED MEXICAN CYCAD

FOR A CYCAD, VERY COLD HARDY
TOLERATES DESERT SUN - ONE OF BEST FOR THIS
TEN DAY SPECIAL BIG 15 GALLON PLANTS

Dioon edule is a typically small to medium sized sun-loving cycad from Mexico. There are known to be about six different varieties of this species - all from different localities. Leaves are typically green to blue-green. Leaflets at pointed at the end and otherwise un-armed. Dioon edule is one of the few cycads that tolerates hot direct desert sun. The Sago Palm can't claim this ability. Cold tolerance is excellent, being able to take cold weather into the teens F. We recently got in a handful of great 15 gallon plants with caudexes of about 6 inches. They are gorgeous.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 15 GALLON PLANTS $600
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS GROUP OF CYCADS $450

This is a great buy. But, remember to mention this Special for your discount when you purchase. Mail order possible.

ENCEPHALARTOS TRISPINOSUS
BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

SOUGHT AFTER - SPINY LEAFLETS
LOVES SUN AND PRETTY COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL – 24 INCH BOXED SPECIMEN WITH TWO PUPS

Encephalartos trispinosus is a very desirable blue South African cycad. Most people find it's very similar to E. horridus. It is a small to medium sized mature blue cycad with leaflets that have prominent lobes. The color, if grown in full hot sun, is a prominent blue to silver leaf color. But, be aware that this species is quite variable and has many forms. There is even a spineless leaflet form. It likes full sun and is cold hardy to about 22 degrees F. Mature size is small to medium with a thirty year old plant only being six or seven feet tall with an 18 inch trunk. The plant on Special today is a sun-ready, outdoor grown coning sized plant that has a caudex of 8 inches with two pups – one 6 inches, the other 4 inches. It’s leaflets are prominently spined and the color is blue. This plant is way too large and heavy for standard mail order.

REGULAR PRICE THIS 24 INCH SPECIMEN WITH TWO PUPS $1800
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL SPECIMEN $1500

SPATHODEA CAMPANULATA
THE AFRICAN TULIP TREE
CLUSTERS OF LARGE RED-ORANGE BLOSSOMS

MEDIUM SIZE MATURE – LONG LIVED FLOWERS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE

We are fortunate here in Southern California because there are quite a few striking, beautiful flowering tropical trees that we can grow. Included in this group is the African Tulip Tree with its clusters of large blossoms. The majority of trees have red to orange colored blossoms. It blooms in summer but sometimes longer. It wants full sun. Cold hardiness is estimated to be in the mid-twenties F. It is quite easy to grow and a very satisfying tropical tree

REGULAR PRICE 15G AFRICAN TULIP TREE $185
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS 15G SIZE $160

The 7th photo below is by an unknown author from Maui and the laszt is c/o Wikipedia Commons.

BIRDS NEST ANTHURIUM
ANTHURIUM HOOKERI

THE PERFECT COMPANION PLANT

NEVER OVER ABOUT SIX FEET TALL
LEATHERY, DARK GREEN LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 5 GALLON PLANTS

Enthusiast are always looking for attractive companion plants that don't get too big. Shown here is what's called the "Birds Nest" Anthurium. Most of these plants are felt to either be the species Anthurium hookeri or a hybrid of it. They are good for filtered light situations and rarely get over six feet tall. The leaves are long, wide and very thick to the touch. Their leaf surface is wavy. We’re offering our 5 gallon size on a Ten Day Special. This is the size most people buy. Cold hardiness is into the mid-twenties F. Flowers are red, as are the tiny seeds. These plants are real winners. These can be mail ordered.

REGULAR PRICE 5G THIS SPECIES $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $80

Remember: Mention this Blog Only Special to get this price when you buy! The last photo is c/o Wikipedia.

TASMANIAN TREE FERN
DICKSONIA ANTARCTICA

SLOW GROWING TREE FERN
WILL GET TO A MEDIUM HEIGHT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This species of Tree Fern is native to various localities in Eastern Australia. It doesn't get as tall as the Australian Tree Fern above and is much slower growing. Trunk diameter is a bit smaller as well. Mature height domestically is usually 10 to 15 feet although specimens in the wild are much taller. Leaves are green, four to six feet long and the trunk has old attached and furry leaf bases that gradually fall off. This species like strong filtered light of part day sun. It enjoys ample water and is cold hardy into the 20's F. We're putting nice 5 gallon plants on sale.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON SIZE $85
SALES PRICE THIS SIZE $65

Remember to mention this Blog Special to get this price when you purchase.

FUCREA QUICHEENSIS
A RARE AND STUNNING BLUE FUCREA

MEDIUM HEIGHT MATURE
THIN BLUE STRAP-LIKE SOFT LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This extremely rare and difficult to find variety of Fucrea is native to southwest Guatemala and southern Mexico on the Pacific side. Plants have thin trunks with a mature heights of six to nine feet with beautiful heads of super blue strap-like blue leaves. The leaves are a rosette and this crown is six feet or more wide. Trunks have been known to fork when mature. Unlike other Fucrea that produce bubils, this species sets seeds. This is a full sun species and is cold hardy (by estimate) into the mid to upper 20's F. Mail order would be simple. The 5 gallon on sale are just beginning to take off in their pots.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $100
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $80

Garden/wild photos below by Agaveville website and TS at RPS.

MONDAY, 19 FEBRUARY, 2024

CERATOZAMIA LATIFOLIA
MEDIUM SIZED MEXICAN CYCAD

NEWLY EMERGENT GOLD/BROWN TO RED LEAVES
SOMETIMES SUPER GOLD COLORED
AVAILABLE AT THE NURSERY IN VARIOUS SIZES

This desirable and lush appearing cycad is native to Southern Mexico in the states of Queretaro, Hidalgo and San Luis Potosi. There it lives among oaks on steep and rugged cliffs. It is medium sized mature with trunks under 18 inches and leaves that are four to six feet long. Leaf stems are armed with short spines as shown. The most striking thing about this cycad is that it typically has colored emergent new leaves. The color lasts for several weeks. This color is variable from a bronze-red to gold to sometimes a purple-red. Over time these leaves convert to a typical green leaf as shown in the last photo.

The first six photos show a 15g plant at the nursery. I have previously shown photos of Nursery plants with these striking newly emerging leaf colors. With the 8th photo below I am also showing the gold colored crown of leaves of a mature, coning sized specimen in a box. This species likes filtered light and is cold hardy to at least 20 degrees F. I can ship or deliver almost any size of this species within the U.S.

CYCADS IN LARGER SIZES

FOR THOSE WHO JUST CAN'T WAIT
SOME PLANTS SHOWN BELOW ARE OVER 50 YEAR OLD

Cycads, in general, have always been recognized as rare, slow growing plants. On many species, the trunk or caudex never gets over three feet in height. The leaves emerge from the top of the caudex and go upwards a distance of three to eight feet in most cases. Remember that cycads begin as a very small plant. From a seedling in most species, to get a caudex of about six inches can take from five to seven years. Only when the caudex has reached near its genetically determined full trunk width will one start to see vertical growth of the stem. Full diameter stem width can take as long as ten to fifteen years. And, vertical height is usually at the rate of approximately a half of inch a year.

With this in mind, you can see how a cycad may take twenty five years or longer to get a one foot vertical height of caudex. Certainly, some species are faster than others. The common Sago Palm is one of the faster species. But, even with the common Sago, to achieve a three foot tall trunk may take twenty years or more. This slow growth rate and smaller overall vertical size is quite appealing to many people. It creates a very manageable, easy-to-grow plant for the garden that doesn't overwhelm space and typically doesn't obstruct a view. With the wide variety of leaf shapes, appearance and colors along with the colorful cycad cones, cycads are sought after for botanical gardens and upscale private gardens. I am showing these plants because some people want to start with the largest rare cycads they can find.

Today I thought I'd show you some plants we either have presently or have had at the nursery in recent times and that show some age. We have many hundreds of plants of these sizes. In the industry, these rare species would be considered "large plants". Most I have been growing for twenty years or more. On some, like Encephalartos horridus, one rarely sees a caudex over two feet tall. The large Dioon merolaes shown are almost a century old. I'll show a wide variety of plants below without names. Trust that we have many more huge cycads than shown here. These will all be containerized plants without garden shots in this thread. Jungle Music has one of the best selections of rare, large cycads of any nursery in the United States. So, please consider us if you like these magnificent upscale plants.

DYPSIS PEMBANA
SINGLE TRUNK OR SUCKERING
NATIVE TO PEMBA ISLAND

TAKES FULL COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZED PLANTS

There are both single trunk and suckering forms of this species. Nowadays, most of the plants available of this species are the suckering form. Both get to a height of 25 feet, have an attractive green trunk and a light colored crown shaft. Leaves have a graceful arch and the leaflet color is green. It's a great alternative for the garden. Note how the trunks are beefy but not overly large. The plants on special are already suckering. Along our coast it will take part day sun but I'd recommend filtered or morning sun inland. The plants on special are in 15 gallon pots and are ready to acclimate to your garden. We do have smaller sizes available. may have larger plants available. I cannot tell you whether the plants we have (from seed) are the single or suckering type.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $215

Remember to mention this Blog Special at the time of purchase. The 8^th photo of a garden plant is c/o late friend Al Bredeson. The last photo is by tranquilometro.

PRITCHARDIA SPECIES
OLD AND HUGE 15G PLANTS

UNKNOWN SPECIES FROM PRIVATE COLLECTION
HAWAIIAN SPECIES ONLY
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE

Pritchardia are single trunk fan palms. They grow in Hawaii and some tropical islands, but we only grow the Hawaiian species as they grow much better in Southern California. We offer about 15 species. Most species are short to medium mature heights but there are a few that get up to fifty feet or more. Leaves are green with some having dusty colors on the bottom of the leaves. Trunk widths are thin to medium in size. The Pritchardia shown here are representative of most of the 15 gallon that we have. They are super large and the size of a typical 25 gallon plant. Note the formed trunk at the base and overall size. A representative 15g (not the largest of the group for sure) is shown in the first two rows of photos. A 25 gallon is shown in the third row of photos.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 15 GALLON HUGE PALMS $350
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS BATCH OF VERY LARGE 15 GALLON $295

Just mention this Blog Only Special at time of purchase to get your discount.

CHAMAEROPS CERIFERA
NATIVE TO MOROCCO
THE SEMI-DWARF "BLUE MED FAN"

FULL HOT SUN - EXTREMELY COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL FIFTEEN GALLON PLANTS

This interesting palm is a suckering blue fan palm is native to Morocco. It's actually quite amazing that it took a long time for taxonomists to realize that it was a species and had it's own unique characteristics. It's definitely a deep blue color but also it never gets as large as Chamaereops humilus. The problem was that there were also native short clones of the later. Chamaerops cerifera is one of the most cold hardy species for those of you in super cold areas. I've had reports of it going down to 13 degrees F. Mature height is about six feet or so. Color is blue in hot sun. This species does sucker. Most importantly, with age and full sun, they will have blue leaves (see garden photos). The plants on special here are nicely sized and suckering fifteen gallon plants. They can be shipped for mail order customers. We also have 5 gallon size available.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $235
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $200

Remember: Mention this Special for your discount.

ARCHONTOPHOENIX BEATRICAE
RARE VARIETY OF THE KING PALM

SILVER UNDERSIDES TO LEAFLETS
GREEN CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE

Archontophoenix Alexandrae is native to Australia. It has green leaves that have silver discoloration to the underside of the leaflets as shown below. Leaves tend to stay flat without the twist on their axis as seen with the more common King Palm, Archotophoenix cunninghamiana. Although they are a tad less cold hardy than the latter, they are felt by most to be more beautiful. Mature height can exceed 50 feet. The crown shaft with green without the brown discoloration seen with the common King Palm. Cold hardiness is about 26 degrees F. They can take coastal sun but half-day sun might give the pretties specimen. The 15g size shown below is a single but I also have multiples at the same sale price.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $235
TEN DAY SPECIAL SALE PRICE $210

Remember: mention this Special to get your discount when you purchase!

ARCHONTOPHOENIX BEATRICAE
RARE VARIETY OF KING PALM

TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE

FOR DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE 5G $135
TEN DAY SPECIASL SALE PRICE 5 GALLON $115

Remember: mention this Special to get your discount when you purchase!

CHAMAEDOREA TEPEJILOTE
SINGLE TRUNK, TALL
SHADE-LOVING PINNATE PALM

DARK GREEN RINGED TRUNK
OFTEN GROWN AS A "MULTIPLE"
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON 5 GALLON SIZE

This single trunk pinnate palm is native to areas extending from southern Mexico down to Columbia. They are often grown for food as the male blossoms are cooked and eaten as a delicacy. This species doesn't take sun here - it'll burn. But, in shade it thrives in temperatures down to the mid-twenties F. It is quick growing and has a rather thick, prominently ringed dark green trunk. Flowers are quite prominent and, if you have several plants closely situated, the chances are you'll obtain fruit without even trying. The last photo shows a flower with green fruit. This species can also be grown inside the home as long as the air is not too hot and dry. I personally like the looks of a collection of several plants grown together. Over time, as they age and get overhead, there will be some "stair-stepping" of the crowns and this is quite attractive. Cold tolerance is into the mid-twenties F. It needs filtered light, even when tall. We have singles and some multiples of our 5g that are on sale.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $155
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $135

The last photo below is c/o TS at RPS.

PHOENIX ROEBELENII
THE PYGMY DATE PALM

LOCALLY GROWN AND STURDY PALM

SALE ON TRIPLE PLANTS IN 5 GALLON SIZE

Most people are familiar with this species, the Pygmy Date Palm. It is naturally a single trunks species. But, they are usually sold as "triples" - three individual plants in the same pot - so often, that people think it's a suckering species. And, 99% of plants are sold as a "multiples". Over a few decades, this species can get to a height of over ten feet. They are slow growing. Triples grow slower than singles. This species is a type of Date Palm, so it does have spines on its stems. Growth rate is medium to slow. It likes full sun and is cold hardy to about 22 degrees F. Of note, it is one of the least cold hardy of all the Date Palms. Shown here are some shippable 5 gallon which we’re putting on Special. These are locally grown and much hardier and stronger than imported plants like you see at the depot stores.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $75

Remember to mention this Special at the time of purchase to get this discounted price.

CHAMAEROPS HUMILIS - GREEN FORM
LOVES SUN AND HEAT - VERY COLD HARDY

SUCKERING FAN PALM WITH MEDIUM SIZED MATURE SIZE
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

Historically Chamaerops humilis has been considered a monotypic genus although in recent times a very blue version (Chamaerops cerifera) has been discovered in northern Africa and this may be eventually named as the second species in the genus. This green species is very durable and can live on limited water. It tolerates hot full sun, even in desert environments. Although there are variations in mature heights (different clones of the same species), it tends not to be overly tall. It does sucker and leaf stems are armed with sharp barbs. Most mature specimens are between ten and twenty feet tall. The 5 gallon plants on special are the green form of this species. Notably, all C. humilis can be green or have strong hints of blue in the leaves and stems. This species demands full sun and loves heat. In the shade, it performs poorly. Cold tolerance is about 15 degrees F. This size can easily be shipped for mail orders.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $100
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $75

RHAPIS EXCELSA
THE LADY PALM

ONE OF THE BEST INTERIOR PALMS
ALSO GREAT UNDERSTORY GARDEN PLANT
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 5 GALLON SIZE
THIS SIZE CAN BE MAIL ORDERED

We have an assortment of Lady Palms which are near perfect - almost as nice as the expensive ones we bring in out of Hawaii. But, they are locally grown and better priced. And, we are offering them on special – five gallon size. They are about 5-6 years old. Rhapis excelsa is native to Asia and typically doesn't get much over 8 feet tall in a pot or in the ground. Each leaf is composed mature of six to ten leaflets that have jagged ends and are green in color. They do great in shady locations of the garden or inside the home. They are a very nice patio plant. Cold hardiness is about 20 degrees F. They want low dose fertilizer. Too much fertilizer will burn them. The 5 gallon size can be easily shipped' It's slow growing and a dwarf species.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 5G $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $125

RHAPIS EXCELSA
THE LADY PALM

ONE OF THE BEST INTERIOR OR EXTERIOR PALMS
SIZE ON SALE EASY TO SHIP
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE ONE GALLON PLANTS
THIS SIZE EASY TO MAIL ORDER - WEATHER PERMITTING

FOR DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE THESE 1G $70
TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $60

Important: Mention this Blog Only Offering for this price when you purchase. One gallon shown in first 4 photos.

RHOPALOSTYLIS CHEESEMANII
MORE RARE SPECIES OF THIS GENUS

GORGEOUS CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

Of the Shaving Brush Palm family, this is the hardest one to find. And, many think it's the prettiest and most desirable species. Some consider it to be a variety of R. baueri. We like to consider it a species. Native to Raoul Island, an island well off the eastern side of New Zealand, this species has a medium sized trunk and reaches a height of twenty five feet. The crown shaft is gorgeous but not as swollen as R. sapida. I have some customers who report the crown shaft being a purple color. On younger plants, the leaf stems are red colored as shown here. Cold tolerance is the low 20's F. It will take coastal sun or consider morning sun or strong filtered light inland.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $60
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $52.50

Just mention this Blog special for this discount. In the second row below I've shown a 5g nursery plant. We also have 15g size. The band size is shown in the first three photos below and are currently larger than shown here. The 5th photo is c/o Cloudforest.com Website.

CHAMAEDOREA TENELLA
DWARF SINGLE TRUNK

UNDERSTORY SUPER RARE MINIATURE PALM
SIMPLE LEAVES - NEVER OVER A FEW FEET TALL
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

This dwarf understory palm species has entire, small leaves, a very thin trunk the size of a pencil and a mature height never over two to three feet. It comes from high elevation mountainous areas of Mexico. It's extremely rare and hard to find. The seedlings we're offering this year came from domestic plants in San Diego County. They are about a year old. We got these in last year and about ten sold out quickly. I rarely have them for sale. They need a filtered light environment and should be cold hardy at least into the mid-twenties F. I can mail order these. Limited numbers available!

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $65

Remember: Mention this Blog Only Special when you purchase. These can be mail ordered - weather permitting.

ENCEPHALARTOS PAUCIDENTATUS
MEDIUM TO LARGE RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

UPRIGHT GREEN LEAVES WITH THIN LEAFLETS
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE SEEDLINGS

This cycad is native to Swaziland, northern South Africa. It is known as one of the most attractive of all the green cycads. It does great in Southern California but is rare and hard to find. New leaves tend to be upright. Most pronounced is the "frost" appearance of leaves as shown below. This is from small hairs on the leaflets. It makes a medium to large mature specimen. Mature size can be over fifteen feet with 6 to 10 foot green leaves. Leaflets are armed. Along the coast it’ll take full sun. Far inland I’d recommend limited sun. Cold tolerance is down to the low 20’s F.

REGULR PRICE BAND SIZE THIS SPECIES $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $75

Below I'm showing photos of a large specimen at the nursery.

ENCEPHALARTOS PAUCIDENTATUS
MEDIUM TO LARGE RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

UPRIGHT GREEN LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL GOOD SIZED 15G CYCAD

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION SEE ABOVE

The 15 gallon on sale has a caudex size of 8 inches

REGULAR PRICE THIS ACTUAL 15 GALLON CYCAD $1320
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL PLANT $1100

Below I'm showing photos of a large 25g specimen at the nursery - photo #7 below. We have citrus pot and seedlings as well..

ENCEPHALARTOS LONGIFOLIUS
BEAUTIFUL SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD WITH GREEN TO BLUE LEAVES

MEDIUM SIZE MATURE - LOVES SUN - RE-CURVED LEAVES

TEN DAY SPECIAL SPECIMEN 15 GALLON WITH FAIRLY LARGE CAUDEX

Encephalartos longifolius is from the Eastern Cape region of the Republic of South Africa. It is among the favorite species of this genus for almost all cycad enthusiasts. Leaf color varies from a dark green to brilliant blue - and everything in-between. The plant on Special is in a 15 gallon pot and has a caudex diameter of 7.5 inches. It is a shippable size. This is a full sun species along the coast with a cold hardiness of 22 degrees F. This plant will develop into a medium sized mature cycad over the years with potential for trunk in a lifetime of at least five feet. We have other sizes available for sale - both larger and smaller. The last row of photos shows garden plants of this species that have blue to green leaves. Most of our sizes can be mail ordered or delivered.

REGULAR PRICE THIS 15 GALLON WITH CAUDEX SIZE 7.5 INCHES $1200
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD AS DESCRIBED $975

ASSORTED MATURE CONING SIZED CYCADS
MANY SHOWN BELOW CAN TOLERATE SOME SHADE

SALE ON THESE FILTERED LIGHT SPECIES - NAME & CAUDEX SIZE
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON ALL PLANTS SHOWN BELOW

About two weeks ago we took photographs of an assortment of older cycads. Those shown below are all different species and are from assorted genera. All are older plants, near mature and coning sized plant with ages of 20 to 30 years or more. All plants shown are for sale but could be sold by the time you read this. Finally, most of the plants below can tolerate filtered light, partial shade or maybe even full shade. And, we're offering a Ten Day Special on these cycads as shown below. If any plant interests you, just call us for pricing.

TEN DAY SPECIAL ANY LARGE CYCAD SHOWN BELOW - 15% OFF REGULAR PRICE

Ceratozamia mexicana 24 in box, caudex 9 x 20 inches	Ceratozamia mirande 24 in box caudex 7 x 9 inches with 3 pups
Ceratozamia species 24 inch box caudex 10 x 16 inches	Cycas debaoensis 15 gallon mature female caudex 7 inches
Cycas thouarsii 25g caudex 8 x 32 inches	Dioon mejiae 35g caudex 13 x 26 in
Dioon rzedowskii 24 in box caudex 24 in x 22 in	Dioon spinulosum 24 in box caudex 11 x 20
Encephalartos ferox 25 gallon caudex 17 x 16 in	Encephalartos gratus 24 in box caudex 13 x 17 inches
Encephalartos sclavoi 24 in box caudex 16 x 18 inches	Encephalartos villosus 24 in box caudex 13 x 15 inches
Encephalartos whitlockii 25g caudex 17 inch	Encephalartos senticosus 35g caudex 21 x 38 inches

ENCEPHALARTOS MIDDELBURGENSIS
VERY SOUGHT AFTER BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

MEDIUM TO LARGE CYCAD THAT TOLERATES FULL COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON WITH TWO CAUDEXES

Encephalartos middelburgenis is endemic to the Witbank and Middelburg districts of South Africa. They occur in fragmented populations, and their habitat is rocky soil and outcroppings in grasslands and valleys. The climate is hot and dry. Winter months can be cold and experience periodic freezes. This is a medium sized species. Leaves are approximately a meter and a half to almost two meters. Stems (trunks) can reach an excess of ten meters over the centuries and have the tendency to sucker moderately.

This is a beautiful blue Encephalartos species. In shade, like many of the blue Encephalartos, this species will not appear nearly as blue. Leaves are armed with prickles, but depending on cultivar the degree can vary. Larger, older specimens tend to bear less spines than younger juvenile plants. This is another species from the Transvaal region of South Africa. This is noteworthy are some of the rarest and most beautiful species of Encephalartos hail from this region. E. middelburgensis is a moderate grower, and tends to flush annually. The female cones on this species are a yellow, green with fine brown tomentum, where male cones are much darker in appearance covered in a dark brown tomentum. In coastal and inland areas this plant needs to be in the sun. For desert areas, partial sun or filtered light is adequate. Excessively wet soil will lead to rot problems with this species.

The plant on Special is in a 15 gallon contain and has two caudex – each one 5 inches. It can be shipped within the U.S., weather permitting.

REGULAR PRICE THIS 15 GALLON WITH TWO 5 INCH CAUDEXES $3000
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD AS DESCRIBED $2200

ACANTHUS MOLLIS
BEAR'S BREECHES PLANT

ABOUT FIVE FEET TALL, UPRIGHT BLOSSOMS
HARD TO FIND NOWADAYS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G PLANTS

This herbaceous perennial is from southern Europe and northern Africa. It is fairly easy to grow and prefers sun. It has big, wavy green leaves. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Snowflake Aralia which occasionally we have available. Mature plant height is about three to four feet. The blossoms are spectacular as shown - up to 30 inches long. They go vertically above the foliage and are lavender colored. Plants in shade will not blossom. A hard freeze can damage the leaves but plants usually come out of it. This is a suckering plant. Shown below is our 15 gallon size which I'm putting on special - but we have limited numbers. We also sometimes have 5 gallon plants available.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $175
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $145

Remember: Mention this Blog Special for this price when you purchase. And, like all big leafy tropical plants, prevent snail invasions which can eat holes in the leaves. The garden photos are c/o weedbuster website in NZ and Sunset Website.

CRINUM AMABILE - PURPLE LEAF
LARGE CRINUM TYPE LILY - AKA "QUEEN EMMA LILY"

OVERHEAD PURPLE-GREEN LEAVES
EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO FIND
TEN DASY SPECIAL 7 GALLON PLANTS

This Lily is native to all sorts of locations throughout the world including southern Asia, Australia, and Africa. It is known for it's spiraling display of long, heavy substance leaves that are upright and four to six feet long. Their color is green and dark purple. Flowers are white with purple centers and markings. It grows like other Lilies by making offset tubers that make new plants. Expect a mature height of six to seven feet, definitely overhead. As mentioned, they clump and form a great display of foliage. They will not "run" or take over an area. In recent times these have been near impossible to find. But, we have a limited number of 7 gallon that we’re putting on sale. The size on special shown below. This is a perfect size to plant in the garden. Anticipate a mature clump at about six to seven feet tall. I’m also showing a blossom and some older plants. We only have a handful left for sale

REGULAR PRICE THESE HARD TO FIND 7 GALLON $175
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $150

HELICONIA PSITTACORUM ANDROMEDA
A RARE DWARF HELICONIA WITH ORANGE BLOSSOMS

NEVER OVER FOUR TO FIVE FEE TALL
TEN DAY SPECIAL LIMITED SUPPLY 2 GALLON PLANTS

This exciting new arrival to our nursery offers gardeners a chance to have a Heliconia that doesn't get to tall or spread too much. Plant heights are typically 3 to 4 feet with blossoms extended above for a foot to 18 inches.l Blossoms are orange with yellow hints. It tolerates coastal sun or part sun. It does need some sun to blossom. Cold tolerance so far is unknown but we suspect it'll take down to at least a freeze. We just got these in and only have about ten available. We've found they survive in coastal areas although may get some leaf burn. This species wouldn't be recommended if you are in a colder interior area.

