Pronunciation: al-uh-GOP-ter-uh cam-PESS-triss
Common Name: none
Allagoptera campestris is a rare palm for California partly due to its rarity anywhere in cultivation, but also due to its incredibly slow growth rate (one of the slowest of any palm one can grow in California)- 10 year old palms usually still have strap leaves. Once mature it has a similar habit to the common popular Allagoptera arenaria, but with stiffer, straight leaflets instead of soft curly ones. At this time, no mature palms exist in California.
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: solitary, though 'pseudo-clustering' with a crown of 10-12 leaves per branch
- Height: stemless to very short stemmed (6"); 4' tall leaves
- Trunk: subterranean; single but branching underground; up to 6" above ground
- Crownshaft: none
- Spread: 6'
- Leaf Description: pinnate; plumose; leaflets straight and on two different but nearly same plane; 3-4' long; dark, forest green; slightly silvery below
- Petiole/Leaf bases: 18"-24" long; light green; unarmed
- Reproduction: monoecious
- Inflorescence: similar to Allagoptera arenaria
- Fruit:
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 26F
- Drought Tolerance: moderate
- Dry Heat Tolerance: good
- Wind Tolerance: good
- Salt Tolerance: unknown
- Growth Rate: incredibly slow
- Soil Preference: seems adaptable
- Light Requirement: full sun
- Human Hazards: none
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: other than frustratingly slow growth rate, does not seem to have any
- Transplants?: unknown
- Indoor?: unlikely to do well in indoor lighting
- Availability: very rare, though occasionally shows up on mail order palm lists or seed catalogs
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