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PALM TREE, CYCAD & TROPICAL PLANT BLOG
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New plant arrivals, desirable species and requested plants included
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Blog discusses palm trees, cycads and tropical plants

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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

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On some plants, pricing given with the post
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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

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WEDNESDAY, 31 JULY, 2024

WATER FEATURES IN THE GARDEN
POND, STREAM, POOL, WATERFALL
ALL ENCHANTING AND RELAXING

There's something about having a water feature in the garden that gardeners find very appealing. I'm not sure if it's the movement, sound or just appearance. But, people will go to great lengths to make it perfect. I've had customers create 100 foot long streams, rock mountains with waterfalls into pools, coy ponds, or simple circulating ponds. I even had one who put in a volcano waterfall with a large palm being "the flames" of the volcano. Here I'm showing some photos of more classical usages of water in the garden. I hope you enjoy them - who knows, maybe you'll get a few ideas.

CYCAS MEDIA
LUSH GREEN AUSTRALIAN CYCAD
THIN TRUNK, UP TO 20 FEET
NICE LANDSCAPE PLANTS AVAILABLE

This attractive cycad is native to Queensland, Australia. It has green leaves five to six feet long and in a lifetime can get a trunk up to 20 feet. Trunk diameter is typically about 8 to 10 inches. Leaf stems are minimal armed and leaf color is green on both sides. It will take coastal sun but would be better with part day sun or filtered light far inland. Shown here are several 15g and one 20g plants. We may have smaller available. Any of these plants can be shipped by mail order. This is a pretty rare species that you can find easily.

A different, even bigger 20g specimen

A different, much older 15g specimen

BURRETIOKENTIA KOGHIENSIS
RARE NEW CALEDONIAN PALM

NARROW TRUNK & WHITE CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 25G PLANTS

Back in the year 2000, I was the President of the International Palm Society. I set up the 1998 Biennial in Thailand at Nong Nook Gardens. I arranged with the Palm Society of New Caledonia to have to 2000 Biennial in their country. The palms of New Caledonia are some of the most exciting and prettiest palms of the world. This gave my son Jesse and I a great opportunity to see the New Caledonian palms in the wild.

About 45 minutes out of Noumea (the capitol) is Mount Koghi. This is the home habitat for Burretiokentia koghiensis. It has a thin to medium trunk, a white crown shaft and gets to about 25 feet tall. It's very beautiful and does great in Southern California. Most grow it in part day sun. Cold tolerance is into the mid-twenties F. (sort of like a King Palm with tolerance of cold). Shown here are plants that we germinated about 10 years ago. They are finally really nice, old 25g plants. You'll not see locally grown plants of this species and size around at all. And, never on sale.

REGULAR PRICE 25G $650
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25G $575

We only have a few of these, so don't dally. It's a fabulous addition to any garden. Mention this Special.

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.

RHOPALOSTYLIS BAUERI
NORFOLK ISLAND PALM

SINGLE TRUNK - CROWN SHAFTED
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

Rhopalostylis baueri, the Norfolk Island Palm, is native to two locations. Norfolk Island (an Australian island) is the home of the classic Rhopalostylis baueri but there is also a population in Kermadec Islands, a New Zealand territory. The population of Rhopalostylis baueri on Norfolk Island is near the elevated center of the island, rare elsewhere. In this locality, it is threatened by rodents that eat the seeds and young seedlings. In the Kermadec location, this species is found on Raoul Island. It is more plentiful there because there have been efforts to eliminate the rat population. In my experience, this species does best in less than full sun along the coast. Half day morning sun is about perfect. It has a cold tolerance into the low 20's F. and is being grown in the SF Bay area. Anticipate a height typically of about 25 feet mature. Shown below are our 15 gallon plants but we should have small as well. The 8th photo is c/o Wikipedia.

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

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.

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. If we run out of plumosa, we do have similar sizes of Chamaedorea glaucifolia, which is almost a twin-species to the plumosa.

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

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

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.

DYPSIS PLUMOSA
THIN TRUNK PALM FROM MADAGASCAR

FLUFFY LEAVES – SILVER CROWN SHAFT
TOLERATES SUN ALONG TH COAST
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 5 GALLON PLANTS

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 5 gallon plants on sale. These 5g plants are about six feet tall. So, for mail order, they’d take a very tall box. The last photo is c/o TS at RPS.

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

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.

DYPSIS ONILAHENSIS HYBRID
COULD END UP BEING SINGLE TRUNK OR A SUCKERING PALM

SHOULD TOLERATE COASTAL SUN WITH MEDIUM MAATURE HEIGHT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This pure 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 on sale here are a hybrid of the Dypsis onilahensis. Unfortunately, we do know know what it’s hybridized with. So, it’ll be a surprise if you figure it out. It may have either flat or droopy leaves/leaflets and white to silver crown shafts. Overall height should be about twenty feet as a guess. We can’t be sure as it’s a hybrid. It should like coastal part day sun, perhaps more, and should be cold tolerant to the mid-twenties F. The plants on sale are the 5g size with an age of about 5 years from seed.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $125

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

FULL HOT SUN - EXTREMELY COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE 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 one gallon plants. They can be shipped for mail order customers. We also have other sizes available. These one gallons are easy to ship. The eighth photo below is by TS at RPS.

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

Remember: Mention this Special for your discount.

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!

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA
THE FLAME THROWER PALM
NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

DARK GREEN CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND 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. The 7th and 9th photos by HJD and TS at RPS.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $57.50

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

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.

CYCAD HYBRID - CYCAS REVOLUTA X DEBAOENSIS
INTERESTING AND FAIRLY COLD HARDY HYBRID

TAKES PART DAY SUN
NEVER TOO TALL - VERY RARE CROSS
TEN DAY SPECIAL FIVE GALLON SIZE PLANTS

With the introduction of the very rare Cycas debaoensis, it was just a matter of time before this cross was done. It's between the Sago Palm (seed bearer with this cross) and the aforementioned debaoensis. It is an interesting hybrid with bifurcation of the leaflets or leaf stems. See photos below. I'd recommend growing it in part day sun. Cold tolerance should be into the upper teens F. This hybrid has only been recently offered for sale. I'm showing in the 3rd row of photos one picture of the C. revoluta followed by two of the C. debaoensis.

I anticipate it'll be a small to medium sized mature plants. It's a great alternative to using the common Cycas revoluta. Leaf color will be green and there will be some spines of the leaf stems. Sorry, but there are no reputable photos of this hybrid in a mature size available at this time. I'm showing our five gallon size below. Caudex size is about two to three inches. I can't show a mature plant for you as I know of none around.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $250
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 5 GALLONS $195

These would be easy to mail order.

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 $300

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

ENCEPHALARTOS TRISPINOSUS
BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

SOUGHT AFTER - SPINY LEAFLETS
LOVES SUN AND PRETTY COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE WITH CAUDEX 5-6 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 typically have prominent lobes. But, be aware that this species is quite variable and has many forms. There is even a spineless leaflet form. With this said, most specimens you see will have prominently prickly and lobed leaflets. These will want full sun along the coast and are cold hardy to about 22 degrees F. We asre putting on speciasl a 15 gallon plant with a caudex size on these is about 5-6 inches. Its leaflets are spiny but not as much as one typically sees. So, if you don't like prickles, this might be the right plant for you. After acclimation, one can plant it directly into the ground in full coastal sun. This plant can be mail ordered directly to your door.

REGULAR PRICE THIS 15 GALLON WITH CAUDEX OF 5 TO 6 INCHES $825
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE ACTUAL 15 GALLON CYCAD AS DESCRIBED $700

ENCEPHALARTOS EUGENE-MARAISII
EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE BLUE TRANSVAAL CYCAD

NATIVE TO SOUTH AFRICA – EXTREMELY RARE
TEN DAY SPECIAL THREE VERY NICE 15 GALLON PLANTS

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 three very beautiful and well grown 15 gallon plants of this species on special. The caudex sizes are all 4 inches. Realize that this is a super rare and slow growing species and it’s taken seven or eight years to reach this size. And, finding such plants for sale is not easy. These plants can be mail ordered - and if you order quckly, you'll get your pick of the litter. Or, buy all three and have a good chance of getting both a male and female plant that, when mature, may be able to set viable seeds.

REGULAR PRICE THESE RARE 15 GALLON CYCADS WITH 4 INCH CAUDEXES $1200 EACH
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS GROUP OF 15 GALLONS AS DESCRIBED $900 EACH

YUCCA ROSTRATA
BLUE SUCCULENT WITH AMAZING COLD HARDINESS

SEMI-DWARF SIZE MATURE
BEING GROWN IN NEW YORK IN THE SNOW!
JUVENILE 4 INCH POTS ON SALE

This small to medium sized, drought tolerant plant is native to the southern U.S. border and down into Mexico. It is usually a single trunk mature plant but can fork above the ground. Most notable is the silver-blue foliage as shown here. It is very slow growing. Over time it forms a trunk about eight or ten inches thick. Foliage is about 2 feet long and not "pokey" or sharp. It demands full sun and is cold hardy at least into the single digits F. I had a customer call me from New York City recently to tell me that a plant bought from us about three years ago was thriving in his yard. Gardeners like this species because it's not very big and gives nice color to a sunny garden. The size we’re putting on sale are juvenile 4 inch pot size and have four to six leaves. This is a good starter size but will take time to make a nice garden plant. These would be easy to mail order. Of note, we also have 3 gallon for sale. Garden photos are by it.dreamstime.org and USF.ed

REGULAR PRICE 4 INCH $40
TEN DAY SPECIAL 4 INCH $35

MAIDENHAIR FERN
GENUS ADIANTUM

NICE 2G PLANTS
WATER LOVING SHADE FERN
TEN DAY SPECIAL FULL 1G PLANTS

The genus Adiantum or Maiden Hair Fern contains many species and cultivars. If you Google the genus, you'll see all sorts of different looking plants. What I'm showing here is the plant on the West Coast that we consider to be the "classic Maidenhair Fern". They are in 2 gallon pots. They never get over two feet tall, like water and are best grown in filtered light.

REGULAR PRICE 2G $40
TEN DAY SPECIAL 2G $30

Remember to mention this Special. Mail order is possible on this size. The last photo shows a close up of a garden plant.

PHILODENDRON RED CONGO
AKA "CONGO ROJO"

ATTRACTIVE COMPANION PLANT FOR FILTERED LIGHT
DARK LEAVES, RED STEMS / RED BACKS OF LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 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.

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

OVERHEAD PURPLE-GREEN LEAVES
BEAUTIFUL HUGE DISPLAY OF PURPLE-WHITE FLOWERS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

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 15 gallon plants that we’re putting on sale. See first six photos below. I’m also showing photos of the flower and garden specimens. Be aware that these plants are never inexpensive to purchase and very difficult to find.

