Difference between revisions of "Phoenix canariensis"

Revision as of 19:58, 5 August 2014

Pronunciation: FEE-nix kuh-nair-ee-EN-siss

Common Name: Canary Island Date Palm

Phoenix canariensis is one of the most massive of all the palms for Southern California and also one of the most prized, as well as common.

Appearance and Biology

Habit: Solitary with a huge crown of up to 100 leaves
Height: 70'+
Trunk: single 3' in diameter; clean but covered with leaf scars (may retain a sparse petticoat of dead leaves if not pruned regularly, which most are); often top 3'-4' below crown of leaves the trunk is pruned less severely leaving a dense bulge of leaf bases giving one the vague impression of a pineapple; bottom 1'-4' of trunk is often covered with adventitious roots, particularly where planted in lawns with sprinklers
Crownshaft: none
Spread: 30'
Leaf Description: pinnate; long (15'-20') and arching; leaves have two barely offset planes of densely packed 1', stiff, induplicate leaflets, all ending in a sharp, but not too painfully sturdy, point; color of leaves a bright, deep, glossy green;
Petiole: almost non-existent unless one considers the base of the leaf armed with modified, sharp, spiny leaflets as part of the petiole (hard to tell then where the petiole ends and rachis begins); very sturdy (almost woody), curved underneath and flat on top
Reproduction: monoecious and very promiscuous (Phoenix interbreed freely in California due to their vast numbers and many hybrids are created all the time)
Inflorescence: 3'-4' slightly arching, orange and many-branched; arising from within leaf bases within crown- often a palm will have multiple levels of inflorescences in various stages of flowering or fruiting
Fruit: 3/4" green to yellow to orange or sometimes nearly red
Seed: 1/2" oblong brown

Horticultural Characteristics

Minimum Temp: 18F with some foliar damage (less with advancing age)
Drought Tolerance: good once established (can take up to 3 years)
Dry Heat Tolerance: good
Wind Tolerance: fair to good
Salt Tolerance: moderate
Growth Rate: fast to very fast with age
Soil Preference: very adaptable to just about any soil type
Light Requirement: full sun
Human Hazards: extremely hazardous leaf bases with sharp, stiff spines up to 1' long that can penetrate a boot, at various angles (caution when trimming!)
Disease or Horticultural Problems: fusarium wilt a big problem with this species- only trim palms with clean loppers and saws (disinfect if trimming multiple palms); mineral deficiencies can be common in sandy or overused soils
Transplants?: fairly good transplant success even in large, mature palms; palms with little or no trunk tend to set back if not handled extremely carefully, though
Indoor?: no a good choice for obvious reasons
Availability: extremely common

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 <div style="background: #e5a178; border: 1px solid black; padding: 5px; margin: 3px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; font-size: 120%;">Horticultural Characteristics</div>
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-*'''Minimum Temp''':  20F
+*'''Minimum Temp''':  18F with some foliar damage (less with advancing age)
 *'''Drought Tolerance''': good once established (can take up to 3 years)
 *'''Dry Heat Tolerance''': good
@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 *'''Light Requirement''': full sun
 *'''Human Hazards''': extremely hazardous leaf bases with sharp, stiff spines up to 1' long that can penetrate a boot, at various angles (caution when trimming!)
-*'''Disease or Horticultural Problems''': fusarium wilt a big problem with this species; mineral deficiencies can be common in sandy or overused soils
+*'''Disease or Horticultural Problems''': fusarium wilt a big problem with this species- only trim palms with clean loppers and saws (disinfect if trimming multiple palms); mineral deficiencies can be common in sandy or overused soils
 *'''Transplants?''': fairly good transplant success even in large, mature palms; palms with little or no trunk tend to set back if not handled extremely carefully, though
 *'''Indoor?''': no a good choice for obvious reasons

Difference between revisions of "Phoenix canariensis"

Geoff Stein - Author & Editor

Revision as of 19:58, 5 August 2014