REGULAR PRICE 2 GALLON $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL 2 GALLON THIS SPECIES $75

The garden photos are both care of Flikr, the first by an unknown author and the second by Jnzl's photos.

TRITONIA SPECIES
IRIS APPEARING SUCKERING PLANT WITH UPRIGHT ORANGE BLOSSOMS

TOLERATES FULL SUN ALONG THE COAST
SMALLER COLORFUL COMPANION PLANT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

There are many species of the genus Tritonia. I believe it's also known as Crocosmia. I don't know the species name for the variety we're offering. Tritonia are native to Southern Africa, especial in the Cape area. Plants have "iris-like" flat leaves. They do sucker making a small clump. Mature plant height is 2 to 3 feet with upright flowering stalks above the foliage and with many orange flowers. This species tolerates coastal full sun or part sun. It can be grown in part day sun. Cold tolerance is estimated to be in the mid-twenties F. I don't have photos presently of garden specimens. We're putting nice 5 gallon plants on sale.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $65

These can be shipped. Limited numbers available.

FRIDAY, 16 FEBRUARY, 2024

BROMELIADS IN THE LANDSCAPE
VERSATILE, EASY TO GROW COMPANION PLANTS

VAST ASSORTMENT TO SELECT FROM

Bromeliads are a type of plant, typically small in size, that are simple to grow and make great companion plants in the garden. They are very versatile and, because most species grow epiphytically, can be used on poles, posts, fences, mounted to trees or simply grown in the ground among other plants. Almost all species blossom once a year and the blossoms are long lived. Blossoms appear in almost every color imaginable, anything from the rainbow. Plants propagate by basal suckers and only really need care once a year when old plants are removed from the cluster.

Photographs here show plants that are attached to posts, mounted in trees and are used in water features. There are some species that can get up to five or six feet tall and are quite spectacular. If one wishes, he can just put the bromeliad, with it's container, right into the ground. Some species tolerate full sun and many love filtered light and blossom well in such light.

Although we are not a "bromeliad only" nursery, we typically have a great supply of the most desirable types available for sale. We emphasize beauty and color in our Bromeliads rather than rarity. We consider one of our specialties our ability to offer a great selection of interesting and colorful companion plants.

TO SEE COMPLETE PRESENTATION & BROMELIADS AT THE NURSERY, CLICK HERE

VEITCHIA ARECINA
EXOTIC MEDIUM TO TALL PINNATE SUN PALM

CAN BE GROWN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
RARE SPECIES - SELDOM SEE FOR SALE
END OF SUMMER SALE SINGLE 25 GALLON SIZE

We have only a few of single 25 gallon plants of this species. They are starting to put on good height. Inherently, this is a single trunk, crown shafted pinnate palm native to Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga. In the wild, plants get to over 75 feet tall. In So California it is more typical to see one to 30 to 40 feet. They have a light colored crown shaft, speckled dark or black color near the inner crown area and sometimes on the leaf stems. Leaves are six to eight feet long and leaflet tips are pointed or slightly blunted. The trunk is narrow for a tall palm. Shown here is the 25 gallon singles that we’re putting on sale. There are quite a few people who are growing this species in the coastal strip in our area.

REGULAR PRICE 25 GALLON SINGLE $495
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25 GALLON SIZE SINGLES $435

BRAHEA CLARA
BLUE SINGLE TRUNK FAN PALM FROM SONORA, MEXICO

LOVES SUN AND HEAT - SUPER COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL 20 OR 25 GALLON SIZE

This palm is quite similar to the more common Brahea armata. ItIt is felt by some to be a natural hybrid between Brahea armata and Brahea brandegeei. It’s considered a “costo-palmate” palm. It loves sun, takes cold to 15 degrees and is blue in color. It gets to a height of no more than 20 feet. Compared to the common Mexican Blue Fan Palm (Brahea armata), it has longer petioles and is faster growing. Another curious difference we've discovered is the stem armor. Rather than simple, uniform curved spines, the armor is more like a bad set of shark's teeth. The plants on special are in limited numbers and quite large for their container with heights of 8 to 10 feet in their pots. They are way to big for standard mail order.

REGULAR PRICE 20 / 25 GALLON $595
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $495

BLUE BUTIA CAPITATA
THE BLUE PINDO PALM
MEDIUM SIZED PINNATE PALM WITH BLUE OR BLUE-GREEN LEAVES

LOVES SUN AND HEAT - EXTREMELY COLD TOLERANT!
SHOWING THREE DIFFERENT 25 GALLON PLANTS BELOW
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 25 GALLON PLANTS

For about a decade we’ve been offering this very desirable and sought after variety of Butia capitata that has a nice blue color. Otherwise, it’s quite similar to the regular gray-green Pindo Palm. Some of the "blue" Pindos are super blue. Others are a more muted blue color. It's quite variable. The problem is we always run out of them. To satisfy our customer demand, we are presently offering a handful of this palm in 25 gallon pots. But, there are very limited numbers. We are putting this size on special. This palm loves full hot sun and can take down to 15 degrees F. So, almost all of you can grow this palm. I am showing three different palms in 25 gallon pots. All are very husky with fat trunks. All shown some blue color. All the mature palms in the last row of photos were taken in the U.S. The next to last photo is by friend Paul Craft from FL. These palms are too big for standard mail order. And, I'm sorry, but we're sold out of the shippable 15 gallon right now.

REGULAR PRICE 25 GALLON $500
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25 GALLON $395

JUBAEA X BUTIA HYBRID
VERY COLD HARY HYBRID PALM THAT LOVES SUN AND HEAT

LIMITED SUPPLY OF LARGE 15 GALLON AVAILABLE
TEN DAY PECIAL LARGE 15 GALLON PLANTS

We are pleased to post that we have just acquired some huge 15 gallon size of this sought after hybrid. This is a cold hardy hybrid that thrives in sun and heat. Cold tolerance is well into the teens F. See chart below for descriptiion. On the garden 7th and 8th photos below, my thanks to TS at RPS and unknown contributor on Palm talk for their photos. Incidentally, these can be shipped but it'd be expensive.

Locality:	Hybrid
Cold Hardiness:	Probably 16 - 18 F.
Trunk type:	Fat trunk with retained leaf bases. Not as fat as Jubaea, but much fatter than a Butia.
Leaf type:	Pinnate with silver/green color, leaves tend to curve down a bit.
Suckering/Solitary:	Solitary.
Maintenance:	Easy.
Speed of growth:	Slow to moderate.
Height:	Uncertain- probably 30+ feet.
Soil requirements:	Average.
Sun Requirements:	Full.
General Description:	This is a thick trunked palm that look just like one would expect from this hybrid.
Other Notes:	Gives on a faster growing Jubaea-looking palm that can be of size without waiting decades. The Butia blood should give it good cold hardiness.

REGULAR PRICE THESE HUGE 15 GALLON HYBRIDS $450
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS 145GALLON SIZE $350

CHAMAEDOREA CATARACTARUM
THE CAT PALM

A SEMI-DWARF CLUSTERING PALM
SEMI-DWARF TO SIX FEET
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

This species of palm has been sold under the name "Cat Palm", which is an abbreviation for "cataractarum". For Chamaedoreas and in the past, it was fairly easy to find. Nowadays it's very difficult to find, especially with mature size as shown here. It is a clustering palm that gets six feet tall. It really doesn't form any trunk. It likes water as it has a native habitat near river beds. It is cold hardy into the mid 20's F. and I'd recommend, at most, a few hours of sun or filtered light. It is native to the southern areas of Mexico and possibly into areas of Central America. With less than adequate water it tends to look scrappy. At the nursery, we offer mostly large plants, either 10 or 15 gallon size. They typically are suckering with a near mature height.

REGULAR PRICE THIS SIZE $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $220

Remember to mention this Blog Special for your discount.

BISMARCKIA SPECIES MAYOTTE ISLAND
THE RARE GREEN BISMARCKIA
YOU NEVER SEE THEM AVAILABLE

A BISMARCKIA BUT WITHOUT THE BLUE COLOR
VERY ATTRACTIVE, LARGER FLAT GREEN FAN PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL OLD AND LARGE 15G SIZED PLANTS

One of the favorite characteristics of Bismarckia is the blue color to the leaves. But, there is a green variety on the island of Madagascar. At another location, there is an endemic green Bismarckia known as the "Mayotte Island" form. There is very little published about these green forms of the Bismarck Palm. It likes sun and is probably cold hardy into the low 20's F. Most feel it's not quite as cold hardy as the blue form. On these green Bismarckias, often you'll see red in the leaf stem or a hint of it on the leaves. Of course, this is a full sun palm. This is a very rare palm to find as everyone seeks out the blue type. But, we have this more rare green form and have found they are showing nice cold hardiness to the low 20's F. The plant shown below is about twelve years old. We have a handful of them. The 11th photo below is by TS at RPS and the last three photos below are by M.F. with two plants in the San Diego area.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $295
TEN DAY SPECIAL SALE PRICE 15G $255

Note: Of course, we also carry a good assortment of the classic blue Bismarcia!

SYAGRUS OLERACEA
THIN TRUNK & TALL SOLITARY PALM

PLUMOSE LEAVES - NOT AS TALL AS A QUEEN PALM
AND A MUCH THINNER TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON 5 GALLON SIZE

This species of single trunk pinnate palm is native to Brazil and can get to heights of fifty to sixty feet. It can be grown in Southern California and is a smaller version of the Queen Palm with a thinner trunk. Leaves are green and plumose. It wants full sun and is cold hardy into the mid to upper 20's F. One special are nice 5 gallon plants, still with their juvenile foliage. This species should grow fairly fast and fill have classic pinnate leaves in the next one or two leaf throws. The 8th photo is by the late John DeMott and that last photo by TS at RPS.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $125

RHAPIDOPHYLLUM HYSTRIX
THE NEEDLE PALM

WORLD'S MOST COLD HARDY PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL FIVE GALLON SIZE

There is no doubt in my mind that this species is the most cold tolerant of any palm species. It is native to the southeastern United States with native habitats stretching from South Carolina down to northern Florida and into Alabama and Mississippi. There are reports of this species tolerating below zero degrees F. Now, this doesn't mean that you can grow it in Michigan. But, in areas that see significant cold such as North Carolina, central Texas or even New Mexico, this species might work for you.

It is a suckering fan palm and known as the "Needle Palm" because it forms dark colored, protuberant needles on the trunk. The fourth picture below shows small needles forming on the trunk. The first five photos show the 3g on sale. In sun the color is a silver green with more silver underneath. In shade the color gets dark green, reminiscent of a Rhapis Palm. Trunks are usually under three feet tall and four to six inches thick. But, because the leaves come upwards, the overall height of the plant can be six to seven feet or taller. They can get a bit bushy. This is a very slow growing species. The plants on sale are not quite up to size so we're offering a very nice price on them.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $115

I only have a few of these. You must mention this Blog Only Special to get this price.

RAVENEA RIVULARIS
THE MAJESTY PALM

LARGE PALM WITH A THICK CLEAN TRUNK
FAST GROWING - LIKES WATER AND FERTILIZER
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

Well grown, the Majesty Palm is a very attractive and fast growing palm from Madagascar. It got a bad rap initially because people didn't water them enough and rarely fed them. This resulted in bleached out leaf color and anemic appearing palms. But, given adequate water and a balanced fertilizer with mircroelements, they are easy to grow. Mature height is over 40 feet. The trunk is clean and tapers as you look up the trunk. Leaf color is green and leaves are un-armed. Cold tolerance is into the twenties F. Full sun along the coast is preferred. They can be used as an interior palm. I have one in my garden with about 30 feet of trun.

We're putting our 5 gallons on sale. These were grown locally from seeds.
Remember to mention this Blog Only Special if you chose to get this species.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $115

CHAMAEDOREA COSTARICANA
ONE OF THE BEST BAMBOO PALMS

EASY TO GROW - A GREAT INTERIOR PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This suckering palm species is native to Mexico and Central America. It is one of about four types of "Bamboo Palms" and is probably either the best or in a stiff competition with Chamaedorea hooperiana. This species gets to a mature height of twelve to sixteen feet, has strong 1 inch to 1.5 inch trunks which are green in color with prominent rings, and about three to four foot long leaves. It is an upright grower and does clump. It doesn't run. It takes filtered light or morning sun along the coast. I've even heard of some growing it in full sun although I'd not recommend it. It is a good growing species. Cold hardiness is into the mid to lower 20's F.

Below I'm showing in the first six photos the 5g size which we’re putting on sale. This size can be mail ordered no problem.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $125

Remember: Mention this Special for this Blog Only discounted price.

HOWEA BELMOREANA
THE SENTRY OR UMBRELLA PALM

ARCHONTOPHOENIX "TERACARPA"
THE BEST KING PALM EVER!

BIGGER, FASTER GROWING, NO BROWNING OF LEAFLETS
TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE BAND SIZE PLANTS

Archontophoenix teracarpa is a fictitious name given to an unknown species/type of King Palm that I have in my garden and no one can identify. I've been collecting seeds from it for quite a few years and offering it for sale. Everyone who gets one agrees - "It's the best King Palm ever!" It got the name from the Latin "Large body", which it has. After trying to identify the species over many years and with no success, we coined the name "Archontophoenix teracarpa". The closest species to it would be A. maxima but it's not the same. So, what are the differences that makes teracarpa more ideal?

It is faster growing
It gets taller than the regular King Palm
It tolerates full sun better
It doesn't brown tip in full sun
It has a blue crown shaft
It has a super thick trunk

The band size plants are about 3-4 years old and huge – about 2 feet tall and need to be planted or repotted into 5g pots.

REGULAR PRICE THESE HUGE BANDS $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE HUGE BANDS $55

Remember: mention this Special to get your discount when you purchase!

CERATOZAMIA KUESTERIANA
SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED CYCAD

COLORFUL EMERGING NEW LEAVES
INLAND FILTERED LIGHT OR COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT SIZE AS SHOWN

This attractive cycad comes from the Sierra Mountain Range in Mexico near Tamaulipas. There is grows among overhead oak trees. It is a small to medium sized plant, perhaps at most getting a four foot tall caudex. Leaf length is four to five feet. Leaflets are long and narrow, coming to a point. Leaflet color is green. But, newly emerging leaves are a brown-red as shown below. With the 8th photo by Ian Edwards below, you can see how attractive a new swirl of leaves can be. Petioles can be smooth or armed with small spines.

This is an easy to grow species. It can take coastal full sun but inland demands filtered light. Cold tolerance is to the low 20's F. This species is being grown in northern CA and in some other states where they see cooler weather. I’m showing you two plants in citrus pots with new reddish-brown emerging leaves. Caudex sizes are 3 to 3.5 inches. Soil should be well draining in the garden. This species also makes an attractive containerized patio plant.

REGULAR PRICE THIS SIZE CITRUS POT $385
TEN DAY SPECIAL - THIS SIZE $345

Remember to mention this Special at the time of purchase to get this discounted price.

DIOON EDULE VARIETY TAMAULIPAS
GLAUCOUS GREEN THIN LEAF MEXICAN CYCAD

ONE OF VARIOUS VARIETIES OF DIOON EDULE
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

Dioon edule is a very durable species of cycad that is found in Mexico. Enthusiasts have found that in different native localities that the plants of each region are different. This has led to what we call "varieties" of Dioon edule. In the Tamaulipas area of Mexico such a variety is found. This is also the locality of the recognized species Dioon angustiolium. The Dioon edule variety tamaulipas is a glaucous green species with flat leaves and narrow leaflets. The leaflets re minimally spined if at all. Leaflets are spaced with a narrow gap between individual leaflets. Leaf color is green to a blue-green. Mature plants are dwarf and rarely over 6 feet tall overall in the garden. It prefers full sun and is cold hardy into the upper teens F. It likes good draining soil. We are offering 5 gallon plants with a 3 inch caudex on this hard to find variety. These can be mail ordered. Unfortunately, I have no garden photos of this variety.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 3 INCH 5 GALLON $375
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS BATCH 5 GALLON 3 INCH CAUDEX $295

ENCEPHALARTOS PRINCEPS
A SOUGHT AFTER AND FAVORITE BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

MEDIUM MATURE HEIGHT - LOVES COASTAL SUN AND HEAT
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 15 GALLON PLANT - READY FOR THE GARDEN

This rare and sought after blue cycad species is from the Great Kei River, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. In habitat, this species grows primarily in dolerite rock outcroppings and cliffs. The climate is arid and plants are found in full sun exposures. The mature leaf length on this species is a meter or less. Stem heights in cultivation rarely exceed one to one and a half meters. Though, plants in the wild can reach heights of five meters after many centuries. This species can be solitary, but it is more common to see this species produce basal suckers to a greater or lesser extent. One of the most striking characteristics of this plant is its lovely color (which can vary from a powdery silver to a turquoise blue). This plant can be confused with E. lehmannii, but has a few differences. This plant is it is an excellent grower, and is mostly unarmed. In coastal and inland areas, this species wants to be grown in sun. For desert areas, I recommend partial sun or filtered light. E. princeps needs a soil that is quick draining and does not like to stay excessively wet. The plant on special is in a 15 gallon pot and has a caudex that is 5 inches wide.

REGULAR PRICE THIS CYCAD IN A 15G POT WITH CAUDEX 5 INCHES $825
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD AS DESCRIPED $700

ZAMIA AMBLYPHYLLIDIA
DWARF GREEN CYCAD

GOOD LOW PROFILE CYCAD – NO SPINES
FOR FILTERED LIGHT OF SOME SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL MATURE CONING SIZED CLUMPING CYCAD

This dwarf species of Zamia is from Puerto Rico and surrounding Caribbean areas. It is a small cycad with a caudex of six inches. It suckers, forming clumps. Its leaves are about 3 feet long, arching downwards and the leaflets are small. The petioles are unarmed. It likes filtered light and tolerates temperatures into the upper twenties F. It prefers partial sun or strong filtered light. But, it can be grown in sun along our coastal areas here. It is an ideal cycad species where one wants plants to stay small. It's perfect for planting next to a walkway. We’re putting on Special a mature and very old specimen plant. It’s in a 15 gallon pot and can be mail ordered. It has about five different caudexes, each 3 to 4 inches in size. It’s holding about twenty leaves. Leaflets and petioles are spineless. Age is estimated at 30 years. It’s rare to find old specimens of this species, which by itself is rare and hard to find in any size.

REGULAR PRICE THIS MATURE CLUMPING CYCAD $1195
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL SPECIMEN CYCAD $895

ZAMIA FURFURACEA
THE CARDBOARD CYCAD
COMPACT GREEN DWARF CYCAD WITH NO SPINES

TEN DAY SPECIAL MATURE 30 YEAR OLD CYCAD

This popular dwarf cycad is from Mexico and rarely gets over four feet tall. Mature, thihs species typically reaches a height of three to four feet. Plants do cluster and form low profile clumps. Stems can get typically to about 12 inches although taller stems are seen in the wild. Leaves are almost always under 36 inches long with a plant height rarely over about five feet. Leaflets are wide, short and have no spines or armor. This is a very user-friendly plant. It tolerates full sun along the coast and needs filtered light in the desert. Cold hardiness is into the low 20's F, perhaps a bit lower.

We're offering here a mature specimen cycad with many heads of leaves. It has five or maybe six individual caudexes. Each caudex is an estimated 4 inches. It’s holding about 30 leaves.

REGULAR PRICE THIS MATURE CLUSTERING CYCAD $1095
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD $795

You must mention this Blog only special when purchasing to get this price. BTW, I'd estimate that this plant will be the size of the 8th photo below in several years.

MUSA SUMATRANA HYBRID
A NON-FRUITING BANANA CROSSED WITH A FRUITING BANANA

CLIVIA MINIATA
FLOWERS IN EARLY SPRING - ORANGE VARIETY
FILTERED LIGHT PLANT - EASY TO GROW

TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE CLUSSTERING ONE GALLON PLANTS

Previously I've discussed this great companion garden plant for filtered light. We have available some very nice 1 gallon plants that already blossomed this year - see photos below. For a one gallon, they are very full, sometimes with several plants in the pot. I'm putting them on special. The blossoms last for about 3 weeks. These can be mail ordered. Limited numbers. Note: they bloom in early spring and are not in flower right now but will blossom come later winter into spring.

REGULAR PRICE THSE CLUSTERED (MORE THAN ONE PLANT) ONE GALLON $50
TEN DAY SPECIAL SALE PRICE THIS SIZE $40

THE TRAVELER PALM
RAVENALA MADAGASCARENSIS
BANANA APPEARING TREE IN ONE PLANE

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $155
TEN DAY SPECIAL SALE PRICE 5 GALLON $135

To read more on the Traveler Palm, click here:
TRAVELER PALM ARTICLE

AECHMEA BLANCHETIANA
LARGER TYPE OF COLORFUL BROMELIAD

TOLERATES FULL SUN - FAIRLY COLD HARDY
DIFFICULT TO LOCATE - LEAF COLOR YELLOW, GREEN, RED OR ORANGE
SPECIAL ON RED & ORANGE ADE COLORED 5 GALLON SIZE

This is a great Bromeliad for Southern California - or for many areas in the country where severe cold is not seen. Native to eastern Brazil, they get heights of three to four feet and tolerate full sun easily here along our coast. Cold hardiness is into the mid to upper twenties F. I prefer the colorful forms although green is also seen. The problem is that they are hard to find. All the ones we sell come from private gardens. As they sucker and multiply, garden enthusiasts sometimes find they are getting too large. So, we buy them from these folks. They are rarely if ever available through commercial lines. The ones on Special are the yellow and a lighter red variety. In the sun the yellow pick up some orange color and are called “orange ade”. These are a fantastic full sun companion plant. The 5 gallon are good size and we’re putting both colors on sale. Remember that this species of large Bromeliad are never cheap. The last two garden photos are of the "orange ade" variety.

REGULAR PRICE NICE SIZE 5 GALLON $125
TEN DAY SPECIAL BOTH COLORS 5 GALLON $95

WEDNESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY, 2024

ZOMBIA ANTILLARUM
A SPINY TRUNK, SUCKERING FAN PALM

VERY UNUSUAL APPEARING
SOME ARE GROWING IT IN OUR AREA

I am unaware of any Latin derivation for the word "Zombie" or "Zombia". Paul Craft reports that it's derivation is from Haitian Creole where it translates into "ghost palm". Apparently the white fruits have a "ghost" appearance. The genus name of "Zombia" certainly draws your attention. This genus only has one species and it is native to the West Indies. Zombia is a suckering fan palm that gets to a height of ten feet or more and, over time, gets to be a wide suckering clump. The most interesting thing about this species is the organized spination seen on the trunks. Compare this to the Trithrinax acanthicoma. The spines on the truck of the latter are totally random. Zombia has rings of spines that are closely woven into a repetitive pattern with the spines pointing downward. For this reason, it is quite unique and can usually be recognized by the trunks alone. Over time, lower portions of the trunks may lose their spines, but they'll remain throughout most of the trunk.

We on ocassion have this species for sale. This is a slow grow species in pots and are faster in the ground. It can tolerate droughts but also responds to water and humidity. Zombia like sun. Cold tolerance is into the mid-twenties F, perhaps a bit lower. In the garden, to show off the amazing trunk appearance, one might remove the most peripheral trunks so you can see into the clump and examine the trunks. Below I'm showing photos of mature plants with close-ups of the trunk and spines and a 5 gallon Nursery starter plant.

WHEN ORDERING PLANTS BY MAIL ORDER:
SHIPPED IN THE CONTAINER OR BARE ROOT? WELL PACKED?

HOW JUNGLE MUSIC IS DIFFERENT
WE TAKE THE TIME AND TROUBLE TO SHIP THE RIGHT WAY

When most people order plants by mail order, they don't really consider how the plant will be sent to them. But, it's critical to realize that bare root plants, whether a palm, cycad or tropical plant, have a much higher immediate mortality rate and usually have at least a one year setback. To make things worse, leaf and/or root pruning is also needed when plants are sent bare root. And, specifically with cycads, this means you most likely will get a plant with chopped back leaves that must go into pumice, not soil. It is far from ready for the ground. The leaves are cut back to prevent dehydration of a stressed plant. I would say that the majority of Internet plant providers ship plants to you bare root.

So, why would a nursery do this? It could be to "save money" on shipping, but what a high price to pay for small savings. More importantly, it could be that the sending nursery is not really a certified nursery and is forbidden from sending a plant with its soil. "Certified Nursery" means that a nursery's state agricultural department checks the nursery and their plants on a regular basis to make sure plants are disease and insect free. If you've ever ordered plants by mail and didn't receive agricultural permits with your order, you bought plants from such a bootlegging nursery. It's required by state laws that such permits accompany the plants sent.

To comfort you about Jungle Music, we are a California Certified Nursery and almost always ship our plants in their container, soil and all, and do include all required Ag permits. Only when someone demands it will we ship bare root. An example would be shipping plants to Hawaii.

I am going to show you how we almost always ship our plants: in their containers with soil and with a technique to prevent damage during their travel. We feel our shipping policy and techniques are second to none. You decide which way you'd like to have your plants shipped. Also, I'll show a few photos sent to me by customers of plants received in perfect condition.


Plant readied for being put into shipping box. Notice that the container is wrapped, the top is stuffed to prevent soil leaving the pot and a secure wood post is attached to the container. Alma then checks everything is ok and starts to lower the plant, pot first, into the box.

Once the plant is carefully slid to the bottom of the box, the top is securely taped in all directions with additional securing layers going around the box - top and bottom. If a box is particularly heavy, we add additional layers of tape to the central areas.