REGULAR PRICE THESE HARD TO FIND 15 GALLON $350
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 15 GALLON $285

MONDAY, 29 JULY, 2024

CHAMAEDOREA HOOPERIANA
SUCKERING, SHADE LOVING
GREAT INTERIOR OR PATIO PLANT

This species was named about a decade ago after a friend of mine and Palm Society member, Luis Hooper. It is a suckering, medium sized shade palm with thin trunks and prominent rings on the trunk. Overall height peaks out at about twelve feet. Clumps do not run. Leaf color is green and leaf length is four feet. It is similar to Chamaedorea costaricana but with longer leaves and a fuller appearance overall. It is an easy species to grow and does great as an interior palm. I'd recommend filtered light in the garden. Cold tolerance is into the mid-twenties F. or perhaps lower. We have a good selection of larger plants and very limited supply of smaller plants. The garden photo below is c/o RPS.

ROYSTONEA BORINQUENA
PERHAPS A MORE COLD HARDY ROYAL PALM

PHOTOGRAPHS OF MATURE PALMS - COMMENTS ON AVAILABILITY
IT'S BEEN A DIFFICULT SPECIES TO FIND

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 we do get some in from time to time. At this moment we are sold out except on smaller plants. It's been hit or miss. If you want some when they become available, email and I'd email back when we have this species for sale.

DINING IN THE GARDEN
WHAT'S NICER THAN EATING OUTSIDE
MEMORIES OF MARDI DARIAN

Now deceased and long time friend of mine, Mardi Darian of Vista, California would entertain friends and visitors at an outdoor dining area behind his house. This garden dining location was enchanting and beautiful. Nestled right among towering palms and tropical plants, one could take in the panoramic view of the garden while enjoying a fine meal. All of us should be so lucky. Mardi really had a great eye for garden design. He passed away in August, 2015 and has been missed by many plant enthusiasts.

WODYETIA BIFURCATA
THE FOXTAIL PALM

THIN TRUNK, FLUFFY GREEN LEAVES
MEDIUM SIZED MATURE PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25 GALLON SIZE

The Foxtail Palm, Wodyetia bifuracata, is native to Queensland, Australia and is a single trunk palm. It gets to about twenty-five feet height, has fluffy green plumose leaves, is crown shafted as shown below and is single trunk. It has a thin trunk, usually mature about six to eight inches. It is a great species for more inland areas that see a fair amount of heat. It does love heat and sun. Although some like to plant this species in colonies of two or three plants, it looks great as a stand-alone single palm. Because it wants sun, it should not be put in a shady area. Cold hardiness is about 23 to 25 degrees F.

REGULAR PRICE 25 GALLON $675
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25G $550

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 $245
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $225

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

WALLICHIA DISTICHA
FISHTAIL APPEARING SINGLE TRUNK PALM THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND

ALL LEAVES IN ONE PLANE
A VERY INTERESTING AND PECULIAR PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL LIMITED NUMBER 15 GALLON

This unusual palm that has all of its leaves in a single plane. That is to say from the front, it is a fairly large, "Caryota-appearing" palm tree. But, looking from the side, it is narrow and you can hardly see it. The dictionary definition of "distichous" is: "Arranged in two vertical rows on opposite sides of an axis: distichous leaves. " In this case, the trunk of the palm is the axis.

This species is native to the Himalaya Mountains in Asia, spreading from northern India across to northern Thailand. There it grows at altitudes of up to 4000 feet. Because of it's heritage and as you might guess, it does have some cold hardiness and can easily be grown in many areas of Southern California. It tolerates temperatures down to about the mid to upper twenties F. It prefers full sun. Mature height is about 30 feet. Usually this species is single trunk, but in the wild suckering specimens are found. This is not to confuse it with another suckering species, Wallichia densiflora, which is always a clustering species.

Wallichia could be confused with Arenga and Caryota, both of which are also from the same part of the world. All have leaflets that have jagged or toothed apical ends as shown here. All also go through a flowering process that begins at the upper trunk and works its way down the trunk over time. And, all have stems that die after suckering. When there is only one stem (as with this species), the tree will die after it flowers. Seeds of Wallichia disticha are very small as shown here. The back sides of Wallichia and Arenga leaflets are silver whereas Caryotas are green on the back side. This helps in identifying the genus. Trunks of Wallichia disticha are also covered with dense brown fibers as shown here.

We have very limited numbers of this species for sale. I'm showing below as 5 gallon and 15 gallon plant as well as seeds (very small) of this species. For someone who likes different species, this one is for you. And, we do still have a few available. As mentioned, these are near impossible to find for sale.

TEN DAY SPECIAL OUR FEW 15 GALLON SIZE $265

DYPSIS DECARYI
THE TRIANGLE PALM

MEDIUM MATURE HEIGHT
THREE SIDED CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 15 GALLON SIZE

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. The 15g plants on special are chunky and nice.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 15G $200
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $180

Habitat picture Madagascar by MR

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

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 $235

CHAMAEDOREA KLOTZSCHIANA
RARE UNDERSTORY PALM - GROUPED LEAFLETS

SINGLE STEM, THIN TRUNK, MEDIUM HEIGHT MATURE
TEN DAY SPECIAL VERY TALL 5 GALLON SINGLES

This is a single trunk species from Mexico that is most known for having grouped leaflets along the rachis. It has a thin trunk about an inch in diameter and a somewhat open crown. The leaflets are attached to the rachis at irregular angles so that the leaflets look as if they were a group of bow ties attached to the leaf stem. Cold hardiness is into the mid-twenties F. It likes filtered light or perhaps a little bit of sun. Some like to plant this species as a grouping or colony of multiple plants. Mature height is from ten to fifteen feet. I've shown two close-ups of the leaflets as this is the most charming characteristic of this species. The plants on sale just arrived and are very tall 5 gallon singles – most overhead with their tall leaves. The photos don't show it well, but these leaves are above Brandon's head and he's six foot six inches. These are really too tall for mail order but would be easy to fit into most cars if you visit..

REGULAR PRICE THESE TALL FIVE GALLON SINGLES $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $120

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

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

NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND
5 GALLON SIZE NOW AVAILABLE
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE

I have not shown this species that often because it's rarely available and very difficult to find. 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. We have a limited number of 5 gallons available (first five photos). Some pots have two plants per pot - so there's a chance to set some seeds. These can be mail ordered. I'm also putting them on special. Please appreciate that this is a super rare species and is seldom offered for sale. Note that the photos below show several larger plants from the nursery. This size can be easily shipped for mail order.

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

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.

RHOPALOSTYLIS CHEESEMANII
MORE RARE SPECIES OF THIS GENUS

GORGEOUS CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE 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. The band size are four to five years old and absolutey huge for their pots - needing repotting or putting into the garden.

REGULAR PRICE THESE HUGE BAND SIZE $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE BAND SIZE $55

Just mention this Blog special for this discount. These can be mail ordered. We also have 5g (shown beloww) and 15g sizes available. The 8th photo is c/o cloudforest.com website.

5g size

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 PAUCIDENTATUS
MEDIUM TO LARGE RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

UPRIGHT GREEN LEAVES
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 $85
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $65

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

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.

ENCEPHALARTOS LONGIFOLIUS X E. ARENARIUS
ANOTHER OUTRAGEOUS SOUTH AFRICAN HYBRID

SHOULD BE BLUE WITH ELEGANCE AND SPINY LEAFLETS
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE SEEDLINGS

Another Encephalartos hybrid we're offering is E. longifolius crossed with pollen from E. arenarius. Both parents had blue color. This is the first time we've offered this cross. It'll be medium size with nice color, probably curved leaves and leaflet spination. Culture is similar to the cross above.

TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS HYBRID CYCAD IN BAND SIZE $55



Encephalartos longifolius	Encephalartos longifolius	Encephalartos arenarius

DIOON CALIFANOI
MEDIUM SIZED MEXICAN CYCAD

KEELED, ARCHING LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 7 GALLON SIZE

There is some type of seductive quality to this rare species of Dioon. I think it's because of the compact, rigid, keeled and curved leaves. At times they are a bit bizarre appearing - but 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 low 20's F. The ten year old plant below is in a 15 gallon pot with a caudex of 3.5 inches.

REGULAR PRICE THIS 7 GALLON WITH CAUDEX 3.5 INCHES $625
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE 7 GALLON $515

Remember to mention this Blog Special for this price when you purchase. This size is easy to mail order.

MACROZAMIA COMMUNIS
MEDIUM SIZED GREEN CYCAD FROM EASTERN AUSTRALIA

GREAT COOL WEATHER CYCAD FOR MAN AREAS
TEN DAY SPECIAL DECADES OLD 25G SPECIMEN CYCAD

In contrast to Macrozamia riedlei, this species is from the opposite eastern coast of Australia in the New South Whales district. There is has a wide distribution extending south to more cool areas. Trunks are rather thick and can be up to six or so feet tall. Leaves are green with fine pointed leaflets and a leaf length of about six feet. To get a nice mature specimen takes 30 years or more. I'd estimate the cold hardiness to be down to about 20 degrees F. or a bit colder. It prefers full sun in most areas. On special is a 20 to 25 years old specimen in a 25g pot and a caudex 12 inches wide and 12 inches tall. It is shown in the first six photos. The eighth photo is c/o plantsystematics.org website.nn

REGULAR PRICE THIS 25 GALLON SPECIMEN $1900
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD $1500

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 plant pricing.

TEN DAY SPECIAL ANY LARGE CYCAD SHOWN BELOW - 20% 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

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. If this plant is too big for you, we also should have a few 5 and 15g plants.

REGULAR PRICE THIS 25 GALLON $485
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS TREE $400

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

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

AVAILABILITY CHANGES WEEKLY
TEN DAY 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, so what we show here today might be gone next week.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 3 GALLON VARIETIES OF HAWAIIAN TI $60
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 3 GALLON TI'S $47.50

                          FRIDAY, 26 JULY, 2024

GASTROCOCOS CRISPA
AKA ACROCOMIA CRISPA
THE CUBAN BELLY PALM

SPINY PINNATE PALM
CENTRAL TRUNK SWOLLEN

Native to various areas of Cuba, this single trunk spiny palm is most known for the prominent bulge in the central trunk as shown here. The spines on the trunk are variable. Some older plants seem to lose their spines whereas others keep them. See the photos below. I've shown some photos that definitely show the bulge in the trunk.

Heights can get to over thirty feet, crowns are full, leaves are plumose and overall appearance of the trees are very interesting. This is a full sun species that can be grown in frost free areas of Southern California. We probably have some smaller sizes available presently. BTW, I am old fashioned and really like the old name of Gastrococos crispa.

THE TRAVELER PALM
RAVENALA MADAGASCARENSIS
BANANA APPEARING TREE IN ONE PLANE

CAN BE GROWN IN SOUTHERN CA
CURRENTLY 5 AND 15 GALLON AVAILABLE|
THEY'RE DIFFICULT TO FIND

For about a year folks have called us to obtain smaller sized Traveler Palms. But, we didn't have any. We can now announce that we just got in some fairly nice 5g. We have about ten for sale. They are about three feet tall. 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. So people can take advantage, we're putting them on special. Remember, this species puts out banana type leaves in one plane. Mature plant height is about 20 feet in our locality. I've got quite a few customers in Southern CA who have such trees in their garden. For people who want something cool looking and rare, this is the right "tree" for you. We presently have 5g and 15g sizes available.

