Difference between revisions of "Brahea aculeata"

Latest revision as of 00:34, 31 July 2015

Pronunciation: bra-HEE-uh ah-kew-lee-AH-tuh

Common Name: Sinaloa Hesper Palm

Brahea aculeata is a very hardy smaller fan palm for California. It is a great palm for the desert as it is very drought and heat tolerant, once established. But if grown in more lush environments and trimmed, it can be a very ornamental, somewhat dainty, Brahea.

Appearance and Biology

Habit: solitary with a crown of 15-25 fan leaves
Height: 25'
Trunk: single; 8" thick; usually covered with old leaf bases but older palms can have clean trunks; clean trunks have very rough grey-brown surfaces from old leaf scars; sometimes upper trunk covered with dense skirt of dead leaves
Crownshaft: none
Spread: 4'-8'
Leaf Description: mildly costapalmate (nearly flat); pale green to light green, sometimes yellowy in very arid situations; 3'-5' long; leaves divided 1/3-1/2 their length; leaflets floppy at tips; semicircular shape
Petiole/Leaf bases: flattish and armed with closely spaced, pale teeth; 2' long; pale green; unsplit leaf bases, often remaining on trunk for many years
Reproduction: monoecious
Inflorescence: 3'-4' long, arching, from within crown and sometimes extending out beyond it a ways; lots of smaller side branches; white flowers
Fruit: 1" thick; spherical-ish (sometimes a bit lumpy); olive green turning to black when ripe

Horticultural Characteristics

Minimum Temp: 20F
Drought Tolerance: very good
Dry Heat Tolerance: very good
Cool Tolerance: very good
Wind Tolerance: good
Salt Tolerance: unknown
Growth Rate: slow
Soil Preference: very adaptable
Light Requirement: full sun
Human Hazards: sharp, but small, petiolar teeth
Disease or Horticultural Problems: tends to nutrient deficiency, but probably because grown in desert soils often
Transplants?: unknown, but suspect poor mover
Indoor?: not likely possible
Availability: rare but often available at local palm nurseries

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 '''Common Name''': Sinaloa Hesper Palm
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-'''''Brahea aculeata''''' is a very hardy smaller fan palm for California.
+'''''Brahea aculeata''''' is a very hardy smaller fan palm for California.  It is a great palm for the desert as it is very drought and heat tolerant, once established.  But if grown in more lush environments and trimmed, it can be a very ornamental, somewhat dainty, Brahea.
+<center>
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 *'''Drought Tolerance''':  very good
 *'''Dry Heat Tolerance''': very good
+*'''Cool Tolerance''': very good
 *'''Wind Tolerance''': good
 *'''Salt Tolerance''': unknown
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 *'''Availability''': rare but often available at local palm nurseries
 |}
+{{#Widget:AdResBan}}
 <gallery>
 File:Brahea aculeata .jpg|unless otherwise indicated, all shots are from Huntington gardens, California

Difference between revisions of "Brahea aculeata"

Geoff Stein - Author & Editor

Latest revision as of 00:34, 31 July 2015