Above is shown a heavier, larger plant that is being prepared for shipping. For this plant we are using four stakes for extra strength to prevent slippage or movement inside the box.

For heavier plants we often use two boxes with a large overlap of one box over the other. Circumferential taping is then done with many layers of plastic tape or even duct tape. Notice looking down the box how the stakes go to the top of the box - nice and snug.

Boxes of many sizes and weights outside the entrance to our Nursery -
Awaiting pick up by UPS or FED EXP


We frequently get glowing reviews on the excellent condition of plants shipped by us with "perfect condition" of the plant(s) on opening the box. Shown are a few photos of our shipments after arrival.

BECCARIOPHOENIX ALFREDII
THE MADAGASCAR PLATEAU COCONUT PALM

RARE AND HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER - EASY TO GROW
FULL COASTAL SUN - RE-CURVED GREEN LEAVES

DAY SPECIAL 36 INCH BOX SIZE – 12 TO 14 FEET TALL IN BOX

This species of exotic palm is from the island of Madagascar. It is the third of three Beccariophoenix species described from this palm-loaded country. It is so sought after because some feel that it's the prettiest species of the three. And, because it may possess the best cold hardiness. I've documented other Beccariophoenix species tolerating temperatures below 25 degrees at our nursery. So, this species may survive in areas like San Francisco, Phoenix and Houston. It grows to a height of about thirty feet and does not have a crown shaft. Leaves are long and minimally curved. The crown of leaves are densely placed - so it offers privacy and screening of neighbors. Growth rate is medium in most areas and along the coast it likes sun. This species is hard to find. We are offering on Special some massive 36 inch boxed specimens that are over fourteen feet tall in the box. They require delivery b/c of their size. This size is shown in the first eight photos below followed by one picture of our 15g size. The habitat photos are c/o TS at RPS and the local specimen is growing in San Diego. Only one or two left for sale. The 9th photo is our 15 gallon size which we're sold out of. But, we do have about six 25 gallon on sale - see further below.

TEN DAY SPECIAL MASSIVE 36 INCH BOX SIZE $795

Only one or two left for sale.

BECCARIOPHOENIX ALFREDII
THE MADAGASCAR PLATEAU COCONUT PALM

RARE AND HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER - EASY TO GROW
FULL COASTAL SUN - RE-CURVED GREEN LEAVES

TEN DAY SPECIAL 25 GALLON SIZE

FOR DESCRIPTION OF THIS SPECIES, SEE ABOVE

Shown here are our 25 gallon sized plants that I photographed recently. These palms are very nicely sized for their containers. Also shown are lots of photos of mature plants.

REGULAR PRICE THESE LARGE 25 GALLON $795
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE LARGE 25 GALLON $675

SYNECANTHUS FIBROSA
THE JELLYBEAN PALM

A FEW 20 YEAR OLD PLANTS FOR SALE
YOU WON'T FIND THESE ELSEWHERE
TEN DAY DISCOUNT ON A FEW 15 GALLON PLANTS

This single trunk pinnate palm is native to various areas of Central America. It has a thin ringed trunk with leaves that are about five feet long. Leaflets are wide with irregular leaflets width and spacing. Color is green. Flowers protrude away from the stem with attractive yellow seeds. It is a filtered light species. There is another suckering species in this genus, S. warscewiczianus. Cold tolerance is down to about a freeze or a bit less. Mature height is about twelve to fifteen feet. The plants we have on sale are super old (20 to 25 years) and are shown below in the first six photos. I can pretty much guarantee you that you'll not find comparable plants anywhere in the western U.S. I don’t normally have these for sale (wanted to keep them) so they are not listed in my availability list and I’m now selling the last ones on a Ten Day Special price. The plants on sale are shown in the first two rows of photos. The third row of photos is of palms now sold but were flowering size. The last photo is a fruting mature palm c/o Palmpedia.

TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON THIS SIZE THIS SPECIES $295

CHAMAEDOREA WOODSONIANA
TALL, THICK TRUNK, BEAUTIFUL GREEN PINNATE PALM

DOES BEST IN SHADE – STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON 15 GALLON SIZE

This is a very large, single trunk species that is native to a long range, spanning from Mexico into the northern parts of South America. It is very sought after by enthusiasts and is known as one of the tallest of all Chamaedoreas - reaching heights of possibly over forty feet. The trunk has a prominent crownshaft and is four inches thick or more. It's leaves are four to five feet long with a prominent petiole. Leaf color is a deep green and, in cross section, the leaves are slightly keeled. In Southern California, this species prefers shade or a bit of sun. It has been said that this species cannot take a freeze. More recent reports suggest this species can tolerate temperatures into the upper 20's F. It is known to be growing in the San Francisco Bay area. It is a quick grower and sometimes the base of the trunk is swollen. Shown is our 15g size on sale. We have limited numbers available.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $275
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $240

Note: We only have a few available and they’ll be gone soon.

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA
THE FLAME THROWER PALM
NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

DARK GREEN CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

What good fortune is it that New Caledonia can claim to be the home of all Chambeyronia. Included is this species, C. macrocarpa. It is a slow growing, pinnate, crown shafted palm that gets to a height of about 30 feet. It has a dark green to green-black crown shaft. Compare this to C. hookeri above with it's yellow crown shaft. Leaves are wide, thick and leathery to the touch. With good culture, maybe you can get three new leaves a year. About one in twenty plants fail to throw a new red leaf - rather, it remains green. This is just bad luck and there's no way to predict which will do this. Shown here are 5 gallon plants we're putting on sale. We do have larger and smaller sizes available. Coastal sun is tolerated although strong filtered light is ok for most areas. This is a great garden palm.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $125

Just mention this special when you buy. I thank TS at RPS for usage of his photo below.

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA
THE FLAME THROWER PALM
NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

DARK GREEN CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 7 & 15 GALLON SIZE
SEE SPECIES DESCRIPTION ABOVE

We have a limited number of 7 and 15g plants that are also on Special. See photos below.

REGULAR PRICE 7 & 15 GALLON $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE SIZES $215

BURRETIOKENTIA HAPALA
AN EXOTIC NEW CALEDONIAN PALM FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

In the mid-1980's I began to grow some of the very cool palms from new Caledonia. By 1995 I was totally into it and this led to my arranging the fantastic International Palm Society Biennial trip to New Caledonia that happened during my tenure as President in the year 2000. I just didn't know of a better place for a bunch of palm enthusiasts to go and see some of the best palms in the world. This species, Burretiokential hapala, is one of those palms.

It is a crown shafted, single trun pinnate palm with a rather thin trunk of about eight inches that gets to a height of approximately 25 to 30 feet. It has an intriguing brown color to the stems and crown shaft area. It does not have the stripes you'd see with the Burretiokentia vieilllardii. Cold tolerance is about 25 degrees F, or perhaps a bit lower. So, it's comparable to a King Palm. If you can grow a King, you can grow this species. One of the keys to culture is not letting the ground it's in go dry. This species, like Chambeyronia, responds to water.

Shown here are the band size I'm putting on special. I'd recommend morning sun, a few hours of mid day sun, or bright filtered light. It's a great species to grow.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON SIZE $255
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE $225

Note that we have two other sizes of this species below.

BURRETIOKENTIA HAPALA
AN EXOTIC NEW CALEDONIAN PALM FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 2 GALLON SIZE

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE 2 GALLON SIZE $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL 2 GALLON SIZE $75

BURRETIOKENTIA HAPALA
AN EXOTIC NEW CALEDONIAN PALM FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL $55

COPERNICIA PRUNIFERA
THE CARNAUBA WAX PALM

WATER CONSERVING - LOVES HEAT AND SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON 5 GALLON SIZE

This species is native to Brazil and is a single trunk fan palm with a not too large crown of leaves that are green in color. Sometimes they'll be blue-green. Overall height can get over fifty feet but it’s more common to see them shorter. Old leaf bases can be adherent to the trunk as a petticoat as shown in a photo below. Economically, the leaves of this species produce a wax that makes carnauba wax. The latter is marketed for various usages including car and shoe wax. This palm wants heat and sun and is cold hardy to at least the lower 20's F. We are offering our 5g plants on sale.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE ON 5 GALLON $110

LYTOCARYUM HOENII
NEAR EXTINCT SEMI-DWARF PALM FROM BRAZIL

DWARF PALM – SOFT GREEN LEAVES
NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON 5 GALLON

This semi-dwarf pinnate palm gets to a height of ten to twelve feet domestically and is single trunk and has no crown shaft. It is native to montane forests in Brazil and is near extinct in the wild. It is rarely seen offered for sale. The more frequently seen species of this genus is Lytocaryum weddellianum, also from Brazil rainforests. The latter is a much smaller plant than L. hoenii and rarely gets to ten feet. Hoenii has a more robust appearance, a bit thicker trunk and wider leaflets. Here I'm showing 5g plants of Lytocaryum hoenii that we’re putting on special. We rarely, if ever, can offer this species. Lytocaryum is a filtered light genus with a cold tolerance in the mid-twenties F. I've found from experience that Lytocaryum seem to thrive on neglect. Too much water, fertilizer or attention seems to not be right for them. Just plant one, don't pay attention to it other than average watering, and they seem to do fine. By the way, we should have 5 gallon sized Lytocaryum weddellianum available as well.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE $125

The 7^th photo - garden photo is c/o Palmpedia

DYPSIS "MAHAJANGA"
SINGLE TRUNK OR SUCKERING

REGULAR PRICE 1 GALLON $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $65

Mention this Special to get this price at the time of purchase. This size would be easy to mail order.

CHAMAEROPS CERIFERA
NATIVE TO MOROCCO
THE SEMI-DWARF "BLUE MED FAN"

FULL HOT SUN - EXTREMELY COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON JUVENILE PLANTS

This interesting palm is a suckering blue fan palm is native to Morocco. It's actually quite amazing that it took a long time for taxonomists to realize that it was a species and had it's own unique characteristics. It's definitely a deep blue color but also it never gets as large as Chamaereops humilus. The problem was that there were also native short clones of the later. Chamaerops cerifera is one of the most cold hardy species for those of you in super cold areas. I've had reports of it going down to 13 degrees F. Mature height is about six feet or so. Color is blue in hot sun. This species does sucker. Most importantly, with age and full sun, they will have blue leaves. The plants on special here are one gallon plants. They'd be easy to ship for mail order customers. On occasion we do offer larger sizes.

REGULAR PRICE 1 GALLON $70
TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $60

Remember: Mention this Special for your discount.

TRITHRINAX CAMPESTRIS
BLUE, SUCKERING FAN PALM
VERY COLD HARDY

ENCEPHALARTOS MUNCHII
A RARE CENTRAL AFRICAN CYCAD

BLUE – GREEN SPINY LEAFLETS
SUPER DIFFICULT TO FIND
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE PLANTS

Native to Mozambique, this small to medium sized cycad grows in scrub forest among rocks and boulders. It is distinguished by its blue to blue-green color and by having leaflets that are prominently spiny. In my experience, leaf color is sometimes very blue, other times blue-green. You'll sometimes hear the description as "soapy green" to describe the leaves. Overall, the leaf color is variable. Trunk size is usually under three feet. Upright leaves are about four feet long or less. Leaves are keeled and leaflets are lanceolate and spiny. This species likes full sun and is cold tolerant into the low 20's F. We are putting band sized seedlings on sale. They are supposed to be the blue form (from blue parents) but need age and sun to show the blue. These are easy to mail order, weather permitting.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $72.50

ENCEPHALARTOS CERINUS
DWARF SOUTH AFRICAN SPECIES

VERY SMALL CYCAD
GRAY-GREEN LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL YOUNGER 5 GALLON SIZE

This rare dwarf species of South African cycad is quite petite and never gets over four feet tall. Leaves are gray-green to sea foam green and about three feet long. A mature caudex is six to eight inches. This species likes sun and is cold hardy to the low 20's F. This is a rare and sought out species and never inexpensive. We are putting our 5 gallon on sale. The plant shown has a caudex of about 1.5 inches. We do have an assortment of other sizes available. Our 5g are easy to mail order.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON THIS SIZE SIZE $165
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON THIS SIZE $145

Just remember to mention this Blog Special for your discount when you purchase.

MALE IN CONE - 15 GALLON ENCEPHALARTOS LEHMANNII
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR CYCADS WE SELL
LOVES COASTAL SUN AND HEAT

KNOWN MATURE MALE CYCAD – READY FOR THE GARDEN
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL 15 GALLON CYCAD

This is a popular blue cycad from the Eastern Cape area of South Africa. I say “popular” because some people don't like spines and prickles. The leaflets of this species are narrow with only a point at the end. They are nothing as gnarly as E. horridus. The leaves and crown are very neat and uniform. The nearest species to this one is Encephalartos princeps. Trunks of E. lehmannii can get to five feet, but one with two to three feet of trunk is very old. Leaves average about four feet long and are strongly curled. Sometimes they'll almost do a 180 or more degree re-curve. Leaf color is intensely blue like E. horridus. But, you'll only see this color with full, hot sun. In shade or inside a greenhouse they are often green. Cold hardiness is about 21 to 22 degrees F. In the desert only give it a few hours sun. Next to Encephalartos horridus, this is the second most popular cycad we grow.

Shown below is a nice specimen of this species that has thrown a male cone. It’s in a 15 gallon container with a caudex of 9 inches. We have other 15g with larger and smaller stem sizes. The sale price of this actual plant is given below.

REGULAR PRICE THIS ACTUAL 15 G WITH A CAUDEX OF 9 INCHES $1350
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL 15 GALLON AS DESCRIBED $1125

This plant can be mail ordered, weather permitting.

ALOCASIA SUMO
HYBRID ALOCASIA - EXOTIC WITH SOME COLD HARDINESS

MEDIUM SIZED, LUSH TROPICAL COMPANION PLANT
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON SIZE

Alocasia sumo is a hybrid species - a cross between A. portora and "purple cloak". The cold hardiness comes from the portora parentage. This is a medium sized hybrid with 3 to 4 foot long leaves that are diamond shaped with a purple hue to the underside of the leaves. Leaves are a lesser purple-green and point upwards. There are prominent veins on the leaves. Plant height should be about 6 to 8 feet. It is reported that this species is a "7b" zone species which means it should tolerate a freeze. Obviously, it'd look best in summer. We'd recommend filtered light or limited sun although some are having good results with full sun near the beach. The juvenile plants on sale are in one gallon pots. They are being grown in an un-heated greenhouse. They are ready to be repotted into a 5 gallon pot. Mail order possible, weather permitting.

REGULAR PRICE 1 GALLON $45
TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $35

Note, that if you want larger, we have nice 5 gallons and large 15g. The 15tg size are shown below in the last two photos. I’d offer a special price on these sizes as well.

BRAZILIAN RED CLOAK
MEGASKEPASMA ERYTHROCHLAMYS

MEDIUM SIZED BUSH / TREE WITH PROMINENT RED BLOSSOMS
NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND FOR SALE
ONLY A HANDFUL AVAILABLE
TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 & 1.5 GALLON SIZE

The Brazilian Red Cloak is super rare and hard to find. This is probably because most propagation is by cuttings only. And, you have to have a mother plant to do this. We obtained two mother plants about eight years ago and have established them here in Encinitas. We began propagating about a year or two ago. This is considered a "bush" but can reach heights of eight feet or more. It blooms red when the weather is more cool - November to April. The terminal leaves turn red and hide the small white blossoms within (thus the "cloak" in the name). The red colored photos are of our mother plants. These can be mail ordered but you have to be in at least a 9A environment to grow it. Cold tolerance is down to about a freeze. We only have a few for sale.

TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 & 1.5 GALLON $50

Note: Our one gallon size is on the right of the first two photos. The larger 5 gallon size has sold out. The last photo is c/o Gumtree.com website. The boxed tree is our Nursery tree which we use for propagation of this impossible to find species.

NEORGELIA MEDUSA
INNER LEAVES PROMINENTLY RED
FILTERED LIGHT SPECIES

TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE, FULL 6 INCH PLANTS

This species is a hybrid that has its origins in Brazil. It is a low profile cluster Bromeliad with a mature height of about 12 inches. Inner leaves are pronounced with their red and dark colors with older leaves being purple or green. Like other Bromeliads, it likes water in its cup. This is not a full sun plant and can be grown indoors with adequate indirect light.

REGULAR PRICE 6 INCH $60
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE 6 INCH $45

AECHMEA SPECIES
BRANCHING YELLOW BLOSSOM

GROWN IN FULL COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE ONE GALLON

This suckering Aechmea species has been growing in our full sun. These Bromeliads are in one gallon pots and many are suckering. The blossoms are huge with yellow flowers and pink stems. The foliage is a silver-purple. These are easy to grow and cold hardy into the mid to upper twenties F.

REGULAR PRICE ONE GALLON $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE / SPECIES $55

MONDAY, 12 FEBRUARY, 2024

KENTIOPSIS OLIVIFORMIS
A GREAT CROWN SHAFTED PALM FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

I've discussed this great New Caledonian species before because it is such a good species for those of us in Southern California. It comes from high elevation in its native habitat, is a good growing palm and can tolerate full sun easily along the coastal strip. Its cold hardiness is down to about 23 degrees, better than the King Palm or Kentia Palm. It has an average trunk diameter of eight to ten inches and a mature height of usually about thirty feet. It can also be grown in part day sun or strong filtered light.

Shown here is a nice 25g plant along with other sizes. You'll notice that the leaf color in the sun is blue-green in a way. It is certainly not a lime green color. Also, some new leaves may emerge with a hint of red color. Growth rate is good. We have a reasonable assortment of all sizes although our larger plants are almost sold out. This species is highly recommended.

CERATOZAMIA MIQUELIANA
AN EXTREMELY RARE MEXICAN CYCAD

WIDER GREEN TO BLUE-GREEN LEAFLETS
SMALL TO MEDIUM MATURE SIZE
SPECTACULAR FILTERED LIGHT GARDEN CYCAD

We are pleased to show you a great example of this species. Shown below is a recently acquired 20 gallon specimen that is a female in cone. It has a classical appearance (described below) and came from a private collection. The plant I’m showing has already sold. But, I thought you’d like to see it. Ceratozamia miquelianana is a small to medium sized cycad species from the Veracruz area of Mexico. It is best known for its wide leaflets and attractive, tropical appearance. Also, newly emerging leaves are a powder blue-green color. The caudex is usually not more than 8 inches across; height can be up to three feet but is typically much shorter. Leaves are three to five feet long, Leaflets are wide for the genus, sometimes over 2.5 inches wide but more typically a bit less than this. This is a filtered light species and usually gets yellow-green in full sun. Thus, it is best to grow it in filtered light. Cold tolerance is into the mid to low 20's F. This species is difficult to find, especially with any size. We sold this plant the same day it arrived.

ARENGA MICRANTHA
LARGE SUCKERING PINNATE PALM FROM INDIA THAT TOLERATES SIGNIFICANT COLD

GREEN LEAVES WITH SILVER BACKS
IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND – PROBABLY ONE OF FEW ON THE MARKET
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON AN OLD AND LARGE 25 GALLON WE HAVE LEFT

This morning I'm showing you an impossible to find suckering palm from northern India, Tibet and surrounding areas. Quite remarkably, its native habitat is at elevations of 5000 to 7500 feet. As you'd suspect, it tolerates temperatures way below freezing, probably into the upper teens F. I don't really know for sure as of yet. But, it's felt to be the most cold hardy of the genus Arenga. It's not a small Arenga. It can get up to 20 feet with trunks about 8 inches (mature) in diameter. Like other species of the genus, the trunks are hairy and a bit shaggy. Leaves are large and silver colored on their underside. It is a part day sun or filtered light species.

Shown here is a decades old 25 gallon nursery plant. It was grown from seeds that we got about 15 years ago. Yes, they are slow growing. I have this one specimen and maybe one other. It is a huge plant for its container. The habitat photo by is by T. Spanner. The last photo of a domestic plant is by Eric CFPACS.

REGULAR PRICE 25 GALLON $650
TEN DAY SPECIAL SALE PRICE PRICE $595

PINANGA JAVANA
SINGLE TRUNK, TROPICAL & EXOTIC SPECIES

GETS TALLER THAN P. CORONATA - BEING GROWN BY COLLECTORS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

It's been a few years since we've offered this rare single trunk Pinanga from the island of Java, Indonesia. A different thing about this species is that it is single trunk. Juvenile plants have solid, simple leaves as shown in the photos. But, over time, they become pinnate leaves as seen on the larger garden specimen. The mature trunk is thin and ringed. Leaves are six feet long or more - green in color. The thing about this species is that no one has it! Shown are the 15g plants we're putting on Special. It wants filtered light and is cold hardy down to about a freeze.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $225

PHOENIX ROEBELENII
THE PYGMY DATE PALM

NATURALLY A SINGLE TRUNK PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

Triples grow slower than singles. This species is a type of Date Palm, so it does have spines on its stems. Growth rate is medium to slow. It likes full sun and is cold hardy to about 22 degrees F. Shown here are some 15 gallon singles that we’re putting on sale. They have about 2 feet of trunk and are at least 8 years old. In the garden, some feel they are more attractive than the triples and really show off their petite size and soft appearance. Limited numbers available. BTW, we do have 15 gallon triples that are cheaper than the singles but are not as old or tall.

REGULAR PRICE OF OLDER 15 GALLON SINGLES $250
TEN DAY SPECIASL 15 GALLON $215

Shipping for mail order would be expensive because of the plant size.

GAUSSIA MAYA
A VERY DIFFERENT PALM FOR SO. CALIFORNIA

CAN SEE SWOLLEN BASE WHEN YOUNG
TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE AND OLD 15 GALLON

In the "old days", this species was known as Opsiandra maya. It is a single trunk pinnate palm that can be grown in Southern CA. It has the interesting habit of getting a very swollen base, especially when planted in the ground from a smaller plant. Interestingly enough, this swollen base to the trunk abruptly disappears with age. You'll note this bulge in the photos below. This species tends to hold a limited number of leaves, about five to seven usually.

Along the coast it takes full sun. Cold tolerance is into the mid-twenties F. The trunk diameter is about six to perhaps maximum eight inches. I've grown it in part day sun, which it loved. However, the trunk will often curve to seek more sun (see photo bottom row). Some grow it in full sun with success. The plants on special are very nice 15g with fat bases. I am showing several below.

REGULAR PRICE THESE LARGE 15G $275
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $240

This size can be mail ordered. But, remember to mention this Blog Only Special for your discount.

PRESTOEA MONTANA
AKA PRESTOEA ACUMINATA VAR. MONTANA

RARE PINNATE PALM FROM PUERTO RICO
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE

Prestoea is a genus that is very closely related to another palm genus, Euterpe. It is found in the Caribbean, Central and South America. Essentially all Euterpe are crown shafted palms. Many of the Prestoea are not. There are also distinctions between the flowers of these two genera. Also, many of the Prestoea are suckering. But, there is one that is single trunk. This is Prestoea montana, native to mountainous areas of Puerto Rico. I've always known of this species as not having a crown shaft. But, I've seen photos (including ones from native habitats) where a crown shaft is seen.

The hallmarks of this species are its wide and very shiny green leaves, its somewhat slender trunk and its overall beautiful appearance. Plant heights can reach forty feet or more. This species should be grown in part day sun or filtered light. It likes rich soil and ample moisture. I'd estimate its cold tolerance is down to about a freeze or a bit less. It is not a species for a beginner to try. We're putting the 15g plants on special. Note that this species has historically been known as "Prestoea montana" but in more recent years has been considered a variety of P. acuminata.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE $225

Remember: Mention this Special for this price!

ARCHONTOPHOENIX MAXIMA
LARGEST OF THE KING PALMS

GREEN LEAVES – STATELY TRUNK AND CROWN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

By popular demand I have put this great palm on special. This is the largest of the King Palm family. It got its name "maxima" by the flower size, but most have found it to be an aggressive grower, have a larger trunk and get taller than the other species of King Palms. It does have silver on the underside of the leaves. The crown shaft is sort of a yellow, sometimes blue color. It is a quick growing pinnate palm native to Australia. It's rare to see them available and also hard to find good photos of this species. The plants I'm putting on special are the 15 gallon size, mostly singles but some multiples. It tolerates full coastal sun and is cold hardy into the mid-twenties F. Another interesting thing is that sometimes they’ll throw a new red leaf as shown in one photo below.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $235
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $205

Of note, our Archontophoenix "teracarpa" is probably a larger King Palm than A. maxima but still escapes exact species identification. It does not have silver undersides to the leaflets and has a blue crown shaft. It is routinely discussed elsewhere at this Blog. The habitat photo is by Luke Nancarrow AU.

ARCHONTOPHOENIX MAXIMA
LARGEST OF THE KING PALMS

GREEN LEAVES – STATELY TRUNK AND CROWN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $110

LIVISTONA SARIBUS
LARGE, DARK & HOOKED SPINES

MEDIUM TO TALL FAN PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL SALE 5 GALLON POT SIZE

This medium to tall fan palm is native to southeast Asia. It can get to heights of thirty-five feet or more. It is an interesting palm that is easy to grow and has a very ornamental leaf with deep divisions of the segments. Its leaf segments almost make a complete circle. Leaf color is green. The spines on the petioles tend to be dark in color and dramatic, usually the thing most people remember most about this species. Another interesting thing is that the seed fruit is blue in color as shown below. It is a sun species and cold hardy into the mid to low-twenties. The 5g on sale are nicely sized. We also have 15 gallon plants available. Shipping is possible. The last photo is by John Volk.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL SALE PRICE 5 GALLON $125

LIVISTONA LANGINOSA
THE WOOLY LIVISTONA

TALL, THINNER TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 G SIZE

This single trunk fan palm is native to northeastern Australia. It has previously been referred to as the Cape River Livistona. Formal description was first done by John Dowe in 1998 - followed by other revisions. It gets to heights above thirty feet with a trunk diameter of 10 to 18 inches. In habitat it tolerates hot and arid conditions. It is a full sun species with cold hardiness to at least the low 20's F.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $115

Just mention this Blog Special for your discount. The first habitat photo is c/o Darrel Oconnor Palmpedia and the second by John Dowe c/o Palm Specialist Group

COPERNICIA HOSPITA
THE BLUE CUBAN WAX PALM

EXTREMELY RARE SINGLE TRUNK FAN PALM
STUNNING BLUE SPECIES
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON SIZE

This difficult to find and beautiful blue fan palm is native to Cuba. Mature trees carry a large number of blue, circular and pleated and flat leaves. The trunk holds on to old leaf bases for a while but eventually is smooth with about a 12 inch diameter. Many feel that this, along with other Copernicia, are some of the most beautiful of all fan palms. Expect a mature height of 20 to 25 feet. It wants full sun and is cold tolerant to at least a freeze. We're putting our one gallon plants on special. Their age is approaching 3 years. I’d highly recommend getting one as they are near impossible to find. Easy to mail order.