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

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

LARGEST SPECIMENS YOU'LL SEE FOR SALE
GET TO OVER 20 FEET AND TAKE COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25 GALLON - HUGE 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 four plants which are each about fifteen feet tall in their pots. These four 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 (shown below in today's Blog) 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. See photos of containerized plants below. We do have a few with as lesser numbers of canes that are a bit less expensive. And, yes, because of its rarity and difficulty in finding the "real thing", this species is expensive. The garden photo is by FM at the LAA. These oldest/largest divisions were taken from forty year old specimens and have taken ten years to establish as you see them now. On note, we have some 25 gallon with less canes that cost about $400 less.

TEN DAY SPECIAL 25 GALLON SPECIMENS AS SHOWN BELOW $1750

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 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 twelve years old in a 25g pot. If we ever run out of this species, C. glaucifolia is very similar and has the same growing requirements.

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.

TRACHYCARPUS FORTUNEI
THE WINDMILL PALM
ONE OF THE MOST COLD HARDY PALMS

15 GALLON ON TEN DAY SPECIAL

Trachyarpus fortunei is the most commonly available and commonly grown of the Windmill Palms. It is of Chinese origin . It is referred to as the Chinese Windmill Palm, the Windmill Palm, or the Chusan Palm. Note how the term "Windmill Palm" can refer to this particular species or to the genus as a whole. It is not uncommon to see it growing in colder areas of the United States, southern Europe, the Mediterranean and southern portions of Australia and Africa. Cold tolerance is between five and ten degrees F.

Most specimens in many decades get to a height of 25 to 35 feet. The actual trunk diameter is typically six to ten inches. The leaves are typically about three feet in diameter and have variable division of the segments. Leaves are green on the upper side and below, but it is not uncommon for one can see a bit of blue discoloration to the underside of the leaf. Distal leaf segments can flex downward toward the ground. Shown here is our 15 gallon size on Special (first six photos).

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

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.

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

TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 5 GALLON SIZE

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 six years to produce the 5g plants you see here. We do have other sizes for sale and multiple other species of this genus. In the ground they are much faster.

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

Remember: Mention this Special when you purchase to get this discount.

ARCHONTOPHOENIX PURPUREA
THE PURPLE CROWN SHAFT KING PALM

VERY BEAUTIFUL - GOOD GROWER
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE 5 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 6 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). In the pot they are about four feet tall or a bit more. We also have other sizes available. These can be mail ordered.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $115

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

HOWEA BELMOREANA
THE SENTRY OR UMBRELLA PALM

ANOTHER PALM FROM LORD HOW ISLAND
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

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.

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

Please mention this Special at the time of purchase.

CHAMAEDOREA GEONOMIFORMIS
SINGLE TRUNK, DWARF UNDERSTORY PALM

PREFERS FILTERED LIGHT – NEVER TALL
SIMPLE UNDIVIDED LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZED PLANTS

This species has a native distribution that spreads from Southern Mexico down throughout Central America. There are some minor differences in plants from the various areas. Chamaedorea geonomiformis is single trunk and has a simple, bifed leaf as shown here. It's mature height ranges from two feet up to about five feet tall. When trying to identify this species, particularly look at the leaf size, shape, length and width. You'll note that the leaves of this species are longer than they are wide. Compare this to C. ernesti-agusti below that has very wide leaflets. Leaf color is green. Vertical growth is slow. We only have a few of these for sale. I'd estimate cold hardiness into the upper teens perhaps but most assuredly to the mid-twenties. These plants were grown from seeds from Don Hodel’s personal plants. This species does not like direct sun.

Also, be aware that this is a rare and desirable species and seldom seen for sale. We're putting our band size on sale. Very easy to mail order, weather permitting.

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

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase. This size can be mail ordered.

CHAMAEDOREA COSTARICANA
ONE OF THE BEST BAMBOO PALMS

SUCKERING UNDERSTORY PALM - MEDIUM HEIGHT
EASY TO GROW - A GREAT INTERIOR PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE BAND SIZE SEEDLINGS

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 diameer 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 lower 20's F.

Below I'm showing in the first six photos our starter plants in band size. But, they are not small. Most are 18 to 24 inches tall. Some have started to sucker. We do have larger sizes available. The bands would be easy to mail order. BTW, this species is fairly difficult to find. The 8th photo is c/o TS at RPS.

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

SABAL PALMETTO
THE PALMETTO PALM

MEDIUM SIZED COLD HARDY GREEN FAN PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE BAND SIZED PLANTS

This medium to large fan palm is native to the United States and an assortment of Caribbean islands including Cuba. It's native habitat extends as far north as North Carolina. It is amazingly salt tolerant. In Florida you can see it right up into the coastal dunes. I've seen plants just a few feet from the bay at Tampa Bay and thriving. It is green in color and has a trunk that is of variable heights, ranging from ten feet to up to eighty feet – but it’s rare to see them over about 30 feet. This is a durable, hardy palm with obvious salt tolerance. It's cold hardiness is into the mid teens F. and it prefers full sun for optimal growth. However, it does tolerate partial shade. Also, it can tolerate desert conditions if given adequate water. Trunks have a "criss-cross" pattern of attached leaf bases. Later the palm sheds these to show a fairly smooth appearing trunk. With my comments above, you'd think there are lots of these available in CA. This is not the case; they are hard to find. The bands on sale are very nicely sized. Finally, for those of you displaced from South Carolina, you can bring a little of your state to your present location by growing this palm. Sabal palmetto is your state tree. We can ship one right to your displaced location. These are easy to mail order.

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

RHOPALOSTYLIS SAPIDA
THE NIKAU PALM

NEW ZEALAND PALM - BULGING CROWN SHAFT
A FAVORITE OF ALL
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE BAND SIZE

Native stands of Rhopalostylis sapida are found in temperate parts of New Zealand and also on coastal areas of Chatham and South Islands. In these localities it is found in shaded forests and in the more moist bottoms of mountainous gullies. One does not see it at high elevation where severe cold may be seen. Rather it's in the coastal and warmer regions. Being a slow growing species, it is reported that it takes ten to fifteen years in habitat before one begins to see a formed trunk. One report done by the New Zealand government reported that it took forty years to show trunk and that ten meter trees were 200 years old. The point here is that, as a species, the Nikau Palm is slow growing in its natural habitat. Soil in the area is good draining and rainfall is ample

This is a single trunk palm that has green, upright leaves. The hallmarks of this plant are the upright pointing leaves and the swollen crown shaft. Almost always, the crown shaft is prominently larger in diameter than the trunk. The trunk has rings from old leaf attachments. Overall height after many decades is 25 to 35 feet or, on old specimens, even more. Trunk diameter is eight to twelve inches. Leaves are usually eight to twelve feet long. Growth rate is slow. Of note, we’re putting 3 to 4 leaf seedlings on sale in bands on a Ten Day Special. .

REGULAR PRICE BAND $60
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND $50

Mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase for this discounted price. This size is a piece of cake to ship.

BURRETIOKENTIA HAPALA
AN EXOTIC NEW CALEDONIAN PALM FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND 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 palm with a rather thin trunk of about eight inches that gets to a height of approximately 25 to 30 feet. I 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 less. 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. The one larger nursery plant below is a nice 25 gallon. I'd recommend morning sun, a few hours of mid day sun, or bright filtered light. It's a great species to grow and mail order is easy within the U.S. .

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

Remember: Mention this Special for you discount.

DIOON EDULE
BLUE QUERETERO VARIETY

RARE FORM - SUN LOVING BLUE CYCAD
COLD HARDY INTO THE UPPER TEENS F.
GETS BLUE COLOR IN HOT SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL OLDER BAND SIZED PLANTS

In other posts I’ve discussed Dioon edule, 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. The variety on sale here is from the Mexican state of Queretaro. Leaves are typically blue in full bright sun. Leaves are about 4 feet long and leaflets are thin, coming to a pointed end. Mature height after a few decades may be six feet with an trunk height of 18 inches. Cold tolerance is excellent, being able to take cold weather into the teens F. The band size on sale are not new seedlings but rather established older (five year old) plants with an average caudex of 1.5 to 2 inches. The bands are shown in the first five photos below. These are hard to find and easy to mail order. Last photo by MARK MASON.

REGULAR PRICE THESE OLDER BAND SIZE $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE OLDER BAND SIZE $80

Remember to mention this Special for your discount when you purchase. Availability limited. BTW, if these don't sell out, all will be repotted into 5g pots shortly.

ENCEPHALARTOS LATIFRONS
GREEN TO BLUE-GREEN SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD
ONE OF THE MOST RARE CYCADS IN THE WORLD

JUST IN - LIMITED NUMBER 5 GALLON JUVENILE PLANTS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This species is endemic to the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. There are a number of very small and scattered plants in two populations in habitat. This species is on the verge of extinction, decreasing populations can be linked to poaching, agriculture and farming. The climate is hot and dry, rarely freezes and gets very little rain during summer months (the "wet" season). Plants grow in rocky soil and hills, in grasslands and amongst dry scrub brush vegetation. This is a medium sized plant. Leaves can range in size from a meter to a meter and a half depending on cultivar. Stems tend can reach approximately three meters (ancient plant, this is a VERY slow growing species). This species name comes from the Latin words meaning "broad leafed".

E. latifrons is exceptionally rare and has been on the brink of extinction for well over a century. It has green or blue green leaves. There are two distinct cultivars of this plant, "Trappes Valley" and " green hills". Between the two types, the Trappes Valley form is more sought after. It has wide leaflets with prominent lobes (a modified spine) which stack heavily. The leaves also tend to be a bit shorter with a bit more curl (though curl can vary between plants). The green hills variety has smaller leaflets which are spread further apart. The leaves are longer and tend to have a more dull color. Between the two types, the green hills cultivar is a better grower, but isn't nearly as attractive. E. latifrons tend to be dark green on the top of the leaflet and a lighter green (yellow green or blue green) below. Also, they have prominent veining on the bottom side of the leaflet as well. Leaflet are thick and sturdy, with prominent spines. The petioles are armed as well, making this a fairly sharp species. In coastal and inland areas, this plant wants to be in full sun. In desert areas, partial sun or filtered light is ideal. This plant need a soil that drains well.

From a plant enthusiast’s point of view, this is one of the most difficult cycads to obtain in all countries. And, they are always expensive. We got in a limited number of these for sale – all from domestic seed by an experienced grower. They are about four years old and we’re putting them on special. Caudex size is about an inch. Most have three leaves. This size can be mail ordered with the U.S. When these sell out it may be several years before we have them again.

REGULAR PRICE THESE JUVENILE 5 GALLON THIS SPECIES $495
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 5 GALLON AS DESCRIBED $400

ENCEPHALARTOS DYERIANUS
EXTREMELY RARE & HARD TO FIND SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

NATIVE TO THE TRANSVAAL DISTRICT
TEN DAY SPECIAL CIT POT SIZE WITH ABOUT 2 INCH CAUDEX

This sought after and very rare blue to blue-green South African cycad is native to the Limpopo Province in northern RSA. There it is critically endangered with a few hundred plants remaining. It lives on granite mountain slopes at an elevation of about 2000 feet. It prefers full sun and is an average speed growing species. Mature size is over ten feet in habitat in centuries. Leaf color in full sun is typically blue. It is considered one of the more rare of the "Transvaal" South African cycads. On Special and shown below are citrus pot sized plants with 1.5 to 2 inch caudexes. We have a petty nice supply of them. Age is about 6 years. They were grown from domestic seed and pollinated by a very knowledgeable enthusiast. Most have four leaves. The first six photos below show what these plants look like. They are definitely starting to show nice blue color. We may also have other sizes availble. The last row of photos show some garden specimens.

