Decided to post a few photos of these plants as they are actually growing faster now than in summer... so different than last year at this time when all three have been nearly cut down by that freak freeze.
First is the largest (though started out as one of the smallest, but is fastest growing of the three): Parajubaea sunkha
This palm has taken over second spot as the second fastest grower, Parajubaea unknownia... was P torralyi microcarpum when i bought it, but then it sort of turned into a normal looking P cocoides with bright green wide leaflets that grew laterally (different from all the other Parajubaeas)... but now that it's cool the leaves are back up and palm is growing faster unlike a P cocoides... so, not sure what it is.
then there is this palm, Parajubaea torralyi torralyi... was the largest, but heat in summer really has a bad effect on it, and then last winter I thought it was killed by the freeze- nearly defoliated and spike pulled out etc... but this spring slowly started to grow again, and now is actually noticably getting larger... but two other seedlings, which were dinky strap-leaved palms when this had had fully formed leaves for over a year, have passed it up now.
Which parajubaea's were least hurt by the freeze and the heat? Supposedly torallyi torallyi handles heat and freeze better than coccoides. You were right when you said long ago that the P. torallyi is perfect for Southern California. It can handle those Santa Ana winds which make such a mess of the King Palm leaves (although they can snap a strap). It doesn't need as much water as many palms. You don't have to wrap it during frosts. For some the torallyi has grown 2 feet per year. That is fast! Wow I need to get sunkha next and then a hybrid.
of the three, torrallyi was easily the most damaged... but I don't have a cocoides (that unknown Parajubaea seems to be something else afterall). And it may be fast, but these other two are faster.
This is my P.tm if the pic can help....toto
forgot the pic.
I've probably shown this many times but here is a very large P. torallyi in Orange County, California.
That looks like Ralph's palm, is it?
yes, it is. It is at the end of the block. There is a nice looking coccoides nearby it too. For some reason, I didn't get a picture of that one.
What a beauty! :) I love it!
basilio, do you have any Parajubaeas? Do you have cool night time temps?
What kinds of Paraj does Huntington Garden have?
They have about 3 P cocoides, all doing fairly poorly for some reason. Two are quite large, but constantly battle bud rot. The third is ridiculously planted in the jungle area and gets almost no sun, and is a midget compared to the other two... holds at most 3-4 leaves at a time.
Dave, I've written some things about my climate in the "Augh...cold again" thread. I have not any parajubaeas, although I'd love to have a couple, but they are not available in our very limited palm market. There is a company in Germany that can ship a good variety of palms all over Europe (and I'm gonna use it soon), but their parajubaeas are quite pricey (about 200$ for a 4' palm).
This message was edited Jan 25, 2008 10:33 AM
4'? That would be an incredible deal in this country. My first Parajubaea torralyi cost me $100 it had one leaf!
Yah, I saw your climate comments after asking that. Parajubaeas aren't cheap. The reason, I think, because it's a slow germination process. One nursery here sells 15 gallon pots for 200$-250. I paid $70 for one last spring that is putting out it's 2nd pinnate leaf now. (although the first one is semi-pinnate, looks like a window). I would love to get a Butia x Parajubaea.
Basilio, when you get paraj, you could be the only one in your area that has one. That makes it even more desirable.
Apparently, the price goes down, as more plants come into cultivation.
This message was edited Jan 25, 2008 7:53 AM
Well, I didn't know that they are supposed to be expensive... Anyway, it's 170 euros, so I think it's more like 240$ or something like that. Here's the link to take a look at the plants in question:
Parajubaea torallyi var. torallyi http://www.palms.de/Parajubaea%20torallyi%20var.%20torallyi%20120.jpg
Parajubaea torallyi var. macorocarpa http://www.palms.de/Parajubaea%20torallyi%20var.%20microcarpa%20120.jpg
Plus, of course, the shipping costs, which I don't know how much they are. Can't be very expensive, though, since it will come from E.U., so no extra taxes or customs.
P.S. : Are parajubaeas considered fast, medium or slow growers (in mediterranean climates)?
This message was edited Jan 25, 2008 8:22 PM
they are one of the fastest palms I can grow here... but that isn't saying much to someone living in Florida or Hawaii.. but for you, you might be impressed with their growth rate. Those look like healthy palms, but sort of dinky for the cost.