REGULAR PRICE ONE GALLON $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE ONE GALLON $65

BRAHEA ARMATA
THE MEXICAN BLUE FAN PALM
BLUE HESPER PALM

VERY BLUE COLORED LEAVES – VERY COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON STARTER PLANTS

This species of blue fan palm is not only known for its intense blue color but also for the fact that it is extremely cold hardy. It goes down to about 16 degrees. It is native to Mexico, specifically to Baja Mexico. It prefers dry heat and is a challenge to grow in humid areas. Mature plants take 30 years or more to reach a height of 20 to 25 feet. The trunks are stout but clean. This species is also very drought tolerant. The plants we’re putting on special should turn blue with age and full sun. This size on sale is shown in the first six photos, are about 2 perhaps 3 years old with three or four strap leaves. Within a few more leaves they'll become a classic palmate leaf. These would be easy to mail order.

REGULAR PRICE ONE GALLON $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON $55

Just mention this Blog Special to get this nice discount. On the mature trees below, note the prominent blue color of the leaves. This is the hallmark of this species.

DYPSIS ALBOFARINOSA
CLUMPING MADAGASCAR PALM
WHITE CROWN SHAFTS - VERY RARE

PLANTS SHOWN HERE FROM DOMESTIC SEEDS
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON SIZE

This clumping medium sized palm is native to Madagascar. It has previously been called "Dypsis species white petiole". It was formally described by Don Hodel about fifteen years ago. It is most closely related to Dypsis baronii and known for its prominently white crown shafts. Leaves are drooping with rather fine leaflets. Trunks average about two inches diameter. Plant height is a maximum of approximately fifteen feet. It can be grown in full coastal sun but should be allowed to grow up and into the sun. So, starting in bright filtered light is best. Exact cold hardiness is uncertain but most likely in the mid-twenties F. range. I am putting one gallons on a Ten Day Special. These are from domestic seeds.

REGULAR PRICE 1 GALLON $70
TEN DASY SPECIAL PRICE 1 GALLON $60

Mention this Special for your discount at the time of purchase. These can easily be mail ordered. The last three garden photos are by AL PACSOA

SABAL ETONIA
SMALL FAN PALM NATIVE TO FLORIDA

GETS SIX TO EIGHT FEET TALL
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

This small fan palm is native to almost all areas of Florida. It is different than Sabal palmetto in that it is smaller. Although not quite as small as the Sabal louisiana below, it rarely gets to a height of about eight feet. Leaves are green and the trunk is a bit stout. It tolerates full sun or part day sun. It is difficult to find. In the fifth photo, it is the band plant that the staff is holding in his left hand (right hand is Sabal louisiana, an even smaller species). Cold hardiness is at least 15 degrees F. or a bit lower. Mature palm photo by TS - RPS.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $60
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $50

SABAL BRAZORIENSIS
DWARF FAN PALM NATIVE TO TEXAS
NATURAL HYBRID BETWEEN TWO SABAL SPECIES

VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZED SEEDLINGS

Sabal brazoriensis is a naturally occurring dwarf hybrid fan palm that was discovered in Brazoria County, Texas. It is a cross between Sabal minor (a small dwarf species) and Sabal palmetto. Identifying this hybrid puzzled taxonomists until genetic studies found that (in the long ago past) these two species hybridized. It's location presently is known only to occur in Brazoria County. Leaves are green and very large for its height. Mature heights range from ten to twenty feet. It is extremely slow growing - so it'll be short for quite a while. Leaves are very costopalmate - as opposed to other species. Trunks are thick. We germinated and are growing some of this sought after species. It is touted to be super cold hardy although I cannot give an accurate number for you. Some say it'll take close to zero degrees F.

REGULAR PRICE THESE RARE BAND SIZED PLANTS $70
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $60

The photo of the garden specimen is by Brian F. Austin at PalmTalk.

ENCEPHALARTOS ALTENSTEINII
LARGER GREEN CYCAD FROM SO AFRICA

FULL CROWN OF LEAVES - HUSKY TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE SEEDLINGS

This is a medium to large green cycad from the Eastern Cape region of the Republic of South Africa. It was named after a Prussian statesman and is listed a a threatened cycad species. Mature height after many decades can reach up to over sixteen feet. Leaf length is six feet with trunk diameter of up to 18 to 24 inches. Leaflets have spines, especially when young. The base of the leaf stems are usually devoid of prickles or spines. Leaf color is a shiny green. Along the coast this species tolerates full sun or part day sun. It easily withstands a freeze and has an absolute cold tolerance down to about 22 degrees F. It can easily be grown on the patio if given adequate light. Desert areas should consider only a few hours of direct desert sun. It is best to give this species plenty of room in the garden. It makes a spectacular specimen plant. We are offering seedlings in the band size on special. These are easy to ship within the U.S.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE THESE BAND SIZED SEEDLING $55

DIOON MEJIAE
AN ATTRACTIVE MEDIUM SIZED CYCAD

SOFT EMERGING NEW LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICELY SIZE OLDER 2 GALLON

For many people, Dioon mejiae is one of their favorite cycads. It doesn't get too large, it has a very attractive crown of leaves, and newly emerging leaves are soft, fuzzy and so inviting. They are almost like a baby rabbit's foot.

Native to southern Mexico and Honduras, this species is similar to Dioon spinulosum. But, unlike the spinulosum, leaflets do not have the spines on the leaflet edges. And, the leaflets appear slightly different shaped. Leaves are four to six feet long, trunks typically under five feet although old habitat plants have trunks over twenty feet, and new leaves emerge vertically. Although they are soft at emergence, they eventually become straight and flat with firm leaflets.. Seeds of this species are large and tan in color.

I've found this cycad does best in part day sun or strong filtered light. Right on the coast, some grow it in full sun. But, I've found this creates more of a lime colored green cycad. For this reason, I prefer filtered light. It likes good draining soil and will tolerate temperatures into the low 20's F. Shown her are some larger nursery plants as well as garden specimens. We have all sizes of this species for sale and are putting oversized 2 gallon on sale. This size has caudexes about 4 inches in diameter with an age of about ten years.

REGULAR PRICE THESE OVERSIZED 2 GALLON $345
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE OVERSIZED 2 GALLON $280

Easy to mail order, weather permitting.

CYCAS TAITUNGENSIS
THE EMPEROR CYCAD

A VERY COLD HARDY CYCAD WITH ORANGE FUZZ AT TOP OF CAUDEX
TEN DAY SPECIAL VERY LARGE SIZED 20 GALLON SPECIMEN

Cycas taitungensis is a species of cycad from China and Taiwan. It used to be known as Cycas taiwaniana. In fact, some reference books around still refer to it by this name. It is a medium to large cycad with trunk diameter of twelve to eighteen inches and height of ten feet. It is known as the Emperor Cycad. It is similar to a Sago Palm but with some noted differences. The leaves are longer and wider than the C. revoluta. They also tend to be flatter. The color is deep green. Also, growth rate is much faster and cold hardiness is better than the Sago. It is not unusual for this species to throw two or three sets of leaves a year. In the crown area, the tomentum is a very prominent orange color, a good clue as to the species. I think it's a bit more tropical and lush appearing than the Sago Palm. There are reports of this species easily tolerating mid-teen F. temperatures. Also, it likes full sun except in desert areas. We’re putting a nice 20 gallon plant on sale that should cone soon. The caudex is 8 inches wide and 14 inches tall. For someone in a cold area, this is perhaps one of the first cycads you should consider.

REGULAR PRICE THIS 20 GALLON SPECIMEN $1125
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD $950

ENCEPHALARTOS ARENARIUS - BLUE & GREEN VARIETIES
RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

MEDIUM SIZE MATURE - LIKES COASTAL SUN
STUNNING SPINY LEAVES - BLUE OR GREEN OR IN-BETWEEN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

Encephalartos arenarius is from the coastal dunes and forest close to Alexandria in the Eastern Cape. This species is small to medium in mature size. Leaf length can range from one to two meters (i.e. three to six feet approximately) depending on cultivar and exposure to sun. Like many of the Encephalartos from the Eastern Cape, this species is variable in color, size and leaf type. E. arenarius can range in color from a dull green to a powdery white color (bearing a likeness to E. horridus). The plants of this species are both blue and green forms, but this plant below is the blue type - especially when in full sun. To get this color it will want full sun or an ample amount of sun. It prefers a well draining soil. Speed of growth of this cycad is good.

The size we’re putting on special are younger 5 gallon with caudexes of about an inch. They can continue growing in these pots for about three years. This batch should have blue-green leaves.

REGULAR PRICE THIS SIZE 5 GALLON $165
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE THESE 5 GALLON $147.50

Remember to mention this Blog Special for your discount when you order.

GOOD OFFERING OF 15 GALLON ENCEPHALARTOS LEHMANNII
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR CYCADS WE SELL

LOVES COASTAL SUN AND HEAT
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL 15 GALLON CYCAD

This is a popular blue cycad from the Eastern Cape area of South Africa. I say “popular” because some people don't like spines and prickles. The leaflets of this species are narrow with only a point at the end. They are nothing as gnarly as E. horridus. The leaves and crown are very neat and uniform. The nearest species to this one is Encephalartos princeps. Trunks of E. lehmannii can get to five feet, but one with two to three feet of trunk is very old. Leaves average about four feet long and are strongly curled. Sometimes they'll almost do a 180 or more degree re-curve. Leaf color is intensely blue like E. horridus. But, you'll only see this color with full, hot sun. In shade or inside a greenhouse they are often green. Cold hardiness is about 21 to 22 degrees F. In the desert only give it a few hours sun. Next to Encephalartos horridus, this is the second most popular cycad we grow. Shown below is a nice specimen of this species. It’s in a 15 gallon container with a caudex of 8 inches. We have other 15g with larger and small stem sizes. The sale price of this actual plant is given below.

REGULAR PRICE THIS ACTUAL 15 G WITH A CAUDEX OF 8 INCHES $1200
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL 15 GALLON AS DESCRIBED $1000
This size can possibly be mail ordered.

VARIEGATED SHELL GINGER
NICE 5G SIZE READY FOR THE GARDEN

HANGING WHITE FLOWERS - TOLERATES COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

This is a super popular variety of ginger that blossoms in the summer. Blossoms are white with yellow and red throats. Mature height of these plants is six to seven feet. The leaves are prominently variegated with lighter green and yellow. Blossoms are long lived but not fragrant. Blossoms occur during the summer. I think they do best in part day sun although right on the coast folks grow them in full sun. Cold tolerance is one of the better for ginger, probably the mid-twenties F. The containerized plants shown below are our 15 gallon size which are pm sale right now.

REGULAR PRICE 15G SIZE $195
END OF SUMMER SALE PRICE 15 GALLON SIZE $170

Just mention this Blog Special to get your discount.

VARIEGATED SHELL GINGER
NICE 5G SIZE READY FOR THE GARDEN

HANGING WHITE FLOWERS - TOLERATES COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE 5G SIZE $95
END OF SUMMER SALE PRICE 5 GALLON SIZE $80

Just mention this Blog Special to get your discount.

FARFUGIUM JAPONICUM VAR GIGANTEUM
VARIEGATED GIANT LEOPARD LIGULARIA

YELLOW POLKADOTS ON GREEN LEAVES
LARGE, LILY-LIKE LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL HARD TO FIND 2 & 5 GALLON PLANTS

For years we've been selling the regular Ligularia but just got in a small number of the giant Leopard form. This species has larger green leaves with yellow splotches. It is native to Japan. Plant height mature is about 2 feet. If they get dry, the leaves will droop but respond quickly to water. Blossoms are yellow in the Fall. You have to keep snails away from them. They'll take full or part sun along the coast and want filtered light far inland. Cold hardiness is into the mid-twenties or lower. Ok for zone 7. This variegated variety of Ligularia is difficult to find. Five gallon size is shown below.

REGULAR PRICE 2 GALLON $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $65

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $120
SALE PRICE 5 GALLON $85

(Note: Limited availability both sizes)

Remember: Mention this Special at the time of purchase. These can be mail ordered in a larger box.

PHILODENDRON RED CONGO
AKA "CONGO ROJO"

ATTRACTIVE COMPANION PLANT FOR FILTERED LIGHT
DARK LEAVES, RED STEMS / RED BACKS OF LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 3 GALLON SIZE

This popular hybrid Philodendron never gets very large. It doesn't climb much. It's more of a rosette form of companion plant. It might crawl along the ground a little. People prefer this hybrid because, in shade, it has dark green leaves with a red tint to the back of the leaves and prominent red stems. It is a filtered light companion plant. It is not for full sun. Cold hardiness is down to about a freeze or a bit colder. We are offering very nicely sized (large & older) 3 gallon on Special. But, there are limited numbers. These can be used as a houseplant and can be mail ordered but take a big box for shipping.

REGULAR PRICE 3 GALLON $115
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 3 GALLON $85

Just mention this Blog Only Special for your discount at the time of purchase.

DICHORISANDRA THYRIFLORA
THE BLUE GINGER - HARD TO FIND

FIVE TO SIX FEET TALL – BLUE BLOSSOMS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 7 GALLON SIZE

This is actually not a true Ginger at all. It is native to all areas of the new world including the U.S. It produces actual blue flowers. We have a limited number of two gallon plants that we’re putting on special. This is a starter size. This species wants filtered light in a warmer coastal area. In fact, some along the coast succeed with several hours of morning sun. They are late blooming compared to almost all other “Gingers”. They tend to blossom in fall. In somewhat colder regions, they may need protection from a freeze. They do sucker and canes are thin. Expect mature height at about five feet. This plant is not for full, hot sun. They need average water – backing off when it’s cold. These are rare to see for sale and we're offering fairly tall divisions of 7 gallon plants that typically blossom in late summer or fall. We are low on supplies, but if we run out we'll try to get more for customers.

REGULAR PRICE 7 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL SEVEN GALLON AS SHOWN $120

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special when purchasing.

FRIDAY, 9 FEBRUARY, 2024

PRITCHARDIA PALMS - THE HAWAIIAN FAN PALM
SINGLE TRUNK, SOLITARY GREEN LEAF FAN PALM

MANY SPECIES - DIFFERENT SIZES AND APPEARANCES
A NICE WAY TO ADD DIVERSITY TO THE GARDEN
GARDEN SPECIMENS AND NURSERY PLANTS

This genus is mostly native to Hawaii, but some species extend into the South Pacific. At our nursery, we specialize in the native species from Hawaii because they are more cold tolerant and easier to grow in Southern California. All are tropical fan palms and all are very desirable. For those of you who "only like feather palms", think again. These plants are gorgeous and add a real diversity to the garden. There are about 25 or so species in this genus, and at any time we typically offer ten or more species for sale. They tend to be small to medium sized palms, typically under 20 feet of height with thin or medium sized trunks. The leaves are near entire and often flat in their shape. They are easy to grow and some tolerate temperatures into the mid-twenties F. In coastal areas they take full or part day sun. Inland they may be grown in strong filtered light.

We have all sizes from seedlings, medium sized plants on up to boxed specimens. Shown below is an array of garden or Nursery plants of many sizes and species. Come visit us and you'll be pleasantly surprised to see that we have hundreds of this genus for sale. Over the past 3 decades we have sold thousands of Pritchardia of all species and everyone loves them. We are one of the only nurseries in the country that offers so many species and sizes of Pritchardia. By the way, Pritchardia are the only true palm species native to the Hawaiian Islands. All other palm species were introduced by man!

Note below the diversity in appearance of the many species - from short to tall with different shapes and sizes to the leaves. Some have very flat leaves, others are wavy. Some have small leaves, others as big as a dinner table. But, all are attractive and desirable. The 4th photo below was taken by P. Goltra in habitat on Kaua'i.

ALOCASIA "BLACK STEM
UNDERSTORY EXOTIC COMPANION PLANT

SUPER COOL BLACK STEMS
LIMITED NUMBERS

From a private grower we have gotten in this really impressive Alocasia that struck my fancy. It has super dark, essentially black stems. And, the black continues up into the leaf on the underside veins. We tried one outdoors about two months ago - sort of an experiment to see how it would do with winter. And, it had no damage with our low this year at 34 degrees F. So, I got the last two or three to offer to customers. These are in 5g pots and stand about four feet tall. I anticipate it'll be an understory plant with filtered light. I suspect a freeze would damage them. Although just a guess, I'd say mature height will be about six feet. No one knows presently the species name of this plant. As mentioned, this variety is available only for a short time and in very limited number.

BISMARCKIA NOBILIS
BLUE SINGLE TRUNK FAN PALM FROM MADAGASCAR

A DEFINITE STATEMENT PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 20 GALLON SIZE

For several decades we've been growing this stunning blue fan palm from Madagascar. These are the blue form. This palm species loves sun, heat and is cold hardy to the low 20’s F. It doesn’t like the grower to fool with or cut its roots. These cannot be transplanted once established in the garden. They get a husky trunk and probably about 35 - 40 feet tall in many decades. The fan leaf is intensely blue, especially with full hot sun. This is a very attractive palm and should be given room in the garden to show it off. Many people in desert locations have found they can grow it. Cold tolerance is about 25 degrees F. Shown below is our 20 gallon size. This size is followed by our 15 gallon size in the next post - and they are also on sale. This species is a real “show-stopper”. Literally people driving by will stop to look at one in your front yard and ask: “Hey Man, what is that blue palm tree?”

REGULAR PRICE 25 GALLON SIZE $595
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25 GALLON SIZE $495
Remember: Mention this Special for this price.

VARIEGATED RHAPIS EXCELSA
EXOTIC - TEND TO BE SMALL, MINIATURE PALMS

DON'T LIKE TOO MUCH NITROGEN
LIMITED SUPPLIES AVAILABLE - NEVER INEXPENSIVE
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON ANY VARIEGATED RHAPIS WE HAVE

This is another post to remind readers that we still offer a good supply of the highly coveted variegated Rhapis excelsa. Known as the "Gems of the Orient", these striking plants typically have yellow or white variegation on green leaves. Most plants at mature size are three to six feet. There are many exotic varieties - most popular in Japan where affluent collectors compete to obtain the most striking plants. Propagation is by divisions only. So, one must mother plants for divisions so you'd have a plant to sell.

The plant leaflet photos below are an assortment of our Nursery plants. The variegation consists of very narrow bands of yellow on green. They are sort of hard to see here. On any given leaflets there are lots of these narrow, subtle stripes. Sizes available are 5 & 15 gallon and maybe a few larger.

Contact us if you are interested in getting one. BTW, these are never inexpensive plants. And, they are all different. The variegation seems to be different from leaf to leaf on all varieties. Prices on our 5g start at about $150 and the 15g at $450 or more. IMPORTANT: These variegated Rhapis essentially want no fertilizer. Fertilizer tends to drown out the variegation with nitrogen. As we have an injector system on all our plants, it’s very difficult to “starve” these plants. You’ll probably be better at growing them than us as you can easily avoid giving them fertilizer.

A 15 gallon plant is shown in the first six photos with close-ups of the variegation on some leaves. Following are photographs of plants we still have at the Nursery or have sold from the Nursery.

TEN DAY SPECIAL: 15% OFF REGULAR PRICE ON ANY VARIEGATED RHAPIS THAT'S FOR SALE AND IN STOCK

CHAMAEDOREA PLUMOSA
THE BABY QUEEN PALM

SEVERAL PLANTS PER POT
LOOK BEST IN GROUPS OF TWO OR THREE PLANT TOGETHER
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON 15 AND 5 GALLON MULTIPLES

For anyone who's looked for this species lately, you realize it's in very short supply. This is because of a several year shortage of seeds the past few years. We are pleased to presently three different sizes, all on sale. I'm showing photos of our 5 and 15 gallon here. All are multiples with at least 3 plants per pot. This species gets up to about 14 feet height with a green, ringed trunk about 1.5 inches in diameter. The leaves are plumose or fluffy. They are quick growing and perfect for narrow planter areas. It will take full coastal sun. Cold hardiness is into the mid-twenties F. It can also be used as a houseplant in a bright area. We’re putting on sale popular sizes of 5 and 15g plants. But, we also have one gallon size available as well. The 5g and 1g sizes are shippable for mail order. In the first two rows of photos you'll see our 15g followed by a row showing our 5 gallon size.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $115

REGULAR PRICE 15G $235
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $210

Mention this Blog Special for your discount at the time of purchase. NOTE: The last two photos are c/o Palmpedia and TS at RPS. Also, be aware, we have limited numbers on some sizes.

CHAMAEDOREA BENZIEI
RARE SINGLE TRUNK CHAMAEDOREA
LIKE C. RADICALIS ON STEROIDS!

NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND
15 GALLON SIZE NOW AVAILABLE AND ON 10 DAY SPECIAL

I have not shown this species that often because it's rarely available and very difficult to find - either plants or seeds. It is native to Mexico at high elevations near Chiapas. It is a single trunk, understory palm that has sort of a thick trunk up to 1.5 or 2 inches. The flowers are reminiscent of Chamaedorea radicalis as they shoot high into the foliage. Its overall appearance is also similar to the trunking radicalis but with bigger leaves, wider leaflets and a thicker trunk. It gets up to about 10 to 15 feet. It grows in filtered light and seems to be cold hardy into the mid-twenties at least. Right on the coastline, some have grown it in full sun. We have a limited number of 15 gallons available (first six photos) that we're putting on Special. These can be mail ordered but would require a large box to ship. Please appreciate that this is a super rare species and is seldom offered for sale.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $215

Remember: Mention this Special for your discount.

VEITCHIA ARECINA
EXOTIC MEDIUM TO TALL PINNATE SUN PALM

CAN BE GROWN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
RARE SPECIES - SELDOM SEE FOR SALE
TEN DAY SPECIAL TRIPLE 15G SIZE

We have a limited number of triples of this species - three plants in one pot. This is like you so often see with King Palms. Inherently, this is a single trunk, crown shafted pinnate palm native to Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga. In the wild, plants get to over 75 feet tall. In So California it is more typical to see one to 30 to 40 feet. They have a light colored crown shaft, speckled dark or black color near the inner crown area and sometimes on the leaf stems. Leaves are six to eight feet long and leaflet tips are pointed or slightly blunted. The trunk is narrow for a tall palm.

Shown here are triple 15g plants which we're putting on special. There are quite a few people who are growing this species in the coastal strip in our area. This size is shown in the first six photos below. The 7th photo is as 25 gallon size which we also have.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $255
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $225

Please mention this Blog Only Special prior to purchase.

KING PALM
ARCHONTOPHOENIX CUNNINGHAMIANA

MEDIUM TO TALL, FULL OR PART DAY SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SINGLES, DOUBLES OR TRIPLES – SUN GROWN

The popular King Palm is also known as the Piccabeen Palm or Bangalow palm. It is native to several areas in Australia. It can in habitat get to sixty feet tall, but in Southern California is usually not over 40 feet tall. It is crown shafted with a gray trunk. The crown shaft is green with some brown speckled areas. Leaf length is 8 to 10 feet. It is not particularly rare. Other species of King Palms are. (we grow them all). Ramenta is present on the back of the leaflets, a hallmark of this species. Cold tolerance is about 25 degrees F. The plants below on Special are fairly tall triple 15 gallon plants. These plants have seen some coastal sun and should be ready to plant in most areas. We have a limited number available.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON TRIPLES $185
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE 15 GALLON $160

Mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase for this discounted price. We do have other sizes for sale.

ROYSTONEA REGIA
THE CUBAN ROYAL PALM

ROYSTONEA REGIA
THE CUBAN ROYAL PALM

LOVES SUN AND HEAT
PLANTS ON SPECIAL SIX FEET TALL
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON 5 GALLON SIZE

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE $125

Note: All the garden photos below were taken in Southern California. Yes, they grow easily in many areas here.

HOWEA FORSTERIANA
THE KENTIA PALM

GREAT PATIO OR INTERIOR PALM - OR IN THE GARDEN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SINGLES

Howea forsteriana, the popular Kentia Palm, is native to Lord Howe Island. There it lives at lower elevations. At higher elevations up the mountains one sees Howea belmoreana and Hedyscepe. The Kentia does great here in So California. It is a single trunk species that is often grown as a "multiple" with several plants in the same pot. It does NOT sucker. Along the coast it takes full sun or part day sun. Far inland, filtered light is needed. Cold tolerance is about 25 degrees F. Mature height in sun is usually about thirty feet in 30 years. We’re putting very nice 5 gallon plants on special. These plants are singles - not multiples. These can be mail ordered.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $125

Remember to mention this Blog Special at the time of purchase for this discounted price.

PRITCHARDIA HILLEBRANDII
A HAWAIIAN LOULU FAN PALM

MEDIUM SIZED MATURE - NICE SEMI-FLAT GREEN LEAVES
WHITE TOMENTUM ON LEAF STEMS AND INNER CROWN
TEN DAY SPECIAL THREE OR FIVE GALLON SIZE

If you like fan palms, then you have to try some Pritchardia palms. There are about 25 species of Pritchardia. All the best ones come from the Hawaiian Islands. The species from the South Pacific are to be avoided as they don't do well here. This species is from Hawaii and reaches a medium height of 25 feet. Leaves are green. They have white tomentum (hairs) on the leaf stem and trunk. I’d estimate the trunk diameter at about eight inches by my experience. It becomes clean as old leaf bases fall off. Growth rate is medium. This is a very attractive palm. I have one in my garden that gets partial sun and is at least 20 feet tall. Cold tolerance is into the mid-twenties F. Mail order easy.