REGULAR PRICE CITRUS POT WITH 1.5 TO 2 INCH CAUDEXES $600

TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT SIZED PLANT THIS SIZE $425

ENCEPHALARTOS NUBIMONTANUS
SUPER RARE BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

MEDIUM SIZE MATURE - TOLERATES COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT SIZED PLANT WITH 2 INCH CAUDEX

This extemely rare blue cycad is endemic to the Limpopo province, South Africa. The species is almost gone in the wild, populations are small and scattered. It is among the species located in the Transvaal region of South Africa, and is highly sought after. This is a small to medium sized species. Leaf length can range between one to two meters, and stems can reach a height of two and a half to three meters with ancient plants. Leaf color is blue to blue-grey. The leaflets and petioles are mildly armed and can be almost completely unarmed in some cases. Compared to the similar E. lehmannii, the princeps leaflets face into the central leaf crown whereas lehmannii face upwards toward the sky. This cycad is a small to medium sized species. Leaf length can range between one to two meters, and stems can reach a height of two and a half to three meters with ancient plants. In coastal and inland areas, this plant prefers full sun, but can tolerate partial sun. For desert areas, I could recommend partial sun or filtered light. We are offering our citrus pot sized plants with 2 inch caudexes on special. They have caudexes of 2 inches. The last row of photos shows mature plants of this species. These plants can easily be shipped. We may also have older and larger plants available. Finally, I want to emphasizxe that this is an extremely rare and sought after species.

REGULAR PRICE CITRUS POT SIZED PLANTS WITH 2 INCH CAUDEX $600
TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT WITH 2 INCH CAUDEX $375

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.

ALOCASIA SUMO
HYBRID ALOCASIA - EXOTIC WITH SOME COLD HARDINESS

MEDIUM SIZED, LUSH TROPICAL COMPANION PLANT
TEN DAY SPECIAL SALE 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 $37.50

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.

ALOCASIA WENTII
SEMI-DWARF TROPICAL ELEPHANT EAR PLANT

PURPLE UNDERSIDE TO LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL OLD 7 GALLON PLANTS

This is a species of Elephant Ear Alocasia. Some feel it comes from the island of New Guinea but others feel that it is a hybrid of unknown origin. The reason I mention it is because it is known to be quite cold hardy, perhaps even adaptable to growing zone 7B. It is a small plant, typically under 3 feet. The dorsal side of the leaves are green while the underside is purple-black. It prefers to stay dry in the winter and likes filtered light. It is a nice companion plant for any garden. Shown below are 7 gallon plants that are on Special.

REGULAR PRICE 7 GALLON THIS SPECIES $165
TEN DAY SPECIAL 7 GALLON SIZE $135

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special when you purchase.

ALOCASIA WENTII
SEMI-DWARF TROPICAL ELEPHANT EAR PLANT

PURPLE UNDERSIDE TO LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON PLANTS

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON THIS SPECIES $100
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $80

Remember to mention this Blog Only Special when you purchase. Mail order possible. The garden photo is c/o johnjearrard.co.uk website.

FARFUGIUM JAPONICUM "SHISHI BOTAN"
THE RUFFLED LIGULARIA

RUFFLED, FRILLY LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON PLANTS

Most of you are familiar with the regular Ligularia that we offer at this Blog. This rare variety on special today has ruffled, frilly leaves and is quite attractive. It gets to a height of 18 inches, takes sun or shade and has yellow daisy-like flowers in the late Fall. They are also an "indicator" plant and tell you when the garden is going dry. Watering these immediately corrects this. Compared to the standard Ligularia, the leaves are quite different with curly and frill leaf edges. These are easy to grow and easy to ship.

TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON $35

Note that we also have 5 gallon size available.

TWO VARIEGATED HIBISCUS
ONE WITH RED FLOWERS, ONE WITH YELLOW

FORM SMALL BUSHES OR TREES
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE & FIVE GALLON PLANTS

Below I am showing you two different variegated Hibiscus.

1. Variegated Hibiscus cooperi - first five photos - red flower
2. Variegated Hibiscus tileaceus hamoe - photos 6 through 8 - yellow flower

All of our Hibiscus have been propagated from cuttings off a mother tree. Some have several plants per pot. As most of you know, Hibiscus make a bush or small tree. Plants are being grown from temperate to tropical localities. Leaves are typically green with finely serrated edges. The two plants on sale are more rare variegated forms but still have the colorful blossoms. All need adequate sunlight. They do not like severe cold weather. Cold makes the flower buds drop off. Keep them damp but not soggy.

TEN DAY SPECIAL 1 GALLON, EITHER TYPE $40
TEN DAY SPECIAL 3 OR 5 GALLON, EITHER TYPE $85

These can be mail ordered but are sort of fragile for traveling and no guarantees can be for perfect condition arrival. Note, we are running out of both of these species.

WEDNESDAY, 24 JULY, 2024

COCONUT PALM
COCOS NUCIFERA

A GORGEOUS TROPICAL PALM
VERY LARGE BRIGHT YELLOW FRUIT
VERY DIFFICULT TO GROW IN SOUTHERN CA

There is hardly a palm more beautiful than Cocos nucifera, the Coconut Palm. Although no one knows for sure it's original native habitat, presently they are found naturalized in tropical areas around the world. They tolerate heat and sun, live right near salt containing oceans and get to a height of about 40 feet. The yellow colored fruits are produced in abundance. You might recognize store bought coconuts that are brown. These are the seeds and within the thick fibrous husk of the fruit. From a cultural point of view, this palm doesn't have a lot of cold tolerance. It succumbs with temperatures below the upper thirties F. There are few if any Coconuts flourishing in Southern CA. Once in a while you'll hear of one that's gotten overhead. But, invariably, even these die. All the photos here were taken in the Miami, FL area. We do carry them from time to time in smaller sizes but try to talk the customer out of getting one. But, you may be able to grow one inside.

CYCAS RUMPHII
FAIRLY RARE, MEDIUM SIZED GREEN CYCAD
REASONABLY COLD HARDY

This species of Cycas is most likely a complex of somewhat different appearing plants depending on where the native habitat is located. Its distribution spreads through the Philippines, Indonesia and New Guinea. This is also a tall species with trunks over thirty feet tall. Trunks are thin, under a foot, and can branch above the ground. Leaves are up to eight feet long and wooly when emergent. Petioles are armed and leaf color is green when mature. Leaves are also flat in cross section.

Characteristic of this species are the wide and glossy green leaflets and rather wide leaves. Shown here is a nice 15g plant demonstrating the appearance of this species. Also shown are garden specimens and lastly a smaller nursery plant. This species likes filtered light and perhaps full sun along the coast. It is a good grower with cold tolerance in the mid to low 20's F. range. Our nursery plants appear untouched by a freeze. Shown in an older 15 gallon plant with trunk.

BECCARIOPHOENIX ALFREDII
THE MADAGASCAR PLATEAU COCONUT PALM

MEDIUM SIZED SINGLE TRUNK
HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER - FULL SUN
AMAZING HUGE SPECIMENS IN 36 INCH BOX SIZE

TEN DAY SPECIAL ON HUGE CONTAINERIZED SPECIMENS

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're putting on sale the largest plants we've ever had for sale - in 36 inch boxes or 35 gallon bags. Heights in the containers is about twelve feet. Limited supplies.

REGULAR PRICE THESE LARGE SPECIMENS $800
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE THESE SPECIMENS $695

You must mention this Internet-only special when purchasing to get this price. Limited supplies available. Two habitat photos by TS at RPS. We only have one or two left.

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 $230

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

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.

BURRETIOKENTIA KOGHIENSIS
RARE NEW CALEDONIAN PALM

WHITE CROWN SHAFT – NEW RED LEAF
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 15G PLANTS

Burretiokentia koghiensis is a fantastic single trunk palm from New Caledonia. About 45 minutes out of Noumea (the capitol) is Mount Koghi. This is the home habitat for this species. It has a thin to medium trunk, a white crown shaft and gets to about 25 feet tall. It's very beautiful and does great in Southern California. Most grow it in part day sun. Cold tolerance is into the mid-twenties F. (sort of like a King Palm with tolerance of cold). The plant below demonstrates how this species, like other New Caledonian palms, can throw a new red leaf. The size I’m putting on sale are really nice 15g plants, about 8 to 9 years old. You'll not see locally grown plants of this species and size around at all. And, never on sale.

REGULAR PRICE 15G $275
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25G $245

We only have a few of these, so don't dally. It's a fabulous addition to any garden. Mention this Special.

SABAL BLACKBURNIANA
LARGE AND TALL FAN PALM

LOVES SUN AND HEAT
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 5-6 years old.

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

Just remember to mention this Special. Last photo by friend Justen Dobbs.

ARCHONTOPHOENIX MAXIMA
LARGEST OF THE KING PALMS

GREEN LEAVES – STATELY TRUNK AND CROWN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 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 5 gallon size, mostly singles. 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 5 GALLON $135
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $115

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.

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.

PRESTOEA MONTANA
AKA PRESTOEA ACUMINATA VAR. MONTANA

RARE PINNATE PALM FROM PUERTO RICO
TEN DAY SPECIAL GOOD SIZE 5 GALLON

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 5g 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. We have limited numbers available.

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

Remember: Mention this Special for this price! Mail order possible.

ARCHONTOPHOENIX BEATRICAE
PROBABLY A VARIETY OF A. ALEXANDRAE
SWOLLEN BASE OF TRUNK

STEP OFFS AT THE GROWTH RINGS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

Archontophoenix Beatricae has always been a bit of a problem for taxonomists - whether it's truly a species or a variety. Some feel it's a variety of A. alexandrae. I won't get into that argument here. But, the plants shown below came from seed from a A. beatricae. Note the very swollen trunk base. It flairs out. It is also known to have notches or "step offs" at the growth rings. I don't have a good photo close up of the latter. These plants need to be repotted or go into the ground. They can take coastal sun. Cold hardiness is about 25 degrees F. The 5g size singles are on sale but we may have a few multiples we'd offer at the same price.

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

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

LICUALA SPINOSA
SUCKERING FILTERED LIGHT FAN PALM

EXOTIC WHEN WELL GROWN
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZED SEEDLINGS

FACTS ABOUT LICUALA SPINOSA

Common Names:	Spiny Licuala palm, Mangrove Fan Palm
ID:	2181
Locality:	Southeast Asia
Cold Hardiness:	26Âº F.
Trunk Type:	This palm has slender trunks (about an inch); crown is brown and fibrous.
Leaf Type:	Fan leaf, the petiole (leafstalk) is heavily armed with spines.
Suckering/Solitary:	Suckering (multiple trunks).
Maintenance:	Is a great palm for those who have some experience growing palms. Normal watering needs.
Speed of growth:	Slow
Height:	Approximately 8 feet
Soil requirements:	Rich soil with good drainage.
Sun requirements:	Shade or filtered light.
General Description:	This is a very nice palm for a true enthusiast. It can be a bit fickle but it is worth a try if you live in a warmer area.
Further Data:	If you like this palm see Rhapis excelsa, Licuala ramsayi, Licuala radula, Licuala elegans and Sabal mauritiiformis.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $57.50
(Note: these are a simply ship for mail order)

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA
THE FLAME THROWER PALM
NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

DARK GREEN CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND 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. The 7th and 9th photos by HJD and TS at RPS.

