Ceroxylon

All species of ceroxylon are beautiful palms with a long, slender trunk and extreemly long fronds that can reach 20 feet in length. These palms are truly majestic. Ceroxylon Quindiense is the king of them all, reaching heights up to 200 feet. Until the discovery of redwoods, the Ceroxylons where thought to be the tallest "tree" in the world.

This palm is only beginning to be cultivated in the US. The main reason it is still so rare is that it requires a narrow temperature range to be successful, and thus it is confined to the narrow, relatively frost free strip of land along the California coast where winters are mild and summers are cool.

The species of interest are as follows:

Ceroxylon Alpinum

So far this is the most common palm. Originating in the lower altitudes of the Andes, it is more tolerant of the warmer summer nights in Southern California and thus grows well there. A specimen with a 30 feet trunk can be found in Ventura. This species also does very well in Central and Northern California.

Ceroxylon Quindiense

Not as common as Alpinum because it is subseptible to fungal wrot in locations with high summer heat, C. Quindiense grows best in the coolest coastal microclimates. There are beautiful specimens in Strybing arboratum, the Oakland Palmetum, and in the Sunset district of San Francisco. C. Quindiense is quite a bit larger than C. Alpinum, and will quicky overtake the latter when both are grown together.

These two ceroxylon quindiense thrive in Strybing arboratum. They are about 15 years old and are finally starting to push some trunk. The fronds are more than 15 feet in length. These specimens only endured minor leaf damage during the 1990 frost. While no official temperature was recorded at Strying during this period, there were reports of some lower parts of strying arboratum being iced over for the entire day. The reason is that Strybing is at some distance from the ocean and Bay, and also sits in a large bowl that can accumulate cold air.

Ceroxylon Pavifrons

More stuff to come later.

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