REGULAR PRICE GOOD SIZE THREE OR FIVE GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL THREE GALLON $115

BUTIA PARAGUAYENSIS
BLUE-GREEN BUTIA FROM SOUTH AMERICA

ARCHING LEAVES – MEDIUM HEIGHT
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 5 GALLON SIZE

This species is interesting because, in the wild, it is known as a dwarf species that forms minimal trunk. But, when it is grown domestically, it forms a trunk about the size of Butia capitata. It, as you'd guess, comes from Paraguay, with habitat extending into Brazil and northern Argentina. The color is a blue-green, not as silver as Butia capitata. The leaves are strongly arched as shown. It is a full sun plant with cold hardiness into the teens F. We haven’t had them available for a few years. We are now offering 5 gallon plants on sale that are about 5 years old. They are getting chunky and nicely sized. These can be mail ordered. Culture includes full sun and good draining soil. Cold hardiness is into the teens F. I am also showing a photo of a 15g plant from the nursery that is no longer available. The habitat photo is by TS at RPS

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $120

CHAMAEROPS HUMILIS VULCANO
SUPER RARE & HARD TO FIND DWARF & COLD HARDY FAN PALM

USUALLY UNDER SIX FEET TALL MATURE - BLUE TO GREEN LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON PLANTS

Chamaerops humilis is not, by iteself, a rare palm species. But, the super small variety is hard to find and tends to cost much more than the standard form. The main items that make Vulcano different are it's very small palmate leaves, the absence of significant spines on the leaf stems and its small mature size. For decades I've been aware of the diversity in appearance of Chamaerops humilis. There have always been plants in gardens that are quite tall - up to twenty feet. In contrast, there have always been super dwarf forms around. And, leaf color has been variably seen as green, blue or something in-between. By report in Northern Africa, there are indigenous varieties that are very small. About a decade ago we started to see offerings of this "vulcano" variety. Interestingly, if you Google this species, almost all websites found on this species belong to people that wish to sell the plants to you. This makes you wonder if it's more of a promotional broadcast to sell plants as opposed to a "new species". But, most growers do call the super small variety "Chamaedrops humilis variety vulcano". Enough said. This variety is super cold hardy to about 15 degrees or colder. It wants full sun. We're putting compact five gallon on sale. .

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $120

The mature plant photos are c/o MG at the PalmCentre in the UK and nl.pinterest.com unknown author.

SABAL LOUISIANA
THE LOUISIANA PALMETTO PALM

SUPER SMALL, SUPER COLD HARDY FAN PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

This dwarf fan palm is touted as being the smallest variety of Sabal. It is a variety of Sabal minor that has been found in the wild in Louisiana and adjacent states on either side. It has blue-green leaves with a mature height of six feet. It is also super cold hardy with reports of it going a bit below zero F. As it is an understory palm in habitat, one would anticipate it'd do well in strong filtered light or perhaps half day sun. In the 5th photo it is the band palm in the staff's right hand. On the left is the Sabal etonia. Both are nicely sized. The last photo is c/o TS at RPS. This is a difficult species to find.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $60
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $50

DYPSIS SPECIES BEF
SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM FROM MADAGASCAR

DIOON MEROLAE
SLOW GROWING SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED CYCAD

GRAY-GREEN LEAFLETS
TEN DAY SPECIAL OLDER BAND SIZED PLANTS

This is a slow growing New World cycad species that comes from Mexico. It is very attractive. One of the things that is particularly nice about this species is that the crown size is compact and not that large. For this reason, it fits into a small sunny location in the garden where no other plant would work. Its leaves are a silver-green in color (can be just green) and it holds many leaves. An extremely old plant might have a foot or two of trunk. In the wild there are specimens that are possibly a thousand years old with many meters of trunk, often leaning over toward the ground. But, from a practical point of view, it is a small plant. If you grow this species, you'll probably find that it will take fifty years or more to get three feet of trunk.

Cold hardiness is into the low 20's F. and it prefers full sun except for harsh desert climates. We offer many sizes of this species from seedlings up to trunked plants that are many decades old. For mail orders, the band size is easy to ship. These are not newly germinated seedlings but rather plants with an inch or more of caudex. Most germinated five years ago. If you want larger, we do have citrus pot, 15g and boxed sized plants. I hope that you like this cycad; it's one of my favorites. For upscale landscaping, nothing beats it.

REGULAR PRICE THESE OLDER BAND SIZE JUVENILE PLANTS $125
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE THESE OLDER BAND SIZED PLANTS $105

BTW, if these don't sell out, all will be repotted into 5g pots shortly.

ENCEPHALARTOS HORRIDUS
SUPER BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

LOVES SUN ALONG THE COAST
SUPER POPULAR WITH ENTHUSIASTS
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL PLANT

By far, the most popular rare cycad we sell is Encephalartos horridus. I don't know if it's the gnarly, spiny leaflets that thrills people. Or, the smaller size. Or, the intense blue color. But, somehow people love this plant and we can hardly keep them in stock. It is slow growing, has prominent barbs on the edge of the leaflets and has a small crown width - usually five feet or less. A two foot trunk would be about it's maximum caudex height. It can sucker. Along the coast it likes full sun - in the desert, a few hours. Cold hardiness is about 22 degrees F. Shown here is a nice 15 gallon plant. Caudex size is 6 inches. We can ship this plant. The last three pictures below are of garden plants. Of note, because of this species’ popularity, we often don’t have them available – especially with an ideal size like this one.

REGULAR PRICE THIS ACTUAL CYCAD WITH 6 INCH CAUDEX $900
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD AS DESCRIBED $750

ENCEPHALARTOS TRISPINOSUS
BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

SOUGHT AFTER - SPINY LEAFLETS
LOVES SUN AND PRETTY COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE WITH CAUDEX 2-3 INCHES

Shown below is our band size plants of the desirable blue South African cycad, Encephalartos trispinosus. Most people find it's very similar to E. horridus. It is a small to medium sized mature blue cycad with leaflets that have prominent lobes. But, be aware that this species is quite variable and has many forms. There is even a spineless leaflet form. It is anticipated that these plants, like their parents, with have prominently prickly and lobed leaflets. These will want full sun along the coast and are cold hardy to about 22 degrees F. These 5 gallon plants can be shipped. Caudex size on these is about 2-3 inches. After acclimation, one can plant them directly into the ground in spring to summer, or wait another year when they are larger. This size is easy to mail order.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON WITH ABOUT 2 - 3 INCH CAUDEX $375
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 5G PLANTS WITH 2-3 INCH CAUDEXES $275

ENCEPHALARTOS LEHMANNII
RARE BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD FOR FULL COASTAL SUN

A FAVORITE AMONG CYCAD ENTHUSIASTS
GOOD STARTER SIZE FOR CYCAD ENTHUSIAST
TEN DAY SPECIAL AFFORDABLE 5 GALLON PLANTS

This is a popular blue cycad from the Eastern Cape area of South Africa. I say “popular” because some people don't like spines and prickles. The leaflets of this species are narrow with only a point at the end. They are nothing as gnarly as E. horridus. The leaves and crown are very neat and uniform. The nearest species to this one is Encephalartos princeps. Trunks of E. lehmannii can get to five feet, but one with two to three feet of trunk is very old. Leaves average about four feet long and are strongly curled. Sometimes they'll almost do a 180 or more degree re-curve. Leaf color is intensely blue like E. horridus. But, you'll only see this color with full, hot sun. In shade or inside a greenhouse they are often green because they are not getting full sun and have lots of humidity. Cold hardiness is about 21 to 22 degrees F. In the desert only give it a few hours sun.

Shown below are E. lehmannii that were put into 5 gallon pots about 9 months ago. They have r to 6 leaves with caudexes 1 to 1.5 inches. They can remain in these containers for 2 to 3 years. Easy to mail order. We do have larger sizes of 5 gallon not on sale currently. This size is easy to mail order.

REGULAR PRICE THIS SIZE 5 GALLON $185
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE 5 GALLON $160

The third row of photos shows other Nursery E. lehmannii. The 4th row shows garden specimens.

PHLEBODIUM SPECIES
FURRY RHIZOMES THAT CRAWL

NORMALLY AN EPIPHYTIC PLANT IN THE WILD
TOLERATE COASTAL SUN OR FILTERED LIGHT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 10 GALLON SIZE

Phlebodium is a small genus of epiphytic ferns that are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. They, in the wild, live in trees. But, they can be grown in the ground or in containers. Most tolerate near total full sun along the coast and also filtered light. On the species we’re dealing with here, it gets to heights of about two to three feet and is rhizomatous in nature. Furry small feet crawl the ground and every foot or so launch an upright green leaf. It is not a difficult plant to contain in the garden. It easily tolerates temperatures into the mid-twenties F. Leaf color is green with a hint of blue, but not as prominent as the Blue Star Fern. It can be used as a ground cover.

REGULAR PRICE 10 GALLON $125
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $95

PHILODENDRON SELLOUM
AKA PHILODEDRON BIPINNATIFIDUM

GIANT SPLIT LEAF PHILODENDRON
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 & 15 GALLON SIZE

Throughout my career, I've always known this plant as Philodendron selloum. The same is true for most nurserymen. But, when researching it, I've found lots of other names and even genera used to taxonomically identify this species. So, keeping it simple, I'll not go there but rather say that this is a large leaf Philodendron that can climb up a tree trunk or stand alone all by itself. It is native to South America. It can grow in coastal sun or in the shade. It's got a trunk that is usually six inches thick or less and puts out thick hanging roots that assist in grabbing anything to support the crown. Leaves are green, heavily divided and can be four feet long and three feet wide. Leaves are not as large as the much more rare Philodendron evansii. Selloum is easy to grow. We're offering nicely sized 5 & 15 gallon on sale. The 15g size is shown in the last photo. The rest of the nursery plants are 5g.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $70

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $175
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $150

FUCREA QUICHEENSIS
A RARE AND STUNNING BLUE FUCREA

MEDIUM HEIGHT MATURE
THIN BLUE STRAP-LIKE SOFT LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This extremely rare and difficult to find variety of Fucrea is native to southwest Guatemala and southern Mexico on the Pacific side. Plants have thin trunks with a mature heights of six to nine feet with beautiful heads of super blue strap-like blue leaves. The leaves are a rosette and this crown is six feet or more wide. Trunks have been known to fork when mature. Unlike other Fucrea that produce bubils, this species sets seeds. This is a full sun species and is cold hardy (by estimate) into the mid to upper 20's F. Mail order would be simple. The 5 gallon on sale are just looking bigger and more impressive than the photos show below (photos taken 6 months ago).

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $125
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $100

Garden/wild photos below by Agaveville website and TS at RPS.

FICUS UMBELLATA
INTERIOR / EXTERIOR PLANT WITH LARGE ROUND LEAVES

DWARF MATURE SIZE - STRIKING AND UNUSUAL APPEARANCE
NEWLY SPECIES FOR ENTHUSIASTS - BUT DIFFICULT TO FIND
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE - ONLY A FEW LEFT

Until about 3 months ago, I had never heard of this species. There's essentially no scientific articles on it on the Internet. I've read that it is native to South Africa. It's mentioned as a smaller replacement for the popular Fiddle Leaf Fig. It differs from the latter in that it's leaves are very soft and pliable. It is also much smaller tree mature. The Fiddle Leaf Fig in my yard is over 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide with a thick trunk. This new species is supposed to be a real dwarf, not getting over 4 to 6 feet tall. Leaves are a foot wide, prominently veined and round. Inside, it's said to want very bright light - next to a bright window. Cold hardiness is unknown. We'll know more by next spring after we winter them over at our nursery. I have no data growing it outdoors. We're offering some nicely sized 15 gallon that are 7 to 8 feet tall in their pots. I only have a couple. They are apparently near mature height. BTW, this is only the second time we've offered this tree for sale. We know it does well as an interior plant but data on growing outside is limited. We have only one or two 15g and a few 5g which, obviously, are les expensive. Grab one as I doubt we'll have them again.

TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $325

Sorry, but no photos of mature trees are available.

HAWAIIAN TI PLANTS
GREAT COLOR FOR THE GARDEN
ASSORTMENT OF NEW VARIETIES AT NURSERY

AVAILABILITY CHANGES WEEKLY
SPECIAL ON THESE GORGEOUS PLANTS

Cordyline Hawaiian Ti plants are a great way to add color to the garden. They easily acclimate to filtered light growing conditions in our area but can be solely acclimated to coastal sun. Most don't get much over six feet tall. They have thin trunks and can take a freeze with some damage. Severe cold will kill them. Leaf color varies from pastels to reds to green and black. Shown here four different varieties of different Hawaiian Ti plants. All are different and there's one that is predominantly pastel colors. Remember, availability of each type changes ever several days.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 3 GALLON VARIETIES OF HAWAIIAN TI $60
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 3 GALLON TI'S $49.50

WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY, 2023

HEDYSCEPE CANTERBURYANA
THE UMBRELLA PALM

GORGEOUS SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM WITH SILVER CROWN SHAFT
ONE OF THE BEST PALM SPECIES FOR SO CAL

This great palm is one of my favorites. It is native to Lord Howe Island. This is the same island habitat as Howea species, but Hedyscepe look entirely different. In contrast to the Kentia Palm, Hedyscepe are a crown shafted palm that has a silver trunk. A picture below shows how, in the right sun exposure, this species maintains a silver trunk. Side by side, it's impossible to guess that they are from almost the same locality as the Howea. Along the coast they tolerate full sun but would like protection inland. Cold tolerance is the mid-twenties F. Growth rate is not fast, but steady. They seem to grow better if given some sun. Selecting the right exposure in inland areas is tricky. Shown here is a 25g plant just starting to form trunk. We have various sizes down to one gallon. Availability changes quickly over time. Also shown below are nice domestically grown trees. Smaller shippable sizes are available. Simply put, this is a fabulous species for Southern California. Of note, this species produces beautiful large red fruits, about the size of a golf ball. Many trees throughout Southern California have produced this fruit. All the photos of mature trees here were taken in Southern California. At the nursery we have a good assortment of sizes for sale of this species.

So, why is this one of the best palms for Southern California? Because it is gorgeous, not overly big, has a silver trunk and crown shaft, is reasonably cold hardy and looks unlike most other things in the garden. Simply put, it's a real winner.

ENCEPHALARTOS LONGIFOLIUS
EXAMPLES OF MEDIUM SIZED PLANTS FOR SALE

GREEN TO BLUE GREEN LEAVES
LOVES SUN - RE-CURVED LEAVES

Encephalartos longifolius is from the Eastern Cape region of the Republic of South Africa. It is among the favorite species of all cycad enthusiasts. Leaf color varies from a dark green to brilliant blue - and everything in-between. The plants shown here both have caudexes about 8 inches. This is a full sun species along the coast with a cold hardiness of 22 degrees F. These plants will develop into medium sized mature cycads over the years with potential for trunk in a lifetime of at least five feet. We have a whole assortment of sizes available from sale - both larger and smaller. The last row of photos shows plants that are the blue form. Most of our sizes can be mail ordered or delivered.

SPECIMEN SIZE KENTIA PALMS
HOWEA FORSTERIANA

FROM FIVE TO FIFTEEN FEET OF TRUNK
SINGLES AND MULTIPLES
SALE PRICE THESE SPECIMEN PALMS

For several decades we've worked with an associate grower who offers old specimen Kentia Palms. Starting in the late 1980's, these were field grown here in Encinitas, CA. Over time, many have been dug and put into boxes. Usually this is into 36 inch box sizes - rarely into 24 inch boxes. Some are still in the growing fields. Even if dug from the grower's and moved to your garden for immediate planting, most do just fine. And, these have been sun grown only getting shade from adjacent Kentias.

Kentia palms dig quite easily. The ones shown in boxes below were typically dug three to four years ago. Several hundred trees are available. All need heavy equipment to lift and handle - and a flatbed truck for delivery (at least 25 feet long). Delivery can be arranged as needed. Call or email us for more information. Random photos below were taken recently of plants available. Be aware that this supply of huge Kentias will run out soon. Limited numbers remain, mostly multiples, as of today.

SPECIAL PRICE THESE LARGE KENTIAS - $145 PER TRUNK FOOT

DYPSIS LUTESCENS
THE ARECA PALM

VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND LATELY - BUT WE JOST GOT IN PLANTS
THE BEST "NEIGHBOR BLOCKER" PLANT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G & 25 GALLON SIZED PLANTS PLANTS

This is an attractive, suckering, thin trunked palm species is from Madagascar or surrounding areas. The number one reason people buy this species is "to hide something". By this, I mean they want to hide a neighbor, an ugly next door structure, an unsightly fence, the side of a garage, etc. This is an ideal species for this purpose as it suckers and is fairly dense. You can't see through it well. Mature height averages 14 feet in California. Cold hardiness is into the mid-twenties F. Trunk diameter is about 3 inches. It'll take full sun along the coast and far inland areas must give it only morning or filtered sun. These 15g are 6 to 7 feet tall in their pots. The 25 gallon are more full, about 10 feet tall in their pots and developing thick trunks. We have limited numbers available. Areca Palms have been difficult to find lately and in short supply. These will most likely be gone quickly, especially the larger plants.

REGULAR PRICE SQUAT 15G SIZE $265
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE THESE SQUAT 15 GALLON $225

REGULAR PRICE THESE LARGE 25 GALLON SHOWN $625
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE LARGE 25 GALLON $550 (only a few left and we can't get more)

To get maximal privacy one would not cut off the small lower suckers. The squat 15g are shown in the first two rows of photos. The 25 gallon are shown in row three and four of photos.

15 gallon size shown here

25 gallon size shown here

Photos of garden plants

DYPSIS PLUMOSA
THIN TRUNK PALM FROM MADAGASCAR

FLUFFY LEAVES – SILVER CROWN SHAFT
TOLERATES SUN ALONG TH COAST
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 15 GALLON PLANT

This single trunk, crown shafted pinnate palm comes from Madagascar. It is a medium size palm with a narrow trunk and plumose leaves. Trunk diameter is four to six inches. The trunk color is silver-green and it has prominent rings. Leaflets are narrow and green in color. The ends of the leaves curve downwards. We have been growing this species for over two decades and found it to be a reliable grower. When young the trunk is much thinner but fattens up with age. It is quite cold tolerant, down into the mid to low 20's F. It's growth rate is good. It likes full sun in most areas. We are offering very tall 15 gallon plants on sale. The plant shown below is about 12 feet tall – twice the height of most comparable 15g plants. We do have some singles & multiples which tend to be shorter. As you can see, they are very tall and too big to ship by UPS.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON THIS SIZE $265
DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $235

VEITCHIA MERRILLII HYBRID
POTENTIAL TO GROW SOMETHING THAT CAN'T BE GROWN HERE

VERY EXCITING – NOT PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 15 GALLON SIZE

There is an interesting story behind the plants I'm showing you here. About four years ago, we got some seeds from a botanical garden that were labeled as Veitchia merrillii (aka Adonidia merrillii). This palm resembles a miniature Royal Palm, so it is a popular choice by enthusiasts who see it in tropical areas. Rarely does it get over twenty feet tall and many people like this smaller size. But, native to the Philippines, you might expect it'd be too tropical and cold sensitive to grow here. Well, that is the case and I don't know of one mature tree in Southern California.

The seeds we got were thought to be pure Veitchia merrillii. The seeds looked to be the right size for merrillii - the anticipated small size as you see with this species. Seeds of other Veitchia species are much larger. Of the fifty or so seeds that germinated, about half died off quickly in our greenhouses the first winter. We figured - that makes sense - cold sensitive. But, to our surprise, the other half grew quite well. As they got bigger, it was apparent that they looked nothing like a true species Veitchia merrillii we have grown in the past. The prominent speckling and dark color to the leaf stems was not expected - merrillii is plain green usually. And, there is a diversity of appearance of the various plants we were now growing.

We figure these are a hybrid of a Veitchia merrillii crossed with something else. Most likely it's with another species of Veitchia that are more cold tolerant. Our suspicion is it as cross with V. arecina. This is to our customer's benefit as this means perhaps they can grow these and end up with a smaller palm that resembles V. merrillii. We have a limited number of these plants left. They’ve gotten bigger and all have survived a freeze at our nursery. So, maybe here’s your chance to grow a “Veitchia merrillii hybrid” . I'm showin photos of both of the probable parents below. Mature height should be about 15 - 18 feet on these hybrids.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON THIS HYBRID $255
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $230

Remember: Mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase. Obviously, I have no mature garden plants to show you as this is such a rare hybrid. Also, don't dally as we'll be out of this hybrid soon!



Veitchia merrillii	Veitchia arecina

CHAMBEYRONIA HOOKERI
THE BLONDE FLAMETHROWER PALM

GORGEOUS PALM FROM NEW CALEDONIA
USUALLY HAVE NICE NEW PURPLE-RED LEAF
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

Shown is a nice example of a 5 gallon size of Chambeyronia hookeri with its blonde colored crown shaft. I’ve found that this species throws just as red (sometimes even more intense) new leaf compared to Chambeyronia macrocarpa. This species is hard to find. It is different in appearance from the dark green crown shafted form seen on C. macrocarpa. Here's some facts about this species:

• Growth habit and care about the same as macrocarpa
• Along the coast will tolerate full sun if you're are not too far inland
• Crown shaft is yellow-tan colored and quite prominent
• Cold tolerance is about 23 degrees
• Growth rate on this species like macrocarpa is slow to medium but improves once planted in the ground.
• Trunk diameter is about 8 inches typically and overall height of mature plants is about 25 feet
• Leaflets are shiny green, thick and sturdy, and quite wide as shown
• Like macrocarpa, about 95% of the time throws newly emerging red leaf as shown here. Rarely a plant will not throw new red leaves and there's no way of predicting this.
• Also makes a great interior palm inside the home

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON SIZE $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE $125

We have very limited numbers available of this species and also have a few 15 gallon size. Of course, not all will have a red new leaf at this time. Mention this Special at the time of purchase for this discounted price. The crown shaft photo below is by TS at RPS and the new red leaf by the roof is by D.L.

SABAL BLACKBURNIANA
LARGE AND TALL FAN PALM

MEDIUM HEIGHT GREEN FAN PALM WITH STOUT TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This species of thick trunked fan palm is native to Dominican Republic and Haiti. It can get to over 60 feet tall with a massive 2 foot thick brown trunk. Leaves are larger than the similar but smaller Sabal palmetto. Growth rate is quick. It is also very cold hard and likes full hot sun. It can go down to the mid-teens F. The 5 gallon size shown below is about 5 years old. Photos of garden plants in the last row are by Justen Dobbs and Wikipedia.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $115

HYOPHORBE VERSCHAFELTII
THE SPINDLE PALM

MORE COLD HARDY THAN ITS SISTER, THE BOTTLE PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

Most of us are familiar with the more common Bottle Palm, Hyophorbe lagenicaulis. Here I’m showing you a better palm for us - the Spindle Palm, Hyophorbe verschafeltii. This species gets a bit taller than the Bottle Palm but still loves full sun and heat. Bottle Palms suffer when they see temperatures of about 38 degrees or lower. I only know of one or two specimens here that have made it to any mature size. In contrast, the Spindle Palm tolerates temperatures almost down to a freeze. Mature heights are about 15 feet or a bit more and there are quite a few mature trees in the San Diego area. Looking at the palm, the best way to tell them apart is “where is the bulge in the trunk?” Bottle palms swell at the very base of the trunk. Above this swollen base they can taper in upwards on the trunk.

The Spindle Palm swells in the mid-trunk as shown below. They are small at the base of the trunk. Also, the Spindle has more yellow overtones to the leaves and stems. The Bottle is more red. Once acclimated to your locality, they usually want full sun. They don’t do well in shade. We have both 15 and 5 gallon plants at the nursery and are putting our 5 gallon size on sale for ten days.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $155
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $130

Remember: Mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase to get your discount.

COCCOTHRINAX ARGENTEA
MEDIUM SIZED FAN PALM

SMALL TRUNK - SILVER BACK TO LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This medium size and very attractive fan palm is native to areas of Florida, Mexico and into the Caribbean. It has a blue green leaf color with more prominent silver on the underside of the leaf. Taxonomists seem recently to be lumping together Coccothrinax argentea and argentata. Mature height is rarely to twenty feet. Leaves are about three to four feet across and prominently divided into segments. As this species grows, fibrous material falls off the trunk to give a cleaner and more smooth surface. It likes heat and sun. It might also do well in desert areas. Cold hardiness is into the mid-twenties F. We are putting our 5 gallon plants on sale. Very limited numbers apply. This species is ideal for people who want a thin trunked and different fan palm that doesn’t take up much room and tolerates full hot sun. Note that, in a pot, it is a very slow growing species. The 5 gallon size are about six years old.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $125

Just mention this Blog Special when you purchase for your discount.