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

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

KENTIOPSIS PYRIFORMIS
SUPER RARE SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM

NATIVE TO NEW CALEDONIA
THIN TRUNK - VERY ELEGANT
SPECIAL - VERY NICE BAND SIZE PLANTS

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 only have an excellent selection of large band sized plants. This is an extremely rare species and we rarely have them for sale.

REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $65
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $57.50

Photos of large plant below by TS at RPS.

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

YES, SEEDLINGS OF THE REAL THING!
STRONG STARTER PLANTS
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.

CYCAS PANZHIHUAENSIX X CYCAS DEBAOENSIS
CYCAD HYBRID OF TWO RARE SPECIES

NEVER AVAILABLE BEFORE
CANNOT PREDICT FUTURE APPEARANCE
TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE ONE GALLON

We're offering on special a very rare hybrid of the genus Cycas. Both parents are native to China. The C. panzhiuaensis is known for it's medium size, blue-green foliage in sun and cold tolerance. Cycas debaoensis is known for it's mutlipinnate leaves and fluffy leaf appearance. I've only had these plants off and on for about a year. There are no pictures of mature plants available. It should make a small to medium sized adult plant and take at least part day with a cold hardiness into the low 20's F. The plants on special are super large one ore one and a half gallons with about 2 inch thick caudexes. They need to be repotted or planted. Only a few left to offer.

REGULAR PRICE THESE 1 GALLON $165
DAY SPECIAL THESE PLANTS $140

Remember to mention this Blog Special when you purchase to get this price. The first garden photo is the panzhihuaensis and the next is the debaoensis.

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.

REGULAR PRICE THIS ACTUAL 15 GALLON CYCAD $525
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD $465

CERATOZAMIA MEXICANA
GREEN CYCAD FROM MEXICO
BLOWOUT SALE CONING SIZED PLANTS

TEN DAY SPECIAL CONING SIZED PLANTS

This gorgeous cycad is green in color and native to lowland as well as mountainous areas of Vera Cruz, Mexico. There are various forms. Some are green emergent but we’ve seen an occasional bronze emergent type. This is a medium to large cycad with crown spreads of eight to ten feet. Leaves tend to be horizontal and sometimes a bit dependent, especially on older leaves. Leaf stems are spiny. Leaf length can be six feet easily. Leaflets are medium width with no spines on their edges. Caudex size can get up to two feet. Most would grow this is a bit of sun or filtered light. But, right on the coast, some have grown it well in half day sun. Cold tolerance is down to the low 20’s F.

We have an excellent selection of this species and have selected some of the 15 gallons for a Ten Day Special. Caudexes are four to six inches. Most are coning size. These came recently from a private collection and some need to throw out new leaves. But, all are super healthy and have seen temperatures well into the twenties

REGULAR PRICE THIS SIZE IN 15 GALLON $700
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE IN 15G $595

This is a great price for these plants, many of which are 15 years old. This size can be delivered but may be too big for mail order.

ENCEPHALARTOS LANATUS
A RARE BLUE CYCAD FROM SOUTH AFRICA
LOVES HEAT AND SUN - VERY THIN LEAFLETS

TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT SIZE

This beautiful South African species of cycad is best known for the silvery throw of new leaves that it displays. It has a medium sized trunk, usually to a maximum height of six feet. It does sucker from the base. Leaves are about three feet long and arching downward. The leaflets are very narrow and essentially unarmed. When new leaves emerge they are a brilliant silver in color. I was absolutely stunned by the beauty of this species the first time I saw a mature plant throw new leaves. As they age, they become more of a blue green color.

The native locality for this species experiences extremes in weather from very high summer heat to definite freezes in winter. In the garden, this species demands sun. I'd estimate cold hardiness to be in the low 20's. It is a good species for those in cooler areas who still get summer heat. .

Shown here is a citrus pot sized plant that has a caudex of 2.75 inches. Age is about 8 to 10 years from germination. Remember that rare cycads are sold by their caudex size. We’re offering nice prices on this size. If you buy one and it’s a bit smaller caudex size, it’ll cost less. If it’s bigger, it’ll be more.

REGULAR PRICE CITRUS POT WITH 2.75 INCHES OF CAUDEX $510
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $430

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.

EDIBLE BANANA THAT MANY OF YOU CAN GROW!
MUSA GRAN NAIN

VARIETY THAT CHIQUITA UTILIZES FOR MARKET FRUIT
TEN DAY SPECIAL NEAR FRUITING SIZE 15 GALLON

This banana cultivar is popular worldwide and is the variety of choice for Chiquita Banana Company. It is a cultivar of Musa acuminata. It produces a huge amount of bananas if well grown. It is common for one plant to produce over 40 pounds of fruit. The fruit is medium sized, firm and sweet. Plants get to about 9 feet height, sucker when a fruit stem has finished and require half sun or full sun if possible. They benefit from large amounts of compost or soil amendments and do require fertilization to make good fruit. Leaves are typically solid green. They are a quick growing species. They do best in frost free areas but can recover from a freeze. Of note, remove the fruit when it's still a bit green and wait for it to ripen off the tree. We are offering 15g plants on Special. They are nicely sized and most are overhead in their pots. The photo of the fruit is by A-S.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON THIS SIZE $195
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 15 GALLON $165

VARIEGATED SHELL GINGER
NICE 5G SIZE READY FOR THE GARDEN

HANGING WHITE FLOWERS
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 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 last photo shows our 15g size of the green form of this species which is not on sale right now.

REGULAR PRICE 5G SIZE $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $80

Just mention this Blog Special to get your discount.

BRAZILIAN RED CLOAK
MEGASKEPASMA ERYTHROCHLAMYS

MEDIUM SIZED BUSH / TREE WITH PROMINENT RED BLOSSOMS
NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND FOR SALE
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 $45

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.

MONDAY, 22 JULY, 2024

BISMARCKIA NOBILIS
STUNNING BLUE FAN PALM FROM MADAGASCAR

LOTS OF PHOTOS OF THE SPECIES

Today I'm going to show you lots of pictures of one of my favorite palms, the desirable Bismarckia nobilis. It is native to Madagascar. It is a fan palm with a rather stout trunk of sixteen to about twenty-four inches in diameter. Heights can reach over forty feet although it's unclear how tall they will grow domestically in the U.S. Leaves are blue in color as are the leaf stems. Leaves are broad and essentially flat. With cold weather and on juvenile plants, leaves can take on a purple color from winter's cold.

Bismarckia love full hot sun. It can be grown in desert areas. Cold tolerance is down to the low 20's F. The pictures shown today are of assorted trees of varying heights. I've tried to show plant detail that you'll not find easily on the Internet. Remember that this is a dioecious species with male and female trees. One needs both a male and female palm with cross-pollination to set viable seeds. The seeds shown here are maturing seeds on female plants.

I hope you like this species. It looks best (in my opinion) planted as a single specimen. I have shown a few pictures of plants at the nursery at the bottom.

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.

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.

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



Veitchia merrillii	Veitchia arecina

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 $265
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $225

Remember: Mention this Special for your discount.

HEDYSCEPE CANTERBURYANA
FROM LORD HOWE ISLAND

SILVER CROWN SHAFT - SILVER TRUNK
UMBRELLA SHAPED CROWN OF LEAVES
ONE OF PRETTIEST PALM TREES AROUND
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

We have available some nice 15g plants of Hedyscepe canterburyana. This single trunk palm has a silver crown shaft, silver trunk (in shade) with prominent rings. It is native to medium elevations in the mountains of Lord Howea Island (home of the Kentia Palm). It is single trunk. Mature height is about 20 feet. They fruit here and seeds are large and red in color. Along our coast here it takes full sun but also does well in part day sun or strong filtered light. Trunks are beefier in sun. Cold tolerance is about 25 degrees. When folks see this plant in person, most agree it is one of the most desirable palms around. We are putting our 15g size on special - shown in first six photos. This size is about six years old. The last photo shows the blue-silver trunk on a specimen in my own garden. Important - they are slow growing!

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

The 15 gallon size is shown in the first six photos. Of note, we do have smaller sizes available.

LIVISTONA LANUGINOSA
THE CAPE RIVER LIVISTONA – THE WOOLY LIVISTONA

TALL FAN PALM WITH THIN TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE

This Australian fan palm is a very interesting species and also known as the "Wooly Livistona". It is apparently threatened in habitat. In the northeastern part of Australia it lives at an altitude of 200 meters. It reaches a height of over fifty feet with a trunk that’s about a foot thick. Leaves are bluish or blue-green, stiff and waxy. Leaf stems have barbs and leaves extend out six to eight feet. It is most similar to Livistona marie but, by report, has larger purple fruit. It is one of the most rare species of this genus. It enjoys full hot sun. Exact cold tolerance is unclear but probably into the mid-twenties F. We have a limited number of 15g which we’re putting on special. The habitat photo is by John Dowe of AU.

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

BRAHEA NITIDA
FLAT GREEN LEAF - NATIVE TO MEXICO

CAN TOLERATE LESS THAN FULL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G PLANTS

This interesting fan palm is native to Mexico, where it lives in the western portion of the country in mountainous areas. Its distribution extends down into Guatemala. It attains a height of thirty feet with a stout trunk of one foot diameter. The most attractive thing about this palm are its circular leaves, with only partial division of the segments. This is particularly apparent when it is grown in filtered light. In sun, the leaves are less flat and more divided. When grown in shade, sometimes this species reminds me of a "Licuala-looking" palm in its leaf appearance.

Cold hardiness is at least into the mid-twenties F. It may in fact be more cold hardy. The leaves are a shiny green with a white discoloration on the underside of the leaves. The petioles are essentially un-armed. From time to time we have this species available. Shown here are nice 5g which I'm putting on sale. The close up of the petioles shows the lack of armor. Note the minimal division of the leaflets. The plant in the garden below shows more circular, flat near entire leaves. Compare this to the habitat photo, which was taken by a friend of mine, Justen Dobbs, in habitat and in full sun. The leaves in full sun are more divided and not as tropical appearing.

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

Remember, mention this Blog Only Special for price at the time of purchase. Limited numbers available. The photo from habitat is by Justen Dobbs

SERENOA REPENS
SOUGHT AFTER BLUE FORM

SUCKERING, SEMI-DWARF FAN PALM
VERY COLD HARDY, SUN LOVING
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

This suckering fan palm is native to the southeastern gulf states of the U.S. and some adjacent island areas. Native habitats even extend up into the Carolinas. It gets to a mature height of six to eight feet. It loves sun and heat. Leaf color varies from blue to green or somewhere in-between. The plants on sale today are in 5 gallon pots but not overly large. We do have larger, but on this batch are offering a very good price. It is slow growing and has smaller sized leaves. It forms a clump over time. The plants on special are about four years old. Of note, young plants never show blue - but these plants are just showing it. Cold hardiness is into the upper teens F. The last row of photos show plants in gardens or habitat.

