Parajubeas?

[Tony]

I remember back around the years 1990- 2000 there was a lot of SF Bay Area interest in Parajubeas and their hardiness and adaptability. I was fortunate enough to be able to receive some Parajubea torallyi var. torallyi. I started them in tall pots in Los Gatos and brought them after a few years to Humboldt County, California.
Gophers got the first ones I planted in the ground up here but I dealt with most of them and now have a couple of palms in the ground doing well and I wanted to report on them to anyone looking for information as I was years ago.
I am just less then 3 miles from the Pacific on a slightly south facing slope 327' above the Mad River, just north of Arcata. The USDA classifies this spot as 9B but I have my doubts sometimes. The limiting factor is really lack of heat here although occasional frosts do happen. Even with the frost and lack of heat, I have been able to grow a few palms. Among those palms ones that I love most are my Parajubeas. Since I have planted them in the ground 5 or 6 years ago I have enjoyed watching them grow and it seems as though once they get established they grow pretty good.
My garden is at 40.92°Latitude 124Longitude, I'd love to know if anyone is trying them any farther north. My impression is that these palms are very hardy to all kinds of tough conditions and that they would do well pretty far up the coast of Oregon, if not Washington state.

 

[Dypsisdean]

These palms are one of those, like Ceroxylons, that don't seem to mind (and almost prefer) a cooler climate. Yours looks great. I have grown them easily in coastal SoCal, and have a nice one growing in my cooler dryer Hawaiian location. I don't know of any others here.

They are a great looking palm, holding many leaves, and eventually get good-sized. But can be very slow to germinate and "get in gear." I have a great deal of trouble differentiating the different types. And apparently I am not the only one as mine was purchased as P. "tor tor" but many who see it offer different identities.

I don't think they like it wet. And I have heard reports of sudden death sometimes that I have attributed to moisture related fungus. So, if I was in your location, I would think about a fungicide during the wetter colder months of NoCal, just to be on the safe side.

I'll see if I can get a pic tomorrow. It is in a hard place to do so.

 

[Stan]

Like Dean,they all look alike to me. I just call any I see P.cocoides because that's what towers at the Oakland Palmetum at 37north. These are not small palms. Height seems to be near Queen palm and trunk girth more.
I also see them planted all around Union City and Fremont because of Nelson Kirk...and they look fine as street palms. Exotic.
I've read they can die off in the fogbelts. It sort of makes me wonder if the "Mountain" part of the name doesn't mean chilly. It could be 75f all year.

You are off to a fine start,and who pays attention to growing slam dunk plants? I don't. I saw my Crotons after near two years..just wilt and die. On the other hand? Plumeria obtusa has done great,held half of its foliage and nobody would ever have said that was possible. Keep up the outside the box.