Brahea brandegeei

Geoff Stein - Author & Editor

Pronunciation: bra-HEE-uh bran-DEE-gee-eye


Common Name: San Jose Hesper Palm

Brahea brandegeei is a very hardy and attractive fan palm from Northern Mexico and Baja California. Many confuse this palm with Washingtonia robusta, and it does indeed resemble it somewhat, though is sort of smaller version of it, though leaf bases are unsplit. One of the few Braheas that seem to succeed in humid locations such as Florida.

Appearance and Biology
  • Habit: solitary with a dense crown of about 30 or more fan leaves
  • Height: 45'
  • Trunk: single; 12" thick; often covered with closely spaced leaf bases, or clean in taller palms, with a short skirt of dead leaves below the crown (rarely this skirt can extend for over 10' of trunk)
  • Crownshaft: none
  • Spread: 7'-8'
  • Leaf Description: moderately costapalmate; nearly a complete circle;3'-4' long; bright green on dorsal surface, but glaucous undersides; leaves divided about 1/4 their length at the most; leaflets droop a bit near the tips; leaflets themselves split at the tips for most of their length from the fused leaf blade
  • Petiole/Leaf bases: 2' long; armed with small, closely spaced yellow teeth with brown, sharp tips; petioles stiff but bend about from upright to nearly lateral at about 1/4 their length from trunk; undersides have yellow stripe down center; glaucous on undersides; light green on top; leaf bases un-split, reddish brown and retained on trunk for years
  • Reproduction: monoecious
  • Inflorescence: 3'-4' long, barely visible within the upper crown; multi-brached; pale yellow flowers
  • Fruit: 1" diameter; spherical; yellowish when ripe
Horticultural Characteristics
  • Minimum Temp: 25F
  • Drought Tolerance: good once well established
  • Dry Heat Tolerance: very good
  • Wind Tolerance: good
  • Salt Tolerance: unknown
  • Growth Rate: slow to moderate with age
  • Soil Preference: very widely adaptable
  • Light Requirement: full sun
  • Human Hazards: small but sharp petiolar teeth
  • Disease or Horticultural Problems: none
  • Transplants?: unknown, but likely poor
  • Indoor?: unlikely a good choice
  • Availability: rare, but sometimes available at local palm nurseries


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