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

Remember: Mention this Blog Special for your discount.

ROYSTONEA REGIA
THE CUBAN ROYAL PALM

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

This pinnate New World species is another favorite of mine. There are multiple species of Roystonea. The most common and sought after species is the Cuban Royal, Roystonea regia. Compared to the South American Royal Palm, Roystonea regia's leaves hang down past (lower than) the midway point of the crown. Roystonea oleracea's leaves stop at the "half moon" point and don't hang down near the trunk.

Royal Palms love heat and sun. Cold tolerance is about 25 degrees F. They are fast growers. We have a pretty good supply available of assorted sizes. Note how the base of the well grown Royal Palm is quite swollen and fat. On up the trunk there is variable swelling present. The plants I'm putting on special today are an easily shipped size of 5 gallon but would take a tall box. They are about 6 to 8 feet tall in their pots.

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

Remember to mention this Blog Special to get this price when you purchase. Note: All the garden photos below were taken in Southern California. Yes, they grow easily in many areas here.

SABAL CAUSIARUM
LARGE TRUNKED TROPICAL FAN PALM

TRUNK IS SMOOTH AND LIGHT COLORED
SUPER COLD HARDY
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZED PLANTS

This is one of my favorite Sabal species and I’m sure it may become one of yours as well. 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 quite thick, smooth and a light tan to gray color. Trunks can be up to 30 inches in diameter. They are almost like a concrete pillar. Leaf color is blue-green. Growth rate is good and it likes full, hot sun. Cold tolerance is into the mid-teens F. The size we’re putting on sale is 5 gallon. These can be mail ordered.

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

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.

SABAL ETONIA
DWARF SABAL SPECIES FROM FLORIDA

NEVER OVER SIX TO EIGHT FEET TALL
MINIMAL TRUNK - DIVIDED FAN LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE SEEDLINGS

This dwarf species of Sabal is different than the more commonly seen Sabal Palmetto. It is native to Florida, stretching from the Panhandle down through the peninsula. It forms minimal trunk - one to two meters at most. Leaves are green and have divided segments. Growth rate is slow. Cold tolerance is into the teens F. and they take full sun. They are very difficult to find for sale. These are seedling plants. Figure cold hardiness about 16 degrees F.

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

The garden photo is from Fairchild Botanical Garden c/o PalmPedia.

KING PALM
ARCHONTOPHOENIX CUNNINGHAMIANA

MEDIUM TO TALL, FULL OR PART DAY SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL 4 INCH JUVENILE PLANTS

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 2 to 3 year old seedlings in 4 inch pots and easy to mail order. Some are multiple but most are singles. Easy to mail order, weather permitting.

TEN DAY SPECIAL 4 INCH POT SIZE $37.50

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

ENCEPHALARTOS ALTENSTEINII
LARGER GREEN CYCAD FROM SO AFRICA

FULL CROWN OF LEAVES - HUSKY TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL OLDER 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. They are 3 years old and have 4 to 5 leaves. These are easy to ship within the U.S.

REGULAR PRICE THESE OLDER BAND SIZE $75
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE THESE SEEDLING $65

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

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 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

ENCEPHALARTOS NATALENSIS
MEDIUM SIZED GREEN SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

FAST GROWING – TOLERATES COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL VERY NICE 25 GALLON PLANT

This versatile green cycad is a mainstay of every cycad collection. There's not a cycad enthusiast who's not growing this species. It is native to the Eastern Cape in South Africa. There it is found in various regions with differences in plant appearance from area to area. Thus, there are probably about six varieties of this species, all a bit different. So, when you see an Encephalartos natalensis in a garden, it may look a bit different than the next one you see. Trunks get up to twenty feet in a century or two. Leaves are five to eight feet long, straight or minimally arched, and more compact in bright sun. Growth rate is medium to fast. I'd consider this a medium to large species. Cold tolerance is about 22 degrees F. The plant on special is in a 25 gallon container and has a caudex that is 12 inches wide and a similar height. We have a few others of similar size in this collection.

REGULAR PRICE THIS ACTUAL CYCAD $1300
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD $1150

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

MEDIUM THICK TRUNK - GREEN LEAVES
EASY TO GROW IN MOST AREAS - TOLERATES COASTAL SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL ASSORTED LARGE 15 & 25 GALLON PLANTS

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. Leafles 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 15g and 25g plants that came from a private garden. We were told that they were at least 25 years old. Some are larger than others. The 15g are in the first two rows of photos below and the larger 25g follow. The smaller 15g have a caudex of about ten inches and the tallest (oldest) 25g have thick caudexes with about 18 inches vertical height. These are sun grown outdoors. We're putting this species on Ten Day Special. These plants were dug and potted up over two years ago. All are sturdy and healthy cycads.

These are very large for their containers and quite old. Many are too big for mail order. Some are in our growing grounds so, if you are interested, it'd save time to call us first.

TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON SIZE $475
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25 GALLON SIZE $675

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

MACROZAMIA RIEDLEI
RARE GREEN CYCAD FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA

TRUNKLESS OR NEAR-TRUNKLESS SPECIES
TEN DAY SPEECIAL 25 GALLON SIZE

This fairly rare and seldom available green cycad is native to south-western Austailia and is known for forming no trunk or minimal trunk. Its is rarely over six to eight feet tall. Leaves are green with fine leaflets. Leaf length is five to six feet with a gentle arch. Sometimes leaf color is a gray-green. Leaves are fairly glossy and it has smaller cones than most other landscape species. It tolerates full coastal sun and would prefer at least half day sun in most areas. Cold tolerance is well into the twenties F. It likes well-draining sandy soil. We have two 15g plants availabled, both the sam size. Caudexes are 8 to 9 inches. Age on these is about fourteen years. They can be shipped mail order in a large box. The plants on Special are shown in the first ten photos below, each separately. .

REGULAR PRICE THESE 8 TO 9 INCH SPECIMENS $1050
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 15G PLANTS THIS SIZE $850

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. Of note, oversized 1 gallon also on special. Most have caudexes of 3 to 4 inches. Easy to ship.

REGULAR PRICE THIS 15G CYCAD $750
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS ACTUAL CYCAD $600

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

DICKSONIA ANTARCTICA
THE TASMANIAN TREE FERN

FAIRLY COLD HARDY, THINNER TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 5G SIZE

This typically single trunk tree fern is native to Southeastern Australia and Tasmania. It is much slower growing than the Australian Tree Fern above and has a mature height typically of 8 to 10 feet although they can get even taller. Trunks are a similar diameter to the Australian Tree Fern. Of note, apparently the lower trunk is filled with old, decaying trunk material and new roots grow through this material to get water and nutrition. Cuttings of the top of the trunk can be re-established and root out. This plant likes a bit of sun or filtered light and also loves water. Cold tolerance is 25 degrees F. or lower. The 5g on sale here are very nice as shown.

REGULAR PRICE 5G $95
TEN DAYS SPECIAL THIS SIZE $75

Remember: Mention this Blog Special for your discount.

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

NEORGELIA RED THROAT
LIPSTICK RED CENTERS WITH GREEN LEAVES

GROWN IN FULL COASTAL SUN - MASSIVE 15 GALLON CLUMP
FOR SOMEONE WHO WANTS AN IMMEDIATE "SHOW"
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE ACTUAL PLANTS

This suckering Neorogelia red throat species has been growing in our full sun. It has been growing outdoors for years and receives good sun. It has an estimated twenty heads of leaves (plants) that had a prominent rred color to their central leaves. We have several of these available. It's in a 15 gallon pot and is very large and full of individual plants. The blossoms are inside the individual cups formed by the leaves and small blue glowers. But, the inner part of each blossom plant are lipstick red. These are very showy plants. Compared to the Aechmea shown above, these plants are about half the mature height and closer to the ground. They do want their leaf cups to have water - whch means overhead water (easy with a hose or sprayer system). Many of the colorful Neorogelia like shade or filtered light but this species tolerates Coastal sun. If you like such large specimen Bromeliads, we have an assortment of older plants with multliple heads and blossoms. They are landscape ready. The garden photos show usage of Bromeliads in the garden.

REGULAR PRICE THIS MASSIVE 15 GALLON CLUSTER $350
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE 15 GALLON $275

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

SUNDAY, 21 JULY, 2024

CHRISTMAS DAY - PALM & TROPICAL PLANT EXCURSION

AROUND SAN DIEGO, CA
UNUSUAL SPECIES - TREES IN FLOWER
LOTS OF DIFFERENT PALMS

A few years ago my wife and I were sort of bored come mid-Christmas day. No family visitors - All by ourselves. So, off we went to do one of our favorite things. That is - driving around looking for unusual plant species. We do this from time to time. Our local Royal poinciana has been forming mature seed pods, so that was a great starting point. From there we went to Balboa Park to photograph some nice palms. Then, area by area we worked our way to Mission Bay Park near San Diego Bay. I'm sharing some photos of great species that may interest you. I particular focused on Brahea edulis (which does super well here) and a stand of Livistona decipiens (decora) in fruit. Included are some nice succulent trees and some flowering trees still with blossoms in December. Also shown below are a few nice palm species. All in alphabetical order. This is just meant to be a photographic presentation.

Archontophoenix purpurea, Balboa Park	Bauhinia variegata in blossom	Bauhinia variegata in blossom
Brachychiton rupestrisut	Brachychiton rupestris	Brahea armata juvenile
Brahea edulis, fruiting	Brahea edulis, fruiting	Brahea edulis, close up of rough trunk
Caryota gigas, not mature size	Caryota gigas	Coryline fruiticosa in full sun
Crinum amabile - Queen Emma Lily	Crinum amabile - Queen Emma Lily	Dasylirion longissimum
Dracena draco	Dracena draco fruit	Dracena draco
Dypsis lutescens Balboa Park S.D.	Howea forsteriana triple	Hibiscus in December flower
Hibiscus in December flower	Hyphanae species	Jubaea chilensis
Jubaea chilensis	Livistona decipiesn - decora	Livistona decipiesn - decora
Livistona decipiesn - decora	Livistona decipiens	Livistona decipiesn - decora
Papaya with December fruit	Papaya with December fruit	Phoenix reclinata
Phoenix reclinata	Sabal aplmetto	Sabal palmetto
Staghorn Fern in tree	Staghorn Fern in tree	Trithrinax acanthicoma
Trithrinax acanthicoma	Trithrinax acanthicoma	Tropical Garden JW
Veitchia species	Veitchia species	Veitchia species
Washingtonia robusta, old and tall along street	Washingtonia robusta telephoto from 2 miles	Mitzi, my wife, palm spotter next to Jubaea

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 $550
TEN DAY SPECIAL 25 GALLON SIZE SINGLES $465

CHAMAEDOREA COSTARICANA
ONE OF THE BEST BAMBOO PALMS

EASY TO GROW - A GREAT INTERIOR PALM
TEN DAY SPECIAL BOTH 15 & 25 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 five photos the 15g size followed by the 25g size in the following five photos. These are followed by mature garden plants. If you are interested in mail order, select a 5 gallon plant (not shown) which is easier to ship. BTW, this species is fairly difficult to find. BTW, we are very limited on our 25 gallon size - shown in photos below #6 - #10.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $265
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE 15 GALLON $245

REGULAR PRICE HUGE 25 GALLON $750
TEN DAY SPECIAL SALE PRICE 25 GALLON $650

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!