GAUSSIA GOMEZ-POMPAE
BIGGER AND TALLER THAN GAUSIA MAYA

PINNATE LEAVES, NO CROWN SHAFT
VERY RARE - NEW TO CULTIVATION
TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE BAND SIZED PLANTS

This is a fairly recently described single trunk pinnate palm is from southern Mexico. There it lives among rugged outcroppings in mountainous areas. Little is known about its domestic culture. It gets to heights of over 30 feet with an 8 to 10 inch thick trunk. It has a clean trunk and no crown shaft. Leaves are green and fairly straight. The mature photos below were taken in Miami, Florida where it seems to be doing fine. I would anticipate that it wont' take temperatures much below a freeze. This is the first time I've offered it for sale. The bands on sale are huge for their pots and need repotting. Best would be into a 5 gallon pot. They are over three feet tall in their pots.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $60
TEN BAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $50

BUTIA PARAGUAYENSIS
BLUE-GREEN BUTIA FROM SOUTH AMERICA

ARCHING LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE SEEDLING SIZE

This species is interesting because, in the wild, it is known as a dwarf species that forms minimal trunk. But, when it is grown domestically, it forms a trunk about the size of Butia capitata. It, as you'd guess, comes from Paraguay, with habitat extending into Brazil and northern Argentina. The color is a blue-green, not as silver as Butia capitata. The leaves are strongly arched as shown. It is a full sun plant with cold hardiness into the teens F. We haven’t had them available for a few years. We are now offering band size seedlings. Culture includes full sun and good draining soil. Cold hardiness is into the teens F. The bands on sale are way oversized and ready for a 5 gallon pot. They are 4 to 5 year old. I am also showing a photo of a 15g plant from the nursery that is no longer available. The habitat photo is by TS at RPS.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE SEEDLINGS $55

ENCEPHALARTOS EUGENE-MARAISII
EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE BLUE TRANSVAAL CYCAD

NATIVE TO SOUTH AFRICA – EXTREMELY RARE

TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

This desirable species of Encephalartos comes from the Transvaal region of the northern Republic of South Africa. This area is also home to other sought-after species like E. dolomiticus, dolomiticus, and nubimontanus. \Encephalartos eugene-maraisii is a medium to large species with trunk height up to almost ten feet. It will sucker from the base. Leaf color is blue or blue-green. The leaves are sharply keeled giving a "V-shape" in cross section. Leaf length is two to five feet. Leaflets are 1/2 to 3/4 inches wide and have a sharp terminal tip. Encephalartos middleburgensis is a closely related species and was originally felt to be a subspecies of eugene-maraisii. This is a full sun cycad. In the wild it commonly sees freezing temperatures. In culture it is know to tolerate mid to low 20's F. We are currently putting our band sized plants on sale for ten days.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $95

Remember, mention this Blog Only Special. Easy to mail order.

CYCAS GUIZHOUENSIS
RARE SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED CHINESE CYCAD

GREEN UPRIGHT LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON OVERSIZED 1.5 GALLON SIZED PLANTS

This small to medium sized exotic cycad is from southwestern China. Only in the past 20 years has this species been available in the U.S. It has green upright leaves and can develop a trunk about three feet tall. Leaves are green and leaflets narrow and shiny. Sometimes you’ll see the leaflets twisted on their axis. It comes from elevations of 1000 to 1500 feet or more and has potential to have reasonable cold hardiness, at least into the mid and possibly low 20’s F. The crown width is about eight feet across with leaf lengths of three to five feet. At the nursery it seems to grow quite well. We’re putting nice one & one/half gallon plants on special. Caudex size is 2.5 - 3 inches. The 7^th photo, by George Yao at PACSOA, shows a plant in full sun although growers may get away with part day sun as well.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 1.5 GALLON OVERSIZED CYCADS $275
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 1.5 GALLON CYCADS $225

This size easy to mail order.

ENCEPHALARTOS ARENARIUS - BLUE VARIETY
RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

MEDIUM SIZE MATURE - LIKES COASTAL SUN
STUNNING BLUE LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON NICE 5 GALLON PLANTS

The plants we are putting on special are the blue type. To get this color they will want full sun or an ample amount of sun. It prefers a well draining soil. Speed of growth of this cycad is good. You could expect to have a nice garden sized plant from these 5 gallon plants in about five to seven years. Caudex size of the plants on sale is approximately 2 inches. They all have six to seven leaves or more and are four to five years old. These are showing a bit of their blue color already at this stage and not in sun – so you’ll get blue. Easy to mail order. I’m also showing a garden plant and several larger nursery plants.

REGULAR PRICE THIS SIZE 5 GALLON $350
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON THIS SIZE $300

This size is easy to mail order.

ENCEPHALARTOS HILDEBRANDTII
LARGE SIZED GREEN CYCAD

UPRIGHT LEAVES – GOOD GROWER
TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT CYCADS

REGULAR PRICE CITRUS POT THIS SIZE CAUDEX $450
TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT THIS SIZE $385

BLECHNUM GIBBUM FERN
"MINIATURE TREE FERN"

NICE 5G PLANTS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G PLANTS

This species never makes a large plant. But, it does resemble the classic "Tree Fern". It has a short, small trunk 3 to 4 inches in diameter, an overall height typically of under six feet and crown width of four feet. It prefers filtered light and will tolerate temperatures into the 20's F. People in the San Francisco area are growing this species. Be aware that this species, like all ferns, needs water.

Note that there are other types of "Blechnum Ferns". But, the variety shown is one of my favorites and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it in your garden.

REGULAR PRICE 5G THIS SPECIES $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $75

Just mention this blog only special when purchasing to get this price. Note that the last photo is a 15 gallon plant from the nursery. Note that we also have 15 gallon plants available as well.

ARAUCARIA HETEROPHYLLA
THE NORFOLK ISLAND PINE OR STAR PINE

LARGE AND TALL STURDY GREEN LEAFED TREE
TOLERATES OUR LOCAL WINTER COLD - WANTS SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

There are about twenty different species of Araucaria worldwide. This includes multiple species from New Caledonia. The Norfolk Island Pine is one of these species. It is native, of course, to the Norfolk Island. All Araucaria tend to make good sized trees. The Norfolk Pine in the wild can get to heights well over one hundred feet with a forty or more foot spread of the crown. It developes a thick trunk and has prickly green leaflets. Because of the latter, you cannot walk below it bare footed. It is a full sun tree in most areas and is only marginally cold hardy - at best into the mid to upper 30's F. Also, it doesn't like extremely hot weather. With this said, there are a fair number of mature trees in the coastal San Diego area. It is difficult to find any Araucaria for sale. We rarely have them available.

TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE 15 GALLON $155

ALOCASIA CAL-ODORA
THE MINIATURE ELEPHANT EAR
NEVER OVER ABOUT THREE FEET TALL

TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

Customers often shy away from the regular Elephant Ear Alocasia because of it's potential size of up to eight feet with huge leaves. There is even one species that gets super tall and almost takes over the garden. But, what I'm showing you here (Alocasia Cal-Odora) is a true dwarf with plants that never get much above your knees. The leaves are a foot wide and color is green. They are an ideal plant where you want a low profile companion plant to cover the garden floor.

This species can take full coastal sun or part day sun and filtered light in all areas. They do like and respond to water. We sell a ton of these but do have limited supplies of five and fifteen gallon plants. We often put them on sale for reduced prices. When people see how they perform they often come back for more. In the firsts six photos below I’m showing the 5 gallon on sale. I’m showing a photo of a larger 15 gallon which is also available. Also, we offer super unusual and different types of Alocasia, so if you are a tropical plant freak, come and see us. I’d say right now we have about ten different species or hybrids of Alocasia.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $75

NEORGELIA MEDUSA
INNER LEAVES PROMINENTLY RED
FILTERED LIGHT SPECIES

TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE, FULL 6 INCH PLANTS

This species is a hybrid that has its origins in Brazil. It is a low profile cluster Bromelia with a mature height of about 12 inches. Inner leaves are pronounced with their red and dark colors with older leaves being purple or green. Like other Bromeliads, it likes water in its cup. This is not a full sun plant and can be grown indoors with adequate indirect light.

TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 6 INCH PLANTS $45

MONDAY, 5 FEBRUARY, 2024

RHAPIDOPHYLLUM HYSTRIX
THE NEEDLE PALM
THE WORLD'S MOST COLD HARDY PALM!

In the past I've tried to show you a good assortment of very cold hardy palm species. This particular species, the Needle Palm, is without doubt, the most cold hardy of them all. It can tolerate temperatures below zero degrees F. People have been able to grow this species (sometimes with cold protection) in "non-palm growing" areas such as Utah, New Mexico, Ohio, New York, etc. It is not a tall species, typically getting to about eight feet. It is a fan palm, it suckers freely and in many areas tolerates full sun. It is known as the "Needle Palm" because of the presence of fairly long black "neele-like" spines randomly directed on the trunk. I like it the most when it's grown in strong filtered light or part day sun because the leaves are a darker green. Photos below show a "Rhapis-looking" leaf with a dark, olive green appearance. It is native to southeast United States. We typically have available an assortment of sizes from seedlings and 5g plants and sometimes 15g plants - but this varies over time. Sometimes we sell out. This is a slow growing species and for me to make a nice 15g takes about 8 years. Seeds are produced on very short flower stocks, so collecting seeds means you have to carefully reach in between needles to get your harvest.

ENCEPHALARTOS MANIKENSIS
CENTRAL AFRICAN GREEN CYCAD

MEDIUM SIZED MATURE - FAST GROWING
ASSORTMENT OF SIZES AVAILABLE AT NURSERY

This species from Zimbabwe, Africa, has always been a bit of a confusion because this area has several similar species and identifying them taxonomically was difficult. For this reason, a few decades ago, plants were considered to be in the "Manikensis Complex". Other put into this group later became species such as E. gratus, E. chimanimaniensis, concinus, bandula, etc. Encephalartos manikensis is a medium sized cycad. Trunks can get up to three or even five feet tall. Clustering does occur. Leaves are about six feet long, leaflets one inch wide. Leaves are held upright at about a 45 degree angle.

As it is a Central African cycad, one will find that it does better with humidity than some of the South African species and is not quite as cold hardy. For this reason, it does quite well in the SE areas of the U.S. where cold is not an issue. It will tolerate a freeze and can usually take temperatures down into the mid-twenties. At our nursery, plants has easily withstood temperatures of 25 degrees F. without any problems. Sun exposure is another issue that you must consider. Along the coast, full sun is tolerated well. In inland locations, consider part day sun. In desert areas, filtered light would be best. I'm showing here a whole assortment of plants, from boxed specimens to seedlings. Also shown is a garden specimen. We have a good supply of this species in all sizes for sale.

RHAPIS HUMILIS
RARE TYPE OF LADY PALM
FOUR LARGE SPECIMEN PLANTS AVAILABLE

LARGEST SPECIMENS YOU'LL SEE FOR SALE - IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND
GET TO OVER 20 FEET AND TAKE COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL SEVERAL MATURE TALL PLANTS!

Rhapis humilis is a tall, suckering and thin trunked fan palm. It is a type of "Lady Palm" and this species is one of the most sought after. This is because it's a great growing species, has strong canes that don't bend over and gets significantly tall for the genus - tallest of the Rhapis genus. It does sucker and produces canes averaging one inch or a bit bigger in diameter. Leaves hold up to twenty leaflets that are narrow, a bit droopy, dark green and come to a point at their ends. The more common Rhapis excelsa leaflets come to a blunt tip at the end of the leaflets. The amazing thing about this species is that it attains such tall heights. I've seen specimens that have reached twenty-four feet! Compare this to the average height of a R. excelsa at six to eight. Finally, the Rhapis humilis is known to tolerate full sun along the coast.

Plants like we're showing here are near impossible to find. We have several plants which are each about fifteen feet tall in their pots. These plants are shown in the four rows of photos below. Be aware that, in California, there are only large garden specimens growing in full sun and with heights of over 20 feet. These are called the “California Rhapis humilis” and all plants sold come from divisions of existing plants. This is a dioecious species and there’s only known to be male plants. So, if someone tells you they grew them from seeds, you know they are not this true Rhapis humilis – more likely R. multifida which doesn’t take sun well and only gets to heights under ten feet. These 25 gallon specimens shown below would be perfect for an upscale garden or interior usage application. All, of course, are from divisions from a mature established plant. Most have three to five canes coming but will fill in over time. We presently have no smaller plants for sale. The garden photo is by FM at the LAA.

TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE RARE 25 GALLON $1100

BISMARCKIA NOBILIS
BLUE SINGLE TRUNK FAN PALM FROM MADAGASCAR

A DEFINITE STATEMENT PALM
THIS SPECIES WANTS SUN AND HEAT!
TEN DAY SPECIAL VERY NICE 15G PLANTS

For several decades we've been growing this stunning blue fan palm from Madagascar. These are the blue form. This palm species loves sun, heat and is cold hardy to the low 20’s F. It doesn’t like the grower to fool with or cut its roots. These cannot be transplanted once established in the garden. They get a husky trunk and probably about 40 feet tall in many decades. This is a very attractive palm and should be given room in the garden to show it off. Many people in desert locations have found they can grow it. Shown below are our 15 gallon sized plants that we’re putting on special. They are sun acclimated and ready to plant.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $235
TEN DAY SPECIAL 115 GALLON $195

Remember: Mention this Special for this price. Of note we also carry the "Green Bismarckia" but the one on sale today is the prominent blue variety.

CHAMAEDOREA TEPEJILOTE
SINGLE TRUNK, TALL
SHADE-LOVING PINNATE PALM

DARK GREEN RINGED TRUNK
OFTEN GROWN AS A "MULTIPLE"
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE

This single trunk pinnate palm is native to areas extending from southern Mexico down to Columbia. They are often grown for food as the male blossoms are cooked and eaten as a delicacy. This species doesn't take sun here - it'll burn. But, in shade it thrives in temperatures down to the mid-twenties F. It is quick growing and has a rather thick, prominently ringed dark green trunk. Flowers are quite prominent and, if you have several plants closely situated, the chances are you'll obtain fruit without even trying. One photo shows a flower with green fruit.

This species can also be grown inside the home as long as the air is not too hot and dry. I personally like the looks of a collection of several plants grown together. Over time, as they age and get overhead, there will be some "stair-stepping" of the crowns and this is quite attractive. Cold tolerance outside is into the mid-twenties F. It needs filtered light, even when tall. We have singles and some multiples in our 15 gallon size which we are putting on sale. They are very nice and really too big for mail order. For the latter folks, get our 5 gallon size.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $255
TEN DAY SPECIAL $235

Just mention this Special for your discount.

PHOENIX RUPICOLA
THE CLIFF DATE PALM

MEDIUM SIZE -THINNER TRUNK THAN CANARY
FAIRLY COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

I don't know if you've looked for this species, but the Cliff Date Palm is not so easy to find. It is native to India and is about half the size of the Canary Island Palm in terms of trunk diameter and mature height. Also, the crown is much smaller. It is an armed species and has other characteristics of Phoenix like the induplicate leaflets (water held "in" - V shaped ). But, many think this is the prettiest of all the Date Palms. It typically gets fifteen to twenty-five feet tall. The leaves are very pretty and green. The crown is not overly large. Leaves curve downwards. Growth rate is medium, it tolerates full sun and is cold hardy into the mid-twenties or lower. Shown here are our 15 gallon size which we are putting on sale.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $220

Remember to mention this Special for this discount. The isolated palm in the last row is from Balboa Park, San Diego.

LACCOSPADIX AUSTRALASICA
SINGLE TRUNK MOUNTAIN FORM

BEST GROWING SPECIES OF THE GENUS
RESEMBLES THE KENTIA PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL MULTIPLES 15 GALLON SIZE

When one considers the species Laccospadix australasica, he has to realize that there are different forms depending on native habitats and localities. There are also single trunk and suckering forms. The one for sale here is the single trunk mountain form. I feel it's the best subspecies one can purchase. It doesn't throw the new red leaf although occasionally you see a bit of bronze in the new leaf (as shown below). This variety of the L. australasica is fairly easy to grow in our area. I can’t predict if your plant will sucker or not - but I suspect it'll be single trunk like the seed bearing parent. The seeds for these plants today came from a local flowering tree here in Encinitas. This variety has thinner leaves that are dull green in color, trunks about six inches thick and reaches a height of 20 feet or a bit more. It sort of looks like a Kentia Palm. I'd recommend morning sun, strong filtered light or perhaps several hours of daily sun. Cold tolerance is into the mid-twenties F. As shown below, sometimes we’ll plant more than one to a pot. This is the case with the 15 gallon size on Special.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $225

Note: The two mother plants we collected seeds on have succumbed to gophers. So, our days of offering this species are near an end. We have extremely limited numbers available. Mention this Special for your discount.

LACCOSPADIX AUSTRALASICA
SUCKERING OR SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM

EASY TO GROW
RESEMBLES THE KENTIA PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 5G

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE 5G $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 5G $125

Mention this Special at the time of purchase for this discount.

BURRETIOKENTIA HAPALA
NEW CALEDONIAN PALM

THINNER TRUNK, MEDIUM HEIGHT
NICE CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This is a medium height, single trunk, crown shafted palm from New Caledonia. There is grows on mountainous slopes. Of the genus, perhaps this species is the easiest for us to grow here in California. It is very sought after and most of the garden photos below are from California. Along the coast, I'd recommend giving this species half day morning sun, a few hours of sun or strong filtered light. Cold hardiness is into the mid to upper twenties F.

In my experience, mature height is usually about 30 feet but it can get a bit taller. Trunks in shade are green, prominently ringed and medium diameter. Leaves are green and pinnate. This size can be mail ordered.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $125

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase to get this discounted price.

DYPSIS LANCEOLATA
NATIVE TO COMORO ISLANDS
USUALLY A SUCKERING PALM

DESIRABLE PALM FROM THE COMOROS
TEN DAY SPECIAL FULL 5 GALLON SIZE

This suckering palm species from the Comoro Islands near Madagascar is ideal for filtered light. It produces stems about three inches in diameter and typically gets to a height of about fifteen feet in many years. It usually does sucker but, in my experience, has a limited number of trunks. Sometimes plants remain single trunk. The crown shaft areas of large plants often shown an assortment of colors including silver, brown and green. Leaflets are wide and leaves are a bit keeled. It has prominent rings on the trunk. Shown here are 15 gallon plants on special. We do have other sizes not on sale. Figure cold tolerance is into the mid to upper 20's F. These plants can be mail ordered in a large box and there are very limited numbers available.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $125

SABAL MINOR
THE DWARF PALMETTO

NEVER OVER SIX FEET TALL - GREEN FAN PALM LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 2 GALLON PLANTS

This dwarf palm native to the southern states of the U.S. is sought after because of its small size and extreme cold hardiness. It can take temperatures into the mid-teens F. and rarely gets over six feet tall. It is often grown in full sun but tolerates part sun or strong filtered light. Enthusiasts like it because of its small size. Blossoms commonly shoot above the green fan leaves and produce black small seeds. We’re putting 2 gallon plants on sale presently. These are big for their pots. Easy to mail order.

REGULAR PRICE 2 GALLON SIZE $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL 2 GALLON SIZE $65

Just mention this blog special to get this great deal. This and all sales above apply to mail orders or nursery visits.

ARCHONTOPHOENIX BEATRICAE
AN UNUSUAL TYPE OF KING PALM

SILVER BACKS TO THE LEAFLETS – GREEN CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

Common Name(s):  Alexandra King Palm, Alexandra Palm, the Alex Palm
Native Locality:  Northern and Central Queensland, Australia, both along the coast and inland
Overall Height:  70 to 80 feet in habitat but usually up to 40 feet in domestic gardens in sun
Trunk Diameter:  12 inches, sometimes swollen at the bottom. Young trunks brown, older gray
Leaf Length:  6 to 10 feet
Leaflets:  Color dark to grass green, silver on the underside
Crown Shaft Color:  Olive green, sometimes a bit brown mixed in. Slight bulge at bottom occasionally
Presence of Ramenta:  Absent
Flower Color:  White or near white
Seed Size:  1/2 inch
Other Comments:  This species holds a nice large crown of leaves with a tall, gray colored straight trunk. There is a possible sub-species, that I will discuss below

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $60
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZDE $50

Remember: mention this Special to get your discount when you purchase. The last photo shows a naturalized colony of this species on the Big Island, the Island of Hawaii.

DYPSIS PRESTONIANA
SINGLE TRUNK, BEAUTIFUL
A REAL WINNER!

SUPER RARE MADAGASCAR PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

Discovered by John Dransfield and named after a U.K. executive of Macdonald's Hamburgers (who funded the expedition to Madagascar), this single trunk palm is new to the market, super rare and quite attractive. It has orange-brown leaf bases at the point of trunk attachment, plumose leaves and gets to a height of about 25 to 30 feet. It is single trunked with a medium thickness and prominent rings. It takes full sun in coastal areas and, once established, is a good growing palm. Shown here are our band sized seedlings. On occasion we have larger sizes for sale. These are easy to ship. Growers tell us that this species takes temperatures into the mid-20's F. I know of several enthusiasts who live in cool areas and now have fruiting specimens of this species. It is an excellent grower.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $55

Remember: Mention this Blog Special for this price. Easy to mail order. Habitat photo c/o TS at RPS.

ENCEPHALARTOS FEROX
SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

STUNNING RED OR ORANGE CONES
GREEN HOLLY FERN-LIKE LEAFLETS
TEN DAY SPECIAL OLDER BAND SIZES SEEDLINGS 5 TO 6 LEAVES

This South African cycad is perhaps best known for two things: It can grow in shady conditions and the cones (especially the female cone) are red. The cone color varies from fire engine red to orange. Female cones seem to be more colorful. The leaflets look like a holly fern. Right along the coast, this species can take almost full sun and look good. But, most people grow it in part day sun or filtered light. From a seedling, it takes about ten years in the ground to get a big, coning sized plant. Cold tolerance is into the low 20's F. We’re offering our older band size on special. Ages of these are at least 4-5 years with five to six leaves. Ideally, they should be repotted into a larger container. These are easy to ship within the U.S.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $85
SALE PRICE BAND SIZE $70

ENCEPHALARTOS NATALENSIS
TRANSKI FORM

MEDIUM TO LARGE GREEN CYCAD - THINNER LEAFLETS
SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL PLANT

Please read above where I introduced this South African species and commented that there were various "forms" native to different localities. This variety is from a habitat in Transki. Little is published about these plants or presented on the Internet. From what I see, this variety has green leaflets that are thinner than other varieties and have less spines on the leaflets. I anticipate mature size will be similar to the regular E. natalensis above. The plant on special is in a 15g pot and has a caudex of about 6 inches. Culture and cold hardiness should be comparable. We have several available. Sorry, I do not have nor can I find good photos of a mature specimen. We only have one or two left.

REGULAR PRICE THIS ACTUAL CYCAD $650
TEN DAY SPECIAL HIS ACTUAL CYCAD $550

ENCEPHALARTOS MUNCHII
A RARE CENTRAL AFRICAN CYCAD

BLUE – GREEN SPINY LEAFLETS
SUPER DIFFICULT TO FIND
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL 15 GALLON PLANT

Native to Mozambique, this small to medium sized cycad grows in scrub forest among rocks and boulders. It is distinguished by its blue to blue-green color and by having leaflets that are prominently spiny. In my experience, leaf color is sometimes very blue, other times blue-green. You'll sometimes hear the description as "soapy green" to describe the leaves. Overall, the leaf color is variable. Trunk size is usually under three feet. Upright leaves are about four feet long or less. Leaves are keeled and leaflets are lanceolate and spiny. This species likes full sun and is cold tolerant into the low 20's F. The first six pictures show a 15 gallon plant with a three inch caudex. We're putting this actual plant on sale. I suspect outdoors in sun (greenhouse grown so far) it'll show more of the blue color as the parents were blue. If this plant sells, we may have others of similar size with an excellent discount.

REGULAR PRICE THIS ACTUAL 15 GALLON CYCAD $555
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD $475

LEPIDOZAMIA HOPEI
LEPIDOZAMIA SPECIES WITH WIDER LEAFLETS

MAKES A TALL TREE OVER A CENTURY'S TIME
FAIRLY RARE AND HARD TO FIND - NO SPINES!
TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT SIZE

This species of cycad gets enormous! I mean really tall. There are specimens with heights to almost 60 feet. Leaves are six to ten feet long. Leaflets are soft and without spines or armor.
For this reason, it is felt to be a very user friendly cycad. But, you must give it adequate room to grow. Compared to the Lepidozamia peroffskyana, the hopei leaflets are wider. It's quite noticeable when you compare the two side by side. This is the best way to tell them apart when they are young. Culturally, it is quite similar to L. peroffskyana, preferring some sun but not full sun in most areas. Far inland it may do better with filtered light. In terms of rarity, you don't see this species for sale that often. Cold hardiness is into the mid to lower 20's F. We're putting citrus pot size on sale with caudexes of about 4 inches. These can be mail ordered.

TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT THIS SIZE $395

Regular price is $120 per inch. These can be mail ordered.

PINSTRIPE GINGER
DWARF GINGER WITH WHITE ON GREEN STRIPED LEAVES

NEVER OVER ABOUT FOUR FEET TALL
PARTIAL SUN OR FILTERED LIGHT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

This attractive companion plant has become very popular with our customers. This is because it has striking variegation on the leaves and never gets too tall. And, it does quite well in filtered light where other thing gingers can struggle. Mature height is about four feet. Cold tolerance is into the upper twenties. If it suffers from winter burn, the following spring it usually bounces back. Blossoms are yellow and white (see photo) and not overly large. We are putting the 15g on sale. Remember to mention this Special when you purchase.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $195
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $175

PHILODENDRON RED CONGO
AKA "CONGO ROJO"

ATTRACTIVE COMPANION PLANT FOR FILTERED LIGHT
DARK LEAVES, RED STEMS / RED BACKS OF LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 3 GALLON SIZE

This popular hybrid Philodendron never gets very large. It doesn't climb much. It's more of a rosette form of companion plant. It might crawl along the ground a little. People prefer this hybrid because, in shade, it has dark green leaves with a red tint to the back of the leaves and prominent red stems. It is a filtered light companion plant. It is not for full sun. Cold hardiness is down to about a freeze or a bit colder. We are offering very nicely sized (large & older) 3 gallon (10 inch pots) on Special. But, there are limited numbers. These can be used as a houseplant and can be mail ordered but take a big box for shipping.

REGULAR PRICE 3 GALLON $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 3 GALLON $70

Just mention this Blog Only Special for your discount at the time of purchase.

BRACHYCHITON RUPESTRIS
INTERESTING THICK TRUNK TROPICAL TREE

SNAKESKIN TEXTURED TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL TALL 25 GALLON TREE

About four decades ago I visited Seaborne Nursery up in the Lake Hodges area of San Diego County. It has long since vanished as a nursery. A fellow who ran this nursery, Bill Seaborne (now deceased) convinced me to try a few of this interesting species. I planted them and within about five to ten years found they have the most peculiar, large and swollen trunks. The leaflets are quite fine; but the trunk is massive. It has a green snake skin type of texture and is a fast growing tree. The plant I’m showing here is a 25 gallon we’ve been growing for years. It’s about 15 feet tall and begging for a home. I am also showing you pictures of mature trees in Australia, the native home of this species. This species is not known for flowers, but rather for it's peculiar swollen trunk. It can get to fifty feet tall, likes sun, and has a cold tolerance that is probably into the low 20's F. It's quite tall - maybe ever too tall to easily transport in a pickup. Garden photos by australiagarden website and anbg.gov.

TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS TREE $400

BILBERGIA HALLELUHAY
SPOTTED SUN TOLERANT BROMELIAD

PINK HANGING BLOSSOMS - SPOTTED LEAVES
SPECIAL 5G CLUSTERS

Bilbergia are an easy to grow type of Bromeliad and many will tolerate coastal sun. This variety has red leaves with a scattering of white spots. They grow in as tubular fashion and freely suckering. Thus, you get quite a good sized clump in a few years. Mature height of the plant is typically about 2 feet. Blossoms are pink and hand down from the individual plants.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON CLUMPS $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $65

FRIDAY, 2 FEBRUARY, 2024

ARECA MACROCARPA
PHILIPPINE PALM

SIMILAR TO ARECA CATHECHU
I FIGURED YOU'VE NEVER SEEN ONE

Although I am not growing or offering this rare palm species at the nursery, I thought I'd show you a few photographs from the Chapman Research Station in Miami. It is so rarely seen or grown that there are minimal photos on the Internet. It is a medium sized, crown shafted palm that grows in the Philippines and, surprisingly, is mentioned as being somewhat cold hardy. I am not sure what that means. Here we cannot grow Areca catechuand this species closely resembles it. I know of no one here growing Areca macrocarpa here. It is supposed to get to a height of about 20-25 feet. The crown shaft is a bright green and the overall appearance is quite elegant. The first five photos are of this species. The bottom row of A. catechu. If anyone has information on this species, please contact me.

DIOON MEROLAE
A SMALLER MEXICAN CYCAD

LEAF COLOR GREEN TO GRAY
SHOWING THREE AVAILABLE NURSERY SIZES
FULL SUN IN MANY AREAS

This is one of my favorite cycads. It is native to Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico. Although plants in the wild may have trunks of eight to ten feet, this will take many centuries. A typical very old plant in a domestic garden has two to three feet of trunk. With its small to medium sized crown of leaves, this species will therefore never obstruct a view or get too large. Leaf color is typically a gray-green. But, in less sun it may become more green. I've seen plants that are in full sun and almost have a very gray color to the leaves (see photo below). It is cold tolerant to the low 20's F. Along the coast it'll take full sun. Far inland areas should consider morning sun or strong filtered light.

I am showing the following with the photos:
First two rows: Two different 5g plants
Rows three and four: Detail look at a nice 15g
Rows five and six: Six different boxed old specimens
Bottom row: Two garden specimens

We have a great selection of many sizes. All can be shipped.

CYPHOPHOENIX ELEGANS
THE ELEGANT PALM
SINGLE TRUNK MEDIUM SIZED PALM FROM NEW CALEDONIA

ARCHING GREEN LEAVES WITH SILVER-GREEN CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25 GALLON SIZE

This species is from New Caledonia in the northern part of the island. It is of similar height to C. nucele and has the same trunk diameter. The crown shaft on C. elegans is slightly more swollen than that of C. nucele. The crown shaft is also more of a green color, but can show silver. The leaflets are thinner and, as you can see, the leaves curve downward as opposed to the stiff, upright leaves of nucele. Another important difference between the two is that the leaves of C. elegans are keeled whereas the leaves of nucele are more flat. Of note, on both species the bare petiole (stem with no leaves) is very short. This helps you identify this genus.

Shown here are our 25 gallon sized plants that I photographed recently. Also shown are lots of photos of mature plants. This species should be started in filtered light and be allowed to grow into some sun if you live along the coast. Inland full sun is too harsh for this species. Cold hardiness is into the mid-twenties F.

REGULAR PRICE 25 GALLON $650
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25 GALLON $565

DYPSIS BARONII
RARE MADAGASCAR PALM

SUCKERING PINNATE PALM WITH THIN TRUNKS
MEDIUM HIEGHT MATURE
PART SUN OR GOOD FILTERED LIGHT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

Dypsis baronii is a super attractive, suckering palm from Madagascar. It gets to a height of about 15 feet. It prefers filtered light or a bit of sun - but not full sun. Colder tolerance is into the mid-twenties F. Trunk diameters are about two to three inches. This species, especial when young, is known for having red-toned colors on the leaf stems and trunk. The plants on special are in 15 gallon pots and looking nice. We also have smaller plants for sale.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $255
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $235

TALL INTERIOR QUALITY KENTIA PALMS
HOWEA FORSTERIANA

ELEGANT, GREEN LEAVES, THINNER TRUNKS
GREAT INSIDE THE HOUSE OR IN THE GARDEN
TEN DAY SPECIAL TALL SQUAT 15G SIZED MULTIPLES

Our major focus with the Howea forsteriana has been historically dealing with their usage in landscape. But, this species - The Kentia Palm - is also an excellent house plant. We get calls about obtaining them for hotel lobbies, restaurants, and upscale business offices. Inside the home or facility they tolerate adequate light but don't demand being in front of a window. Leaves are elegant, dark green and have a gentle arch. Trunks are thin. The squat 5g as shown below are interior quality with stretched upward leaves. Heights of this size is about six feet in the pot. This is a size that folks want for inside their homes. Or, they can be planted into the garden in filtered light. These are not ideal for shipping because of their heights. I'd recommend 5g size for mail order. Almost all are multiples with two to three plants per pot. Sorry, but I don't have any good photos of this palm in an interior application but will show a few garden specimens. Note that, inside the home in a pot, it's rare to see them get much taller than 12 to 14 feet in many years. Limited supply.

REGULAR PRICE THIS SIZE $375
TEN DAY SPECIAL INTERIOR QUALITY SQUAT 15G $325

TRITHRINAX ACANTHICOMA
AKA TRITHRINAX BRASILIENSIS

SPINY TRUNK - MEDIUM SIZE FAN PALM
EASILY TOLERATES INTO THE TEENS F.
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE

This single trunk tropical fan palm is noted mostly for its spiny trunk. The spines are long, randomly directed and almost needle sized. It is native to South America and gets to a height of about twenty feet. It likes full sun and is cold hardy into the mid-teens F. Unlike Trithrinax campestris, the leaflet tips on this species are not sharp nor pointed. It is a medium rate grower. Also, when fruiting the fruit is a golden yellow color.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $235
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE $210

Remember: The 15 gallon on sale are shown in the first five pictures below. The fifth photo shows a close up of the trunk of an older garden plant.

BRAHEA ARMATA
THE MEXICAN BLUE FAN PALM
BLUE HESPER PALM

VERY BLUE COLORED LEAVES – SLOW GROWING
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE PLANTS

This species of blue fan palm is not only known for its intense blue color but also for the fact that it is extremely cold hardy. It goes down to about 16 degrees. It is native to Mexico, specifically to Baja Mexico. It prefers dry heat and is a challenge to grow in humid areas. Mature plants take 30 years or more to reach a height of 20 to 25 feet. The trunks are stout but clean. These 25g plants have nice color and are sun acclimated. They are begging to be planted into someone's garden. This species is also very drought tolerant. The plants we’re putting on special are intensely blue 15g plants, large for their containers. The plants on special are shown in the first four photos. I’m also showing a 25 gallon and a larger boxed plant.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $200
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $175

Just mention this Blog Special to get this nice discount. On the mature trees below, note the prominent blue color of the leaves. This is the hallmark of this species. We have very limited numbers.

DYPSIS ONILAHENSIS
SINGLE TRUNK OR SUCKERING PALM

VERY POPULAR, EASY TO GROW - TOLERATES COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL OLD 5 GALLON SIZE

This species is a suckering palm from Madagascar but can also be found as a single trunk specimen. The crown shaft is often white or silver. The plants we're offering here appear to be the suckering form. As a species, it has either flat or droopy leaves/leaflets and white to silver crown shafts. Overall height is about twenty feet and trunk thickness is four to six inches. It likes coastal part day sun, perhaps more, and is cold tolerant to the mid-twenties F. The plants on sale are the 5g size with an age of about 5 years from seed. They tolerate full sun along the coast and are cold hardy into the twenties F.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $125

CHAMAEDOREA RADICALIS
TRUE TRUNK-LESS, DWARF FORM

NEVER GETS OVER SIX FEET TALL
SHADE PALM - QUITE COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

Previously I discussed the trunking form of this species. What I'm showing today is the true dwarf form that never forms a trunk and never gets over six feet tall. It is native to Mexico. It grows in filtered light but can tolerate some sun along the coast. Compared to the trunking form, you'll note the leaflets are darker green and wider. Blossoms often protrude above the leaves when it's in flower. Cold hardiness is the upper teens F. It grows great in cooler areas like the SF Bay area. We have only a few 5g (shown first four photos below)which we're putting on sale. We have very few left.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE $125

CHAMAEDOREA SCHIPPII
AN ALMOST UNKNOWN AND NEVER AVAILABLE SPECIES

UNDERSTORY PINNATE SUCKERING PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

DYPSIS ARENARUM
THE SAND PALM

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $125

RHAPIS EXCELSA
THE LADY PALM

RHAPIS EXCELSA
THE LADY PALM

ARCHONTOPHOENIX PURPUREA
THE PURPLE CROWN SHAFT KING PALM

VERY BEAUTIFUL - GOOD GROWER
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 1 GALLON SIZE

The native home of Archontophoenix purpurea is the Mt. Lewis mountain range in Queensland, Australia. This species is known for the purple color to the crown shaft. It is found at an elevation up to 4000 feet. Mature height is quoted to be over fifty feet, but in habitat and culture I didn't see one this tall. Cold hardiness is about 25 degrees F. It takes full coastal sun. The degree of purple in the crown shaft is variable but never "lollipop" purple. The underside of the leaves is silver and there is ramenta hairs only on this side. On younger plants the leaf bases and leaf stem tend to have a yellow color. I'm showing our 5g size (first 4 photos below) which we're putting on a Ten Day Special. These are nicely sized for their pots and either single or multiple (more than one per pot). We also have other sizes. These one gallons are about two feet tall in their pots and can be male ordered.

REGULAR PRICE 1 GALLON $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $55

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special when you purchase to get this discount.

LICUALA ELEGANS
EXOTIC FLAT CIRCULAR LEAF FAN PALM

AKA LICUALA SUMAWONGENSIS
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE QUART / ONE GALLON SIZE

Presently we are offering this sought after single trunk exotic fan palm on a Ten Day Special. People seek this plant out because it's the only solid, large, flat leaf Licuala that does well here in Southern California. Leaves are flat, pleated and green in color. Leaf size can be up to five feet across. Trunks are thin, petioles are armed and mature height can get to about 15 feet. It wants filtered light and maybe a glimpse of sun here and there. Cold hardiness is into at best the low 30's F. The plants on special are in one quart or one gallon containers and are essentially seedlings. This species is very slow growing, so you have to be patient to get a nice on in your garden. With this said, they are near impossible to find for sale. So, if you want one you usually have to start small. These would be easy to mail order. We have very limited numbers available.

REGULAR PRICE THESE ONE QUART OR GALLON SIZE $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $65

Yes, this species is expensive but so difficult to find.

CHAMAEDOREA GLAUCIFOLIA
SUPER SIMILAR TO C. PLUMOSA

TAKES A FAIR AMOUNT OF SUN – SINGLE STEM, THIN TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZED MULTIPLES

From time to time I discuss this interesting single trunk Chamaedorea. It is very similar to Chamaedorea plumosa - except: The plumosa has a more plumose leaf and takes a little more sun. But, the glaucifolia has the silver powder on the leaf stems and crown shaft as shown here. This is quite attractive and typically very prominent. Otherwise, you would mistake the two. And, it too, can tolerate near full coastal sun. They are fast growing and get to a mature height of about 14 feet. They look their best when planted in colonies of three to five plants. The seedlings on sale are multiples, usually three per pot. It is a durable species and seem exempt from fungal problems that can plague C. plumosa. Cold hardiness is about 25 degrees F.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZED MULTIPLES $60
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE SEEDLINGS $55

DYPSIS ARENARUM
THE SAND PALM

SIMILAR TO DYPSIS LUTESCENS
BUT WHITE CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE BAND $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $57.50

ENCEPHALARTOS AEMULANS
GREEN, RARE CYCAD FROM SOUTH AFRICA

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED IN THE WILD
SPECIAL VERY LARGE BAND PLANTS

This species of green South African cycad is a medium sized mature plant with trunks up to about five feet. They are un-branched and have green leaves that are about five feet long. The leaves are straight and leaflets point toward the end of the leaf. In the wild stands in the Natal area of RSA, there are only about a hundred plants remaining. Shown here in the first row of photos are 4 to 5 year old band plants - very large for their container. The second row of photos show a huge boxed specimen and a 15 gallon at our nursery. The last row shows domestic plants and a close up of the leaflets.

We're putting older band seedlings on sale. They'd be easy to mail order. In our area, this is a full sun plant with a cold hardiness into the low 20's F. On this band size we only have a handful left.

REGULAR PRICE THESE BANDS $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $65

We, of course, have other sizes of this species for sale.

ENCEPHALARTOS LEHMANNII
BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD FOR SUN

GOOD OFFERING OF 15 GALLON PLANTS
CAUDEXES 3.5 TO 6 INCHES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON E. LEHMANNII

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON THIS SPECIES $150 PER INCH CAUDEX DIAMETER

TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SPECIES $130 PER INCH CAUDEX DIAMETER.

This size can possibly be mail ordered. This caudex size price applies to plants that do not have vertical trunk height.

ENCEPHALARTOS LEHMANNII
RARE BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD FOR FULL COASTAL SUN

A FAVORITE AMONG CYCAD ENTHUSIASTS
TEN DAY SPECIAL GOOD SIZES & AFFORDABLE 5 GALLON PLANTS

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE THIS SIZE 5 GALLON $300
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE 5 GALLON $255

ENCEPHALARTOS LONGIFOLIUS – BLUE FORM
MEDIUM TO LARGE RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

BLUE STACKED LEAFLETS - MINIMAL IF ANY SPINES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON PLANT

REGULAR PRICE THIS ACTUAL 15 GALLON, CAUDEX 5 INCHES $750
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL 15G CYCAD $650

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase to get this price!

CYCAS REVOLUTA - THE SAGO PALM
MOST POPULAR CYCAD IN THE WORLD

MEDIUM THICK TRUNK - GREEN LEAVES
EASY TO GROW IN MOST AREAS - TOLERATES FULL COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL OLD AND LARGE 15 GALLON PLANTS
QUITE A FEW TO SELECT FROM

Cycas revoluta, the common "Sago Palm", is native to areas of Japan and China. It is an extremely easy to grow cycad that requires little maintenance. It is also slow growing with fifty year old specimens attaining a trunk height of five feet or a bit more. Leaves are green as shown below, typically five feet long on older plants and have barbs on the stems. Leaflets are "revolute" - cupped on the underside. Stems can be twelve to sixteen feet thick in decades. Male and female cones are quite different, as with all species of this genus. Male cones look like a corn cob without the kernels. Females are a scrambled clump of "tan leaflets" without any emerging structure. You need both sexes to get viable seeds. I'd estimate that there are well over a million plants of this species in gardens worldwide. It tolerates full sun in coastal areas but not in desert climates (where it needs sun protection). Cold tolerance is perhaps as low as 16 degrees F - certainly into the high teens. It can also be grown as a houseplant when smaller and is ideal for a patio plant.

We have a reasonable assortment of 15gallon sized plants that came from a private garden. We were told that they were at least 20 years old. Some are larger than others. The 15g plant shown below has a caudex that is about 12 inches tall or so. The height of the trunk shows you these ages. These are sun grown outdoors. We're putting this size on Ten Day Special. These plants were dug and potted up over two years ago. All are sturdy and healthy cycads.

REGULAR PRICE VERY LARGE 15 GALLON SAGOS AS SHOWN $695
TEN DAY SPECIAL SALE PRICE THIS SIZE $595

MUSA ZEBRINA
AKA MUSA ACUMINATA ZERBRINA
A NON-FRUITING ORNAMENTAL BANANA

TOP OF LEAF - RED BLOTCHES ON GREEN
BOTTOM OF LEAF - MAROON
TEN DAY SPECIAL FIVE GALLON PLANTS

The plants I'm showing here are a non-edible fruiting type of ornamental Banana known as Musa zebrina in the Musa acuminata group. The name “sumatrana” is sometimes used as a reference. Like most Bananas, it does sucker. This species is used for its ornamental value – either in the garden (where it gets six to eight feet tall) or in a container (where it gets to 3 to 5 feet tall). It has light green leaves with attractive purple splotches and maroon underside. See photos below. It does produce purple fruit but these are not edible because of fiber or seeds. It'd want full sun outdoors (along the coast) and should be cold tolerant well into the mid-twenties F. Some are also growing it as an indoor plant. We're putting our five gallon plants on sale. See photos below.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $75

These can be mail ordered. The first six photos show our 5 gallon size.

HELICONIA PSITTACORUM ANDROMEDA
A RARE DWARF HELICONIA WITH ORANGE BLOSSOMS

NEVER OVER FOUR TO FIVE FEE TALL
TEN DAY SPECIAL LIMITED SUPPLY 2 GALLON PLANTS

This exciting new arrival to our nursery offers gardeners a chance to have a Heliconia that doesn't get to tall or spread too much. Plant heights are typically 3 to 4 feet with blossoms extended above for a foot to 18 inches.l Blossoms are orange with yellow hints. It tolerates coastal sun or part sun. It does need some sun to blossom. Cold tolerance so far is unknown but we suspect it'll take down to at least a freeze. We just got these in and only have about ten available. We've found they survive in coastal areas although may get some leaf burn. This species would not be recommended if you are in a colder interior area.

REGULAR PRICE 2 GALLON $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL 2 GALLON THIS SPECIES $75

The garden photos are both care of Flikr, the first by an unknown author and the second by Jnzl's photos.

DICHORISANDRA THYRIFLORA
THE BLUE GINGER - HARD TO FIND

FIVE TO SIX FEET TALL MATURE – BLUE BLOSSOMS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 7 GALLON SIZE

This is actually not a true Ginger at all. It is native to all areas of the new world including the U.S. It produces actual blue flowers. We have a limited number of two gallon plants that we’re putting on special. This is a starter size. This species wants filtered light in a warmer coastal area. In fact, some along the coast succeed with several hours of morning sun. They are late blooming compared to almost all other “Gingers”. They tend to blossom in fall. In somewhat colder regions, they may need protection from a freeze. They do sucker and canes are thin. Expect mature height at about five feet. This plant is not for full, hot sun. They need average water – backing off when it’s cold. These are rare to see for sale and we're offering fairly tall divisions of 5 gallon plants that are beginning to blossom as I write this. We also have a few one gallons for sale.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL FIVE GALLON AS SHOWN $110

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special when purchasing.

END OF OLDER POSTS FULL VERSION FOR FEBRUARY, 2024
BUT THERE'S EARLIER POSTS FROM JANUARY - CLICK BELOW

TO SEE EARLIER POSTS FROM JANUARY, 2024, CLICK HERE
TO SEE EARLIER POSTS FROM DECEMBER, 2023, CLICK HERE

Links to even older archived posts at end of this page

RECYCLE USED PLASTIC CONTAINERS
AND OLD NEWSPAPERS AND BOXES

ECOLOGICAL AND HELPS OUR NURSERY
YOU'LL RECEIVE A DISCOUNT ON YOUR PURCHASE OR A CREDIT TOWARD FUTURE PURCHASE

I like to remind plant enthusiasts to recycle their plastic containers. We will take them and give you a credit toward any purchase at the nursery - when you drop them off or issue a credit toward a future purchase. Or, if you just don't know what to do with them and are conservative minded, drop them off at our nursery location. If you arrive off hours, just leave them in front of our entry gate. We'll put them to good use. We've been doing this for decades and think it's the right thing to do for the environment. On containers, we are especially looking for larger pots, 5g and bigger. Our nursery is plush with one gallon or smaller. We also really appreciate 5 gallon, 7 gallon, 15 gallon and citrus pots.

We are also recycling old cardboard boxes (Amazon types or otherwise) and newspapers.

So, don't give them to the garbage man for your local landfill. Bring containers to our nursery and receive a nursery credit for plastic/ceramic containers. The fourth photo shows all containers from a band to a 24 inch box, left to right.

5 gallon
15 gallon
25 gallon

All containers in a row

GIFT CERTIFICATE

CLICK TO READ ABOUT

ALSO - RECYCLE OLD NEWSPAPER -We can use it!

We utilize old newspaper to stuff our plants before we put them in vehicles. Newspapers also help us secure mail orders. And, we're always running out and don't like using new paper for this purpose - wasteful. So, we'd recycle those old newspapers that you have on hand. Just drop them off at the nursery any day Monday through Saturday. Thank you.

NEW WEBSITE FEATURE! SEE ALL OUR TOPICAL PLANTS
AT ONCE - ONE PAGE

DESCRIPTION , PHOTOS, AVAILABILITY and REGULAR PRICES

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT TROPICAL PLANTS!
GET A FEW IDEAS FROM PHOTOS BELOW

A LOOK AT THE NURSERY
QUICK PHOTO TOUR

Recently, on a drizzling day, sort of gray and gloomy, the following photos were taken by Alma, one of the staff. These pictures show the unique combination of palms, cycads and succulents that we're offering. You can see how nicely they all blend together. We're showing these photos so you get a feel for our Nursery.

GREAT PALM TREES FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Below are pictures of about thirty five palm species that all do well in Southern California. In the group of palms below, I left off the most common species that, it seems, everyone knows about. So, there are no Queen Palms and Mexican Fan Palms below. But, this group includes species that may be a bit unusual and more interesting. This is not a complete list. For instance, within any given genus, there may be dozens other species that do well here. If I showed every species that you can grow, it would be too overwhelming. So, I've kept it simple and show representative pictures. I think, for a starting point, this will suffice.

I have chosen to show mature plants in gardens. I tried to use mostly pictures from gardens in Southern California to show examples. Some are from elsewhere. This provides a quick view of species that you may want to try. Some are for sun, others for shade. Some are more difficult to grow than others. I'm not commenting on each species presently. But, throughout my Blog, there are comments on almost all of these. If you don't live here in Southern California, realize that many of these species may live in your area as well.

I hope you enjoy this. We, of course, have most or all of these palms for sale at the nursery in an assortment of sizes. And, for your enthusiasts, we probably have several hundred other cool species for you to try.

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
Bismarckia nobiis
Brahea armata
Caryota gigas
Chambeyronia macrocarpa

Chamaedorea costaricana
Coccothrinax species
Copernicia baileyana
Cryosophila species
Cyphophoenix species'

Dypsis decaryi
Dypsis decipiens (habitat)
Dypsis leptocheilos
Dypsis onilahensis
Euterpe edulis

Hedyscepe canterburyana
Howea forsteriana
Howea belmoreana
Jubaea chilensis
Kentiopsis oliviformis

Livistona decipiens
Parajubaea torallyi
Phoenix rupicola
Pinanga coronata
Pritchardia species

Pritchardia species
Ravenea glauca
Ravenea species
Rhapis humilus
Rhopalostylis sapida

Roystonea borinquena
Sabal causiarum
Syagrus pseudococos
Veitchia arecina
Wodyetia bifurcata

On all the genera above there may be many more species within the same genus that also grow well for us here. I apologize if I haven't included your favorite species in this group, but this is meant to be a brief introduction and I wanted to keep it simple. I have utilized these species in a brief article summarizing Palms for Southern California elsewhere at this website

PLANT CONTAINER SIZES

For growers here on the West Coast, there are black plastic containers that most of us use on our plants. Surprisingly, there are differences between the pots used on the West Coast and East Coast of the U.S. Here we refer to most containers by "gallon size" On the East Coast pots are referred to by "diameter in inches". So, back East you might find a plant in a "14 inch pot". Here is might be called a "15 gallon pot". If you visit our price and availability catalog, plants are shown by their pot size. I'm hoping that this Blog post this morning will help clarify what individual pots look like.

CONTAINER SIZE PHOTO EMPTY CONTAINER PHOTO OF PLANTS IN
THIS CONTAINER

BAND SIZE CONTAINER
This pot is 3 x 3 x 9 inches, square in shape. It is used for seedling plants. For most growers, it has replaced the one gallon pot. It is a bit deeper and easier to place in carrying trays. It also conserves space on benches because these can be placed close together. You can get a pretty nice plant in a band container, sometimes up to 30 inches tall.

ONE GALLON POT
This is a very common pot used, especially by flower growers and those producing small shrubs. It's a typical first step after germinating a seedling. We prefer using the band containers above as they conserve table and bench space more efficiently and are deeper. Diameter of this pot is six inches but it's only about seven inches deep.

TWO GALLON POT
This pot is 7 to 8 inches wide and about 8 inches deep. It is a nice size to move a band plant into. But, it is not particularly deep, so you have to make sure the roots fit into the container. This pot will produce an average plant that is about 2 feet tall. We grow a lot of palms in these pots.

FIVE GALLON POT
This pot is 10 inches wide and about 10 inches deep. It produces a plant that is one of the most common sized palms that we sell. It is popular because it's not too heavy to lift and plants are typically three to five feet tall, depending on the species.

SEVEN GALLON POT
We really like this container because it produces a good sized plant but isn't as heavy to carry as a 15g. But, for some manufacturing reason, this pot costs twice as much as a 15g. Therefore, most growers aren't buying this sized pot very much nowadays. It is 12 inches wide, and about 12 inches deep.

FIFTEEN GALLON POT
This is the most popular sized purchased by people who want a landscape or near-landscape ready size of plant. This container typically supports a palm from four to eight feet size. Weight of this size of container with soil and plant is usually sixty to ninety pounds. It's size is 15 to 16 inches wide and 16 inches deep. Note how this size pot usually has a nice carrying lip at the top of the pot.