PARAJUBAEA TORALLYI
THE SOUTH AMERICAN "COCONUT PALM"
PRESENTLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND AVAILABLE

TALL SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM FROM SOUTH AMERICA
SPECIMEN TYPE PALM WITH PRETTY GOOD COLD TOLERANCE
TEN DAY SPECIAL NICELY SIZED 15 GALLON SIZE

This morning I thought I'd talk about this South American palm and include a fair amount of information. I'm doing this because I've found there is often confusion with the genus "Parajubaea". I included the common name of "South American Coconut" for this genus because the new palm enthusiast will most likely forget these long winded scientific names. I particularly want to emphasize P. torallyi because I think it's such a great plant and easy to grow. It has two forms.

Parajubaeas are all from South America. About twenty years ago the genus was:"reborn" with the importation of seeds of various species from habitat. Enthusiasts had to learn more because they had "new plants" in front of them. Also, this gave palm people the opportunity to grow all of the species. There are three species and one sub-variety. These are Parajubaea cocoides, sunkha, and torallyi.  Parajubaea torallyi has a sub-variety named P. torallyi variety microcarpa.  P. cocoides has historically been the species that people have grown for the longest period. This species is a bit different appearing than all the others with greener leaves and slower growth. The other three types of Parajubaeas began their notoriety when seeds began being imported. The seeds are very large (hence the term "Coconut"), shaped like a Coconut seed in a way, and some have the most peculiar wings or flanges at the end. Of these three other species, all are easier to grow and faster than P. cocoides. Long term survival has also been better in California. All are from high elevation in the Andes in Bolivia.  P. torallyi comes from elevations of up to ten thousand feet and has been reported to be the "highest elevation palm tree in the world". Cold tolerance of these three later species is excellent, with some surviving into the upper teens F. All have a somewhat silver-green leaf and leaflets. All have a husky trunk. To compare these palms, here's a synopsis.

Parajubaea torallyi: Tallest of the three, up to fifty feet. Husky trunk averaging 18 inches. Largest seed of the group. Fast growing in the ground.
Parajubaea torallyi variety microcarpa: Smaller than regular torallyi, trunk height to 30 perhaps 40 feet, thinner trunk, smaller seed, equal growth habit
Parajubaea sunkha:  Originally thought to be variety of torallyi, now known to be a species. Smallest of these three species with trunk height 25 feet. In habitat, grows at lower elevation, 6000 feet.
Parajubaea cocoides:  Natural habitat not known, may actually be a variety of P. torallyi, less cold hardy than others above, less silver in the leaves. Not as good a grower as any of the three above.

This is a full sun genus of palms. It is best to start them in strong filtered light. Germination of seeds is difficult. This is the first time I've offered this species in years because of the lack of any seeds for years. On the garden photos, the first is from a garden in Encinitas, CA. The second from Balboa Park, San Diego.   The last c/o the European Palm Society in Bolivia.

REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON $350
TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON $300

I have limited numbers presently but anticipate a few more later this week. These are fairly large for their pots.

BURRETIOKENTIA KOGHIENSIS
RARE SINGLE TRUNK PALM FROM NEW CALEDONIA

WHITE TO BROWN-GREEN CROWN SHAFT
MEDIUM TO TALL HEIGHT MATURE

TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE 15 GALLON

This is good sized, crown shafted pinnate palm from New Caledonia. It comes from Mt.
Koghi in the central area of the island. Mature trees obtain a height eventually of 40 feet or more. The leaves tend to be upright in the crown and the crown shaft has a white color. It is more difficult to find than other species of Burretiokentia. An interesting thing about this species is that younger plants have a triangular shape in the crown shaft area below the leaves. The blossoms are also quite furry and unusual appearing. It appears to be cold tolerant into the mid to upper twenties F. and tolerates full or part coastal sun. Shown here is a 15g plant as well as mature specimens from the wild. Our 15 gallon plants are really a 24 inch box size. They are too tall for mail order but we should have smaller, shippable sizes available. The 8th & 9th photos are from habitat from a trip that my son, Jesse, and I took in the year 2000.

REGULAR PRICE THESE HUGE 15 GALLON PLANTS $275
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE 15 GALLON $245

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.

HOWEA BELMOREANA
THE SENTRY OR UMBRELLA PALM

ANOTHER PALM FROM LORD HOW ISLAND
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

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

Please mention this Special at the time of purchase.

KENTIOPSIS OLIVIFORMIS
A GREAT CROWN SHAFTED PALM

IDEAL FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MEDIUM MATURE HEIGHT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE

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 New Caledonia 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 the 5 gallon size we’re putting on special Growth rate on this species is good. This species is highly recommended.

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

The 5 gallon size is shown in the first 5 photos. The garden trees are growing in San Diego County.

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

CHAMAEDOREA COSTARICANA
ONE OF THE BEST BAMBOO PALMS

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.

DYPSIS PRESTONIANA
VERY RARE SINGLE TRUNK PALM FROM MADAGASCAR

PLUMOSA LEAVES – COLORFUL CROWN SHAFT
TEN DAY SPECIAL 2 GALLON SIZE

This highly sought-after, single trunk species from Madagascar is very beautiful. It falls into the category of a “must have ” species. This species comes from mid-elevation in southern Madagascar and is proving to be a great species for Southern California. It has a height of over 30 feet, a thick trunk that is about 12 to sixteen inches thick with prominent rings, plumose upright leaves and a colored crown shaft. The crown shaft has white silver, orange and black colors. Cold tolerance appears to be into the mid-twenties but is not yet worked out. Mature trees tolerate full sun along the coast. The mature photos are by TS at RPS. One photo is c/o John Dransfield, Kew Botanical Garden in London. We’re putting 2 gallon plants on Special.

REGULAR PRICE 2 GALLON SIZE $80
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $70

Remember to mention this Special. These can be mail ordered.

DYPSIS LEPTOCHEILOS
THE TEDDY BEAR PALM

RUST COLORED CROWN SHAFT
THIN SILVER RINGED TRUNK
TEN DAY SPECIAL ONE GALLON SIZE

This great palm is known for its rusty-brown/red crown shaft that is quite fuzzy to the touch. It therefore has its common name the Teddy Bear Palm. It is not a huge palm, usually getting up to about twenty-five feet with a six inch thick trunk. Trunk color is silver with prominent rings. Leaf color is green. Right on the coast it takes full sun easily. Far inland would require part day sun or filtered light. Cold tolerance is down to about 25 degrees F. This is one of the most popular palms around. I’m offering our one gallon size on special. This size is quite large for its pot and definitely needs repotting soon.

REGULAR PRICE LARGE ONE GALLON $70
TEN DAY PRICE LARGE ONE GALLON SIZE $57.50

HOWEA BELMOREANA
THE SENTRY OR UMBRELLA PALM

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

FOR SPECIES DESCRIPTION, SEE ABOVE IN TODAY'S POST

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

Easy to mail order. BTW, folks are growing this species in the SF Bay area.

SABAL PALMETTO
THE PALMETTO PALM

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

DIOON EDULE
BLUE QUERETERO VARIETY

RARE FORM - SUN LOVING BLUE CYCAD
COLD HARDY INTO THE UPPER TEENS F.
GETS BLUE COLOR IN HOT SUN
TEN DAY SPECIAL OLDER BAND SIZED PLANTS

In other posts I’ve discussed Dioon edule, 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. The variety on sale here is from the Mexican state of Queretaro. Leaves are typically blue in full bright sun. Leaves are about 4 feet long and leaflets are thin, coming to a pointed end. Mature height after a few decades may be six feet with an trunk height of 18 inches. Cold tolerance is excellent, being able to take cold weather into the teens F. The band size on sale are not new seedlings but rather established older (five year old) plants with an average caudex of 1 to 1.5 inches. The bands are shown in the first five photos below. These are hard to find and easy to mail order. Last photo by MARK MASON.

REGULAR PRICE THESE OLDER BAND SIZE $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE OLDER BAND SIZE $75

Remember to mention this Special for your discount when you purchase. Availability limited. BTW, if these don't sell out, all will be repotted into 5g pots shortly.

ENCEPHALARTOS KISAMBO
EXOTIC CENTRAL AFRICAN CYCAD

LONG GREEN UPRIGHT LEAVES
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON 2 GALLON SIZE

Encephalartos kisambo is a fast growing species native to Kenya where it grows at elevations of 3000 feet. It is a medium sized mature plant with trunks to eight feet. Leaves are green to soapy green in color, stand erect and are six to ten feet long. Leaflets are 1.5 inches wide, pungently tipped at the end, and spiny along the margins. This is a fast growing species that can tolerate our coastal sun. Far inland locations should use part day sun. Cold tolerance is into the mid-twenties, perhaps a bit lower. We had no leaf damage at the nursery in 2007 with lows of 25 degrees F. Shown here are very nice 2 gallon plants we have on a ten day reduced price – see first six photos below. Also shown are other larger sizes we have but note we have many sizes in between the sale plant and the monster specimens below.

REGULAR PRICE 2 GALLON SIZE $145
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $125

Just mention this Blog special. These are simple to ship by mail order.

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

CYCAS PANZHIHUAENSIS
RARE GREEN CHINESE CYCAD
EXCELLENT COLD HARDINESS

MEDIUM SIZE MATURE
TEN DAY SPECIAL CITRUS POT AS SHOWN

This is a rare green cycad from China. It is different than the Sago Palm - smaller and, to me, more attractive. Leaf color is green to blue green. It tolerates coastal sun and is cold hardy into the upper teens F. Some feel it's one of the most cold hardy cycads in the world - even better than the Sago Palm. Mature height should be about eight feet. They can sucker, but much less than the Sago. They also take up less garden space than the Sago Palm. Leaflets are narrow without armor except on the tips (pointed).

The citrus pot shown in the first five photos has a caudex of 3.5 inches. We also have larger and smaller plants for sale. We are putting plants of this size (3 to 4 inches) on special. These can be easily mail ordered. The first to purchase of course will get the larger plants.

REGULAR PRICE PLANTS WITH THIS SIZE CAUDEX $350
TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $295

This size can be shipped or delivered. Remember, mention this Special when you purchase. The sixth photo shows our 15 gallon size of larger plants.

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

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

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

TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE CLUSTERING 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 late winter into spring. I showed blossoming plants to demonstrate the blossoms.

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

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 $225
TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE 15 GALLON $185

ALOCASIA SUMO
AN EXOTIC ELEPHANT EAR WITH SOME COLD HARDINESS

DARK STEMS - PURPLE VEINS ON THE LEAF'S UNDERSIDE
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON PLANTS

This exciting and super attractive Alocasia hybrid is getting very sought after. It has purple stems and rather large upright leaves that are green with a purple hue and purple veins on the underside. It is a cross between A. portora and A. purple cloak. It is said to grow in zone 7B and even being grown by folks in the SF Bay area. Mature height is six feet or a bit more. It can take partial coastal sun or perhaps full sun right near the Ocean. These plants will be double their size by next summer. The first six photos shown the 5 gallon on sale. I'm also showing a 15 gallon which we also have available.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $80

HELICONIA SCHIEDIANA
BANANA-LIKE SUCKERING TROPICAL PLANT

ORANGE OR RED/YELLOW UPRIGHT BLOSSOMS
TEN DAY SPECIAL ON 5 GALLON SIZE

All of our Heliconia are grown from rhizomes from existing and flowering plants in Southern California. This results in large, very strong growing plants as shown here. Heliconia schiediana can take sun or part sun, gets to a height of sever to eight feet, and flowers freely in the summer. It is very cold hardy. Even if a hard freeze knocks down the leaves, plants usually come back vigorously in the spring. Flowers are red/yellow or orange/yellow. We’re putting the 5 gallon size on special.

REGULAR PRICE 5 GALLON $95
TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON $80

The seventh photo is of a 15 gallon nursery plant. The blossom photo below is by TS at RPS. The last photo shows Heliconia plants in a garden.

TILLANDSIA CLUSTERS
MANY AIRPLANTS IN ONE BUNCH - LARGE CLUSTERS

TEN TO FIFTEEN INDIVIDUAL BROMELIAD PLANTS TOGETHER
IN BLOSSOM SPRING AND SUMMER

TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGE CLUSTERS

These New World epiphytic plants are great fun. They are one of the many genera of Bromeliads. Native to regions stretching from the Southern US down to South America, these plants attach to tree trunks, branches, posts, fences or anything they can find. Most do not live in the ground. They live off of natural rainfall or humidity and are not harmful to the hosting plant/tree. All will flower. Flower color on these plants is blue. They blossom in either the spring or summer.

We have multiple varieties. Most growers divide plants into single plants and sell them one at a time. The plants on sale are clusters (natural) of ten to twenty individual plants. And, we’re putting them on sale! These are very old clusters. You can put them on a piece of bark, wood or whatever you want. Or, hang them from a fence or mount them to a tree trunk. Obviously, these photos were taken during the blossoming period.

REGULAR PRICE THESE CLUSTERS $100 - $135 (MANY PLANTS PER CLUSTER)
TEN DAY SPECIAL - TEN TO TWENTY PLANTS PER CLUSTER $85- $110

Remember: Mention this Blog Special for your discount. These are easy to ship, weather permitting.

END OF OLDER POSTS FOR JULY, 2024 -

NOTE:
EARLIER JULY POSTS HAVE BEEN DELETED BECAUSE THEY INVOLVED OUR SUMMER SALE THAT HAS NOW ENDED.

END OF TRIMMED RECENT POSTS FULL VERSION FOR JULY, 2024
BUT THERE'S EVEN EARLIER POSTS FROM JUNE, 2024 - CLICK BELOW

TO SEE EARLIER POSTS FROM JUNE, 2024, CLICK HERE
TO SEE EARLIER POSTS FROM MAY, 2024, 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 OR PLANT PURCHSES

• 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 AND WE CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SUCCESS WITH ANY GIVEN SPECIES OR PLANT(S)
• 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 YET SHIPPED ORDERS MAY BE SUBJECT TO A CANCELLATION FEE OF 20% OF THE PLANT PRICE(S) - SEE OUR POLICIES.

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TAKE YOUR TIME WITH IT.

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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.


		A different, even bigger 20g specimen
A different, much older 15g specimen

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

CHAMAEDOREA COSTARICANA ONE OF THE BEST BAMBOO PALMS

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA THE FLAME THROWER PALM NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

ENCEPHALARTOS AEMULANS GREEN, RARE CYCAD FROM SOUTH AFRICA

CYCAD HYBRID - CYCAS REVOLUTA X DEBAOENSIS INTERESTING AND FAIRLY COLD HARDY HYBRID

MAIDENHAIR FERN GENUS ADIANTUM

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

DYPSIS DECARYI THE TRIANGLE PALM

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

RHOPALOSTYLIS CHEESEMANII MORE RARE SPECIES OF THIS GENUS

ENCEPHALARTOS PAUCIDENTATUS MEDIUM TO LARGE RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

ENCEPHALARTOS LONGIFOLIUS X E. ARENARIUS ANOTHER OUTRAGEOUS SOUTH AFRICAN HYBRID

DIOON CALIFANOI MEDIUM SIZED MEXICAN CYCAD

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

CHAMAEDOREA TRUNKING RADICALIS MEDIUM HEIGHT MATURE - THIN TRUNKS

HOWEA BELMOREANA THE SENTRY OR UMBRELLA PALM

CHAMAEDOREA GEONOMIFORMIS SINGLE TRUNK, DWARF UNDERSTORY PALM

SABAL PALMETTO THE PALMETTO PALM

RHOPALOSTYLIS SAPIDA THE NIKAU PALM

BURRETIOKENTIA HAPALA AN EXOTIC NEW CALEDONIAN PALM FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

COCONUT PALM COCOS NUCIFERA

BURRETIOKENTIA KOGHIENSIS RARE NEW CALEDONIAN PALM

SABAL BLACKBURNIANA LARGE AND TALL FAN PALM

ARCHONTOPHOENIX MAXIMA LARGEST OF THE KING PALMS

ARCHONTOPHOENIX BEATRICAE PROBABLY A VARIETY OF A. ALEXANDRAE SWOLLEN BASE OF TRUNK

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA THE FLAME THROWER PALM NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

KENTIOPSIS PYRIFORMIS SUPER RARE SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM

VARIEGATED SHELL GINGER NICE 5G SIZE READY FOR THE GARDEN

BISMARCKIA NOBILIS STUNNING BLUE FAN PALM FROM MADAGASCAR

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

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

HEDYSCEPE CANTERBURYANA FROM LORD HOWE ISLAND

LIVISTONA LANUGINOSA THE CAPE RIVER LIVISTONA – THE WOOLY LIVISTONA

SERENOA REPENS SOUGHT AFTER BLUE FORM

SABAL CAUSIARUM LARGE TRUNKED TROPICAL FAN PALM

SABAL MINOR THE DWARF PALMETTO

SABAL ETONIA DWARF SABAL SPECIES FROM FLORIDA

DICKSONIA ANTARCTICA THE TASMANIAN TREE FERN

NEORGELIA RED THROAT LIPSTICK RED CENTERS WITH GREEN LEAVES

CHRISTMAS DAY - PALM & TROPICAL PLANT EXCURSION

CHAMAEDOREA CATARACTARUM THE CAT PALM

HOWEA BELMOREANA THE SENTRY OR UMBRELLA PALM

KENTIOPSIS OLIVIFORMIS A GREAT CROWN SHAFTED PALM

CHAMAEDOREA COSTARICANA ONE OF THE BEST BAMBOO PALMS

SABAL PALMETTO THE PALMETTO PALM

ENCEPHALARTOS KISAMBO EXOTIC CENTRAL AFRICAN CYCAD

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

HELICONIA SCHIEDIANA BANANA-LIKE SUCKERING TROPICAL PLANT

TILLANDSIA CLUSTERS MANY AIRPLANTS IN ONE BUNCH - LARGE CLUSTERS

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

CHAMAEDOREA COSTARICANA
ONE OF THE BEST BAMBOO PALMS

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA
THE FLAME THROWER PALM
NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

ENCEPHALARTOS AEMULANS
GREEN, RARE CYCAD FROM SOUTH AFRICA

CYCAD HYBRID - CYCAS REVOLUTA X DEBAOENSIS
INTERESTING AND FAIRLY COLD HARDY HYBRID

MAIDENHAIR FERN
GENUS ADIANTUM

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

DYPSIS DECARYI
THE TRIANGLE PALM

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

RHOPALOSTYLIS CHEESEMANII
MORE RARE SPECIES OF THIS GENUS

ENCEPHALARTOS PAUCIDENTATUS
MEDIUM TO LARGE RARE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD

ENCEPHALARTOS LONGIFOLIUS X E. ARENARIUS
ANOTHER OUTRAGEOUS SOUTH AFRICAN HYBRID

DIOON CALIFANOI
MEDIUM SIZED MEXICAN CYCAD

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

CHAMAEDOREA TRUNKING RADICALIS
MEDIUM HEIGHT MATURE - THIN TRUNKS

HOWEA BELMOREANA
THE SENTRY OR UMBRELLA PALM

CHAMAEDOREA GEONOMIFORMIS
SINGLE TRUNK, DWARF UNDERSTORY PALM

SABAL PALMETTO
THE PALMETTO PALM

RHOPALOSTYLIS SAPIDA
THE NIKAU PALM

BURRETIOKENTIA HAPALA
AN EXOTIC NEW CALEDONIAN PALM FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

COCONUT PALM
COCOS NUCIFERA

BURRETIOKENTIA KOGHIENSIS
RARE NEW CALEDONIAN PALM

SABAL BLACKBURNIANA
LARGE AND TALL FAN PALM

ARCHONTOPHOENIX MAXIMA
LARGEST OF THE KING PALMS

ARCHONTOPHOENIX BEATRICAE
PROBABLY A VARIETY OF A. ALEXANDRAE
SWOLLEN BASE OF TRUNK

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA
THE FLAME THROWER PALM
NEW RED EMERGING LEAF

KENTIOPSIS PYRIFORMIS
SUPER RARE SINGLE TRUNK PINNATE PALM

VARIEGATED SHELL GINGER
NICE 5G SIZE READY FOR THE GARDEN

BISMARCKIA NOBILIS
STUNNING BLUE FAN PALM FROM MADAGASCAR

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

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

HEDYSCEPE CANTERBURYANA
FROM LORD HOWE ISLAND

LIVISTONA LANUGINOSA
THE CAPE RIVER LIVISTONA – THE WOOLY LIVISTONA

SERENOA REPENS
SOUGHT AFTER BLUE FORM

SABAL CAUSIARUM
LARGE TRUNKED TROPICAL FAN PALM

SABAL MINOR
THE DWARF PALMETTO

SABAL ETONIA
DWARF SABAL SPECIES FROM FLORIDA

DICKSONIA ANTARCTICA
THE TASMANIAN TREE FERN

NEORGELIA RED THROAT
LIPSTICK RED CENTERS WITH GREEN LEAVES

CHAMAEDOREA CATARACTARUM
THE CAT PALM

HOWEA BELMOREANA
THE SENTRY OR UMBRELLA PALM

KENTIOPSIS OLIVIFORMIS
A GREAT CROWN SHAFTED PALM

CHAMAEDOREA COSTARICANA
ONE OF THE BEST BAMBOO PALMS

SABAL PALMETTO
THE PALMETTO PALM

ENCEPHALARTOS KISAMBO
EXOTIC CENTRAL AFRICAN CYCAD

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

HELICONIA SCHIEDIANA
BANANA-LIKE SUCKERING TROPICAL PLANT

TILLANDSIA CLUSTERS
MANY AIRPLANTS IN ONE BUNCH - LARGE CLUSTERS

RECYCLE USED PLASTIC CONTAINERS
AND OLD NEWSPAPERS AND BOXES