TWENTY/TWENTY-FIVE GALLON POTS
This is the next size up from a 15g. These pots are typically about 18 to 20 inches wide and 16 to 18 inches deep. They weight anywhere from 125 to 150 pounds with their soil. They can produce a plant larger than the 15g, typically 8 to 10 feet. They usually have a flat lip on the top as shown. The pot shown here is actually a 25g pot. 20 g are a bit smaller.

24 INCH BOX CONTAINER
This box is 24 inches wide, square in shape and about 22 to 24 inches deep. The weight of this container depends on the mix, but is anywhere from 175 to 300 pounds (this heavier weight is if one is using a very heavy soil). It takes two men to lift one of these. We prefer plastic boxes as shown here, but they are much more expensive than wooden box. They last a very long time.

ALL POT SIZES IN A ROW
This pot shows all the sizes lined up in a row. In order, left to right are:

band size
one gallon
two gallon
five gallon
seven gallon
fifteen gallon
twenty gallon
24 inch box

SIZES WE USE NOT SHOWN HERE

Deep band containers
Citrus pots
25 gallon
30 gallon
35 gallon
45 gallon
30 inch boxes
36 inch boxes

Note: Larger pots/boxes can get very heavy and are too heavy to mail order by usual means - independent trucker needed for these.

Pots to left lined up in a row

Cycad in 36 inch box

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HOW THESE TEN DAY SPECIALS WORK

• NEW SPECIALS ARE ADDED FREQUENTLY AND EXPIRATION DATE FOR SALE PRICES ARE TEN DAYS AFTER INITIAL POSTING.
• SOON AFTER EXPIRATION, DATED SALE ITEMS WILL BE REMOVED FROM THIS PAGE
• FOR MAIL ORDERS, JUST CALL US. WE DO NOT PRESENTLY HAVE A
"SHOPPING CART" BECAUSE ALMOST ALL CUSTOMERS NEED HELP WITH DECIDING WHAT TO ORDER. WE WANT YOUR PLANTS TO THRIVE!
• AT THIS THREAD, MOST RECENT SPECIALS ARE LISTED AT THE TOP
• TERMS OF SALE ARE GIVEN HERE BELOW - RESTRICTIONS AND CANCELLATION FEES MAY APPLY. SEE POLICIES (LINK BELOW).
• SOME ITEMS ARE IN LIMITED SUPPLY AND MAY SELL OUT QUICKLY • PHOTOS SHOWN ABOVE SOMETIMES ARE ONLY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SALE ITEMS.
• MAIL ORDER PLANTS ARE SHIPPED TYPICALLY THE SAME DAY OR THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY IN THEIR CONTAINERS WITH SOIL TO GIVE YOU THE BEST CHANCES OF SURVIVAL
• SHIPPING CHARGES APPLY TO ALL MAIL ORDERS. ESTIMATES OF SHIPPING COSTS CAN BE GIVEN ON REQUEST.
• PURCHASED PLANTS CAN BE HELD FOR FREE FOR A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME (SEE POLICIES) AND SHIPPED WHEN YOU TELL US OR WEATHER PERMITS
• TO GET THESE DISCOUNTED PRICES, MENTION SPECIALS ABOVE AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. IT'S SORT OF LIKE A "PAPERLESS COUPON"

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR SALE ITEMS SHOWN ABOVE AND OTHER PURCHASES

• SALE PRICES ARE FOR A LIMITED TIME SHOWN ON EACH POST ABOVE
• ALL SPECIALS ARE FOR A TEN DAY PERIOD AND EXPIRE TEN DAYS AFTER INITIAL POSTING, USUALLY AT THE END OF NURSERY HOURS
• PLANT PRICES CAN CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE AND MAY NOT YET BE RECORDED ON OUR PRICE DATABASES
• AT NO TIME ARE THERE "DOUBLE DISCOUNTS" - PERCENTAGE DISCOUNTS DO NOT APPLY TO OTHER SPECIALS
• DISCOUNTS OR SALE SPECIALS DO NOT APPLY TO SHIPPING OR HANDLING CHARGES. THEY DO NOT APPLY TO SPECIAL ORDER PLANTS OR ITEMS WE HAVE TO SEARCH FOR APART FROM OUR OWN PLANT INVENTORY.
• SALES TAX MAY APPLY, DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE
• NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENTS WILL BE SENT OR TAKEN
• CYCADS AND CITES LISTED ENDANGERED SPECIES ARE FOR DOMESTIC UNITED STATES USAGE OR PURCHASE ONLY
• NO WARRANTY OR GUARANTEE IS GIVEN OR IMPLIED ON YOUR ABILITY TO GROW THE PLANTS IN YOUR LOCALITY
• MAIL ORDER ITEMS SENT VIA FEDERAL EXPRESS PRESENTLY UNLESS OTHERWISE ARRANGED
• AVAILABILITY VARIES. ITEMS ON SALE MAY SELL OUT WITHOUT NOTICE AND NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE.
• All SALES ARE FINAL WITH NO REFUNDS. PLEASE SEE OUR COMPANY PURCHASE, GUARANTEE & WARRANTY POLICIES, OUR REFUND AND SHIPPING POLICIES, AND OTHER POLICIES AS DESCRIBED IN OUR PUBLISHED JUNGLE MUSIC POLICIES. ANY CANCELLED BUT NOT SHIPPED ORDERS OR SHIPMENTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO A CANCELLATION FEE DESCRIBED AT OUR POLICIES.

THIS IS A HUGE WEBSITE WITH MANY THOUSANDS OF PAGES AND PICTURES.
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Phil Bergman
Owner & Website Author
Jungle Music Palms, Cycads & Tropical Plants
Phone - for orders or availability: 619 291 4605
Email: phil@junglemusic.net or TO EMAIL PHIL OR STAFF, CLICK HERE

Jungle Music Palm Trees, Cycads and Tropical Plants



Website:
www.junglemusic.net Email: phil@junglemusic.net

Nursery Location:

450 Ocean View Ave., Encinitas, CA 92024

Nursery Phone: 619 291 4605

Nursery Hours:
Monday - Saturday, 9AM - 4PM
Sunday typically closed

Directions to Nursery: Freeway Close. Take Freeway 5 to Encinitas
(10 minutes south of Oceanside, 30 minutes north of San Diego).
Exit Leucadia Blvd West (toward ocean).
Immediate left on Orpheus Ave, left on Union St,
Right on Ocean View Ave to Nursery, which is at 450 Ocean View Ave
Mailing Address:
3233 Brant Street, San Diego, CA 92103

  All major credit cards accepted

Visitors in past ten years shown in small blue counting box above. About 14 million people since 1997.

HOW THIS BLOG WORKS New plant arrivals, desirable species and requested plants included New species described every few days, most recent posts at top of thread Jump to older Blog Threads from links below. Blog discusses palm trees, cycads and tropical plants	LEARN ABOUT PALM TREES AND CYCADS Brief comments given below. We trim this thread frequently to maintain 30 day run. Information on sun requirements and cold tolerance given if available Pictures of mature specimens shown when possible In depth posts with lots of photos on some species
PRICING ON PLANTS SHOWN On some plants, pricing given with the post You can use quick link for all our prices: PALM PRICES OR CYCAD PRICES	SPECIALS AND SALES Specials below apply to drop in visits or mail orders. Photos are representative. All specials have a termination date and always expire when the current thread expires Ten Day Specials expire ten days after date of posting and are marked in red color. For any sale prices, you must mention all Blog Only Sale Prices when purchasing
DIRECTIONS TO NURSERY CLICK HERE for printable copy of DIRECTIONS 450 Ocean view Ave, Encinitas, CA 92024 Hours: M-Sat, 9AM to 4PM	CONTACT INFORMATION: Phone: 619 291 4605 Email: phil@junglemusic.net or click here FOR INSTANT EMAIL TO Phil
MAIL ORDERS Most orders sent in boxes with Fed Exp. No international shipping. Plants shipped in pots with soil. For larger plants use trucking services.	DELIVERIES (larger orders or larger plants) To almost anywhere within the continental U.S. Quite affordable. We deliver or we utilize independent trucking services on any size plants.

Butia capitata seeds with fresh yellow fruit	Chambeyronia seeds with red fruit - ripe Green seeds, not ready to pick -bad germination	Livistona saribus seeds with blue fruit
Cleaning fruit off Jubaea chilensis	Float test: Note floating seeds	Float test - Astrocaryum seeds floating
Float Test: Note good seeds sink to bottom	Sinking seeds on float test	*Cavity in bad Astrocaryum mexicanum* seeds**
Cavity in Astrocaryum mexicanum	*Cavity in bad Gastrococos crispa* seeds**	Cavity in Gastrococus crispa

Tree with ripe red fruit	First tree in fruit. All seeds are green
Another specimen with ripening fruit

A LOOK AT THE NURSERY QUICK PHOTO TOUR Recently, on a drizzling day, sort of gray and gloomy, the following photos were taken by Alma, one of the staff. These pictures show the unique combination of palms, cycads and succulents that we're offering. You can see how nicely they all blend together. We're showing these photos so you get a feel for our Nursery.

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana	Bismarckia nobiis	Brahea armata	Caryota gigas	Chambeyronia macrocarpa
Chamaedorea costaricana	Coccothrinax species	Copernicia baileyana	Cryosophila species	Cyphophoenix species'
Dypsis decaryi	Dypsis decipiens (habitat)	Dypsis leptocheilos	Dypsis onilahensis	Euterpe edulis
Hedyscepe canterburyana	Howea forsteriana	Howea belmoreana	Jubaea chilensis	Kentiopsis oliviformis
Livistona decipiens	Parajubaea torallyi	Phoenix rupicola	Pinanga coronata	Pritchardia species
Pritchardia species	Ravenea glauca	Ravenea species	Rhapis humilus	Rhopalostylis sapida
Roystonea borinquena	Sabal causiarum	Syagrus pseudococos	Veitchia arecina	Wodyetia bifurcata

CONTAINER SIZE	PHOTO EMPTY CONTAINER	PHOTO OF PLANTS IN THIS CONTAINER
BAND SIZE CONTAINER This pot is 3 x 3 x 9 inches, square in shape. It is used for seedling plants. For most growers, it has replaced the one gallon pot. It is a bit deeper and easier to place in carrying trays. It also conserves space on benches because these can be placed close together. You can get a pretty nice plant in a band container, sometimes up to 30 inches tall.
ONE GALLON POT This is a very common pot used, especially by flower growers and those producing small shrubs. It's a typical first step after germinating a seedling. We prefer using the band containers above as they conserve table and bench space more efficiently and are deeper. Diameter of this pot is six inches but it's only about seven inches deep.

TWO GALLON POT This pot is 7 to 8 inches wide and about 8 inches deep. It is a nice size to move a band plant into. But, it is not particularly deep, so you have to make sure the roots fit into the container. This pot will produce an average plant that is about 2 feet tall. We grow a lot of palms in these pots.
FIVE GALLON POT This pot is 10 inches wide and about 10 inches deep. It produces a plant that is one of the most common sized palms that we sell. It is popular because it's not too heavy to lift and plants are typically three to five feet tall, depending on the species.
SEVEN GALLON POT We really like this container because it produces a good sized plant but isn't as heavy to carry as a 15g. But, for some manufacturing reason, this pot costs twice as much as a 15g. Therefore, most growers aren't buying this sized pot very much nowadays. It is 12 inches wide, and about 12 inches deep.
FIFTEEN GALLON POT This is the most popular sized purchased by people who want a landscape or near-landscape ready size of plant. This container typically supports a palm from four to eight feet size. Weight of this size of container with soil and plant is usually sixty to ninety pounds. It's size is 15 to 16 inches wide and 16 inches deep. Note how this size pot usually has a nice carrying lip at the top of the pot.
TWENTY/TWENTY-FIVE GALLON POTS This is the next size up from a 15g. These pots are typically about 18 to 20 inches wide and 16 to 18 inches deep. They weight anywhere from 125 to 150 pounds with their soil. They can produce a plant larger than the 15g, typically 8 to 10 feet. They usually have a flat lip on the top as shown. The pot shown here is actually a 25g pot. 20 g are a bit smaller.
24 INCH BOX CONTAINER This box is 24 inches wide, square in shape and about 22 to 24 inches deep. The weight of this container depends on the mix, but is anywhere from 175 to 300 pounds (this heavier weight is if one is using a very heavy soil). It takes two men to lift one of these. We prefer plastic boxes as shown here, but they are much more expensive than wooden box. They last a very long time.

PALM TREE, CYCAD & TROPICAL PLANT BLOG PLANTS FOR SALE

SPECIAL SALE ITEMS

NEW PLANT ARRIVALS & DISCOUNT PLANTS PALM TREE, CYCAD AND TROPICAL PLANT BLOG

CARYOTA GIGAS "THAI MOUNTAIN GIANT", "KING KONG PALM", "BLACK STEM FISHTAIL"

BAD PALM SEEDS? HOW CAN YOU TELL?

ZAMIA FISCHERI AKA ZAMIA VASQUEZII

DWARF GREEN MEXICAN CYCAD CONES AT A SMALL SIZE - NEVER OVER 3 TO FOUR FEET TALL TEN DAY SPECIAL CIT POT SIZE

ENCEPHALARTOS LEHMANNII BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD FOR SUN

BRAHEA MOOREI AVAILABLE THE DWARF ROCK PALM

SILVER BRAKE FERN PTERIS CRETICA

KAHILI GINGER HEDYCHIUM GARDNERIANUM

CHAMAEDOREA HOOPERIANA BAMBOO PALM THAT IS TALL AND FULL

RHOPALOSTYLIS SAPIDA THE SHAVING BRUSH OR FEATHER DUSTER PALM

EPIDENDRON ORCHID VARIOUS COLORS AVAILABLE - PINK – BLOSSOMS SHOWN HERE

CHAMAEDOREA TRUNKING RADICALIS MEDIUM HEIGHT MATURE - THIN TRUNKS

DIOON EDULE SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED MEXICAN CYCAD

BIRDS NEST ANTHURIUM ANTHURIUM HOOKERI

THE PERFECT COMPANION PLANT

TASMANIAN TREE FERN DICKSONIA ANTARCTICA

ARCHONTOPHOENIX BEATRICAE RARE VARIETY OF THE KING PALM

ARCHONTOPHOENIX BEATRICAE RARE VARIETY OF KING PALM

CHAMAEDOREA TEPEJILOTE SINGLE TRUNK, TALL SHADE-LOVING PINNATE PALM

PHOENIX ROEBELENII THE PYGMY DATE PALM

RHAPIS EXCELSA THE LADY PALM

RHOPALOSTYLIS CHEESEMANII MORE RARE SPECIES OF THIS GENUS

CHAMAEDOREA TENELLA DWARF SINGLE TRUNK

ENCEPHALARTOS PAUCIDENTATUS MEDIUM TO LARGE RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

ENCEPHALARTOS PAUCIDENTATUS MEDIUM TO LARGE RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

BROMELIADS IN THE LANDSCAPE VERSATILE, EASY TO GROW COMPANION PLANTS

CHAMAEDOREA CATARACTARUM THE CAT PALM

RAVENEA RIVULARIS THE MAJESTY PALM

CHAMAEDOREA COSTARICANA ONE OF THE BEST BAMBOO PALMS

CLIVIA MINIATA FLOWERS IN EARLY SPRING - ORANGE VARIETY FILTERED LIGHT PLANT - EASY TO GROW

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA THE FLAME THROWER PALM NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA THE FLAME THROWER PALM NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

COPERNICIA PRUNIFERA THE CARNAUBA WAX PALM

AECHMEA SPECIES BRANCHING YELLOW BLOSSOM

KENTIOPSIS OLIVIFORMIS A GREAT CROWN SHAFTED PALM FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

PINANGA JAVANA SINGLE TRUNK, TROPICAL & EXOTIC SPECIES

PRESTOEA MONTANA AKA PRESTOEA ACUMINATA VAR. MONTANA

LIVISTONA LANGINOSA THE WOOLY LIVISTONA

DYPSIS ALBOFARINOSA CLUMPING MADAGASCAR PALM WHITE CROWN SHAFTS - VERY RARE

SABAL ETONIA SMALL FAN PALM NATIVE TO FLORIDA

VARIEGATED SHELL GINGER NICE 5G SIZE READY FOR THE GARDEN

VARIEGATED SHELL GINGER NICE 5G SIZE READY FOR THE GARDEN

FARFUGIUM JAPONICUM VAR GIGANTEUM VARIEGATED GIANT LEOPARD LIGULARIA

CHAMAEDOREA BENZIEI RARE SINGLE TRUNK CHAMAEDOREA LIKE C. RADICALIS ON STEROIDS!

HOWEA FORSTERIANA THE KENTIA PALM

DIOON MEROLAE SLOW GROWING SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED CYCAD

PHILODENDRON SELLOUM AKA PHILODEDRON BIPINNATIFIDUM

HAWAIIAN TI PLANTS GREAT COLOR FOR THE GARDEN ASSORTMENT OF NEW VARIETIES AT NURSERY

ENCEPHALARTOS LONGIFOLIUS EXAMPLES OF MEDIUM SIZED PLANTS FOR SALE

SPECIMEN SIZE KENTIA PALMS HOWEA FORSTERIANA

DYPSIS LUTESCENS THE ARECA PALM

DYPSIS PLUMOSA THIN TRUNK PALM FROM MADAGASCAR

VEITCHIA MERRILLII HYBRID POTENTIAL TO GROW SOMETHING THAT CAN'T BE GROWN HERE

HYOPHORBE VERSCHAFELTII THE SPINDLE PALM

BUTIA PARAGUAYENSIS BLUE-GREEN BUTIA FROM SOUTH AMERICA

CYCAS GUIZHOUENSIS RARE SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED CHINESE CYCAD

CHAMAEDOREA TEPEJILOTE SINGLE TRUNK, TALL SHADE-LOVING PINNATE PALM

PHOENIX RUPICOLA THE CLIFF DATE PALM

LACCOSPADIX AUSTRALASICA SINGLE TRUNK MOUNTAIN FORM

LACCOSPADIX AUSTRALASICA SUCKERING OR SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM

BURRETIOKENTIA HAPALA NEW CALEDONIAN PALM

SABAL MINOR THE DWARF PALMETTO

LEPIDOZAMIA HOPEI LEPIDOZAMIA SPECIES WITH WIDER LEAFLETS

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $255 TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $235

BRAHEA ARMATA THE MEXICAN BLUE FAN PALM BLUE HESPER PALM

DYPSIS ONILAHENSIS SINGLE TRUNK OR SUCKERING PALM

RHAPIS EXCELSA THE LADY PALM

ENCEPHALARTOS AEMULANS GREEN, RARE CYCAD FROM SOUTH AFRICA

ZAMIA FISCHERI AKA ZAMIA VASQUEZII

DWARF GREEN MEXICAN CYCAD CONES AT A SMALL SIZE - NEVER OVER 3 TO FOUR FEET TALL TEN DAY SPECIAL CIT POT SIZE

ENCEPHALARTOS LEHMANNII BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD FOR SUN

RECYCLE USED PLASTIC CONTAINERS AND OLD NEWSPAPERS AND BOXES

DESCRIPTION , PHOTOS, AVAILABILITY and REGULAR PRICES

PALM TREE, CYCAD & TROPICAL PLANT BLOG
PLANTS FOR SALE

NEW PLANT ARRIVALS & DISCOUNT PLANTS
PALM TREE, CYCAD AND TROPICAL PLANT BLOG

CARYOTA GIGAS
"THAI MOUNTAIN GIANT", "KING KONG PALM", "BLACK STEM FISHTAIL"

BAD PALM SEEDS?
HOW CAN YOU TELL?

ZAMIA FISCHERI
AKA ZAMIA VASQUEZII

DWARF GREEN MEXICAN CYCAD
CONES AT A SMALL SIZE - NEVER OVER 3 TO FOUR FEET TALL
TEN DAY SPECIAL CIT POT SIZE

ENCEPHALARTOS LEHMANNII
BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD FOR SUN

BRAHEA MOOREI AVAILABLE
THE DWARF ROCK PALM

SILVER BRAKE FERN
PTERIS CRETICA

KAHILI GINGER
HEDYCHIUM GARDNERIANUM

CHAMAEDOREA HOOPERIANA
BAMBOO PALM THAT IS TALL AND FULL

RHOPALOSTYLIS SAPIDA
THE SHAVING BRUSH OR FEATHER DUSTER PALM

EPIDENDRON ORCHID
VARIOUS COLORS AVAILABLE - PINK – BLOSSOMS SHOWN HERE

CHAMAEDOREA TRUNKING RADICALIS
MEDIUM HEIGHT MATURE - THIN TRUNKS

DIOON EDULE
SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED MEXICAN CYCAD

BIRDS NEST ANTHURIUM
ANTHURIUM HOOKERI

TASMANIAN TREE FERN
DICKSONIA ANTARCTICA

ARCHONTOPHOENIX BEATRICAE
RARE VARIETY OF THE KING PALM

ARCHONTOPHOENIX BEATRICAE
RARE VARIETY OF KING PALM

CHAMAEDOREA TEPEJILOTE
SINGLE TRUNK, TALL
SHADE-LOVING PINNATE PALM

PHOENIX ROEBELENII
THE PYGMY DATE PALM

RHAPIS EXCELSA
THE LADY PALM

RHOPALOSTYLIS CHEESEMANII
MORE RARE SPECIES OF THIS GENUS

CHAMAEDOREA TENELLA
DWARF SINGLE TRUNK

ENCEPHALARTOS PAUCIDENTATUS
MEDIUM TO LARGE RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

ENCEPHALARTOS PAUCIDENTATUS
MEDIUM TO LARGE RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

BROMELIADS IN THE LANDSCAPE
VERSATILE, EASY TO GROW COMPANION PLANTS

CHAMAEDOREA CATARACTARUM
THE CAT PALM

RAVENEA RIVULARIS
THE MAJESTY PALM

CHAMAEDOREA COSTARICANA
ONE OF THE BEST BAMBOO PALMS

CLIVIA MINIATA
FLOWERS IN EARLY SPRING - ORANGE VARIETY
FILTERED LIGHT PLANT - EASY TO GROW

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA
THE FLAME THROWER PALM
NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA
THE FLAME THROWER PALM
NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

COPERNICIA PRUNIFERA
THE CARNAUBA WAX PALM

AECHMEA SPECIES
BRANCHING YELLOW BLOSSOM

KENTIOPSIS OLIVIFORMIS
A GREAT CROWN SHAFTED PALM FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

PINANGA JAVANA
SINGLE TRUNK, TROPICAL & EXOTIC SPECIES

PRESTOEA MONTANA
AKA PRESTOEA ACUMINATA VAR. MONTANA

LIVISTONA LANGINOSA
THE WOOLY LIVISTONA

DYPSIS ALBOFARINOSA
CLUMPING MADAGASCAR PALM
WHITE CROWN SHAFTS - VERY RARE

SABAL ETONIA
SMALL FAN PALM NATIVE TO FLORIDA

VARIEGATED SHELL GINGER
NICE 5G SIZE READY FOR THE GARDEN

VARIEGATED SHELL GINGER
NICE 5G SIZE READY FOR THE GARDEN

FARFUGIUM JAPONICUM VAR GIGANTEUM
VARIEGATED GIANT LEOPARD LIGULARIA

CHAMAEDOREA BENZIEI
RARE SINGLE TRUNK CHAMAEDOREA
LIKE C. RADICALIS ON STEROIDS!

HOWEA FORSTERIANA
THE KENTIA PALM

DIOON MEROLAE
SLOW GROWING SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED CYCAD

PHILODENDRON SELLOUM
AKA PHILODEDRON BIPINNATIFIDUM

HAWAIIAN TI PLANTS
GREAT COLOR FOR THE GARDEN
ASSORTMENT OF NEW VARIETIES AT NURSERY

ENCEPHALARTOS LONGIFOLIUS
EXAMPLES OF MEDIUM SIZED PLANTS FOR SALE

SPECIMEN SIZE KENTIA PALMS
HOWEA FORSTERIANA

DYPSIS LUTESCENS
THE ARECA PALM

DYPSIS PLUMOSA
THIN TRUNK PALM FROM MADAGASCAR

VEITCHIA MERRILLII HYBRID
POTENTIAL TO GROW SOMETHING THAT CAN'T BE GROWN HERE

HYOPHORBE VERSCHAFELTII
THE SPINDLE PALM

BUTIA PARAGUAYENSIS
BLUE-GREEN BUTIA FROM SOUTH AMERICA

CYCAS GUIZHOUENSIS
RARE SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED CHINESE CYCAD

CHAMAEDOREA TEPEJILOTE
SINGLE TRUNK, TALL
SHADE-LOVING PINNATE PALM

PHOENIX RUPICOLA
THE CLIFF DATE PALM

LACCOSPADIX AUSTRALASICA
SINGLE TRUNK MOUNTAIN FORM

LACCOSPADIX AUSTRALASICA
SUCKERING OR SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM

BURRETIOKENTIA HAPALA
NEW CALEDONIAN PALM

SABAL MINOR
THE DWARF PALMETTO

LEPIDOZAMIA HOPEI
LEPIDOZAMIA SPECIES WITH WIDER LEAFLETS

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $255
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $235

BRAHEA ARMATA
THE MEXICAN BLUE FAN PALM
BLUE HESPER PALM

DYPSIS ONILAHENSIS
SINGLE TRUNK OR SUCKERING PALM

RHAPIS EXCELSA
THE LADY PALM

ENCEPHALARTOS AEMULANS
GREEN, RARE CYCAD FROM SOUTH AFRICA

ZAMIA FISCHERI
AKA ZAMIA VASQUEZII

DWARF GREEN MEXICAN CYCAD
CONES AT A SMALL SIZE - NEVER OVER 3 TO FOUR FEET TALL
TEN DAY SPECIAL CIT POT SIZE

ENCEPHALARTOS LEHMANNII
BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD FOR SUN

RECYCLE USED PLASTIC CONTAINERS
AND OLD NEWSPAPERS AND BOXES