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Chamaerops Humilis Fan Palms from Leipzig

LE Palms cultivating Chamaerops humilis and Chamaerops humilis var. cerifera in Leipzig, Germany. Other sorts can be cultivated on demand. It is a great fan palm not just for the mediterranean regions like North Africa and South Europe, it’s also a great palm for urban areans and hot cities. Palms are always good to cool down hot areas and to have more diversity for the urban greening.

Chamaerops is a genus of flowering plants in the palm family Arecaceae. The only currently fully accepted species is Chamaerops humilis, variously called European fan palm or the Mediterranean dwarf palm. It is one of the most cold-hardy palms and is used in landscaping in temperate climates. Apart from the fully accepted Chamaerops humilis, there are a few taxa of unresolved status plus numerous species synonymised under Chamaerops humilis. The species Chamaerops humilis itself has three accepted varieties as follows:

Chamaerops humilis var. argentea André (syn. C. h. var. cerifera) – “Atlas mountain palm” of Northwest Africa. Leaves glaucous.
Chamaerops humilis var. epondraes – Northwest Africa. Leaves glaucous.
Chamaerops humilis var. humilis – Southwest Europe. Leaves green.

There also are at least three cultivars (C. humilis var. humilis ‘Nana’, C. humilis ‘Vulcano’, C. humilis ‘Stella’). C. humilis ‘Vulcano’ is a compact, thornless cultivar. May be silvery, but less so than argentea. The leaves tend to be thicker, and the appearance of the plant is bushier than var. humilis or var. argentea.

Chamaerops humilis is one of only two palm species native to continental Europe, the other being Phoenix theophrasti. It is mainly found in southwestern Europe (Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, over all the Mediterranean coast of Spain and Portugal, central and southern Italy, some parts of the southern Mediterranean coast of France and Monaco, as well as northwest Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia). It is the northernmost naturally occurring palm in the world, with the northernmost standing at Hyères-les-Palmiers, at 43° 07′ N.

Chamaerops humilis is valued in gardening and landscaping in many parts of the world. It is very drought-tolerant once established. It is hardy to −12 °C (10 °F), but does prefer hot summers. It is a very slow-growing plant. The blue form of the species, native to high elevations of the Atlas Mountains, has recently been introduced into the trade and early reports indicate that it may be −12 °C (−22 °F) or more degrees hardier than the green form.

It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaerops

Conservation, Environment, Europe, Germany, News, Nursery, Palms

Jubaea Chilensis Chilean Wine Palm

Jubaea chilensis, Chilean wine palms or Chile cocopalms from Leipzig are now ready for sale. You can order soon, visit our pages to stay up to date. http://www.lepalms.shop

Jubaea is a genus of palms (family Arecaceae) with one species, Jubaea chilensis, or J. spectabilis, the Chilean wine palm or Chile cocopalm. It is native to southwestern South America, where it is endemic to a small area of central Chile, between 32°S and 35°S in southern Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Santiago, O’Higgins and northern Maule regions. It was long assumed that the extinct palm tree of Easter Island belonged to this genus too, but it is distinct and now placed in its own genus, Paschalococos.

The tree grows very slowly, as it is usual for palm trees. It takes several years until the Jubaea starts getting its weight and size. It may take more than 20 years for the plant to get the height of a medium tree. It can reach a height of 25 m (82 ft) with a trunk up to 1.3 m (4.3 ft) in diameter at the base, often thicker higher up, and with smooth bark. The thickest well-documented Jubaea was that on the estate of J. Harrison Wright in Riverside, California which was 5′ 6″ (1.68 m) thick “at shoulder height”. The largest of several specimens at the Adelaide, South Australia Botanic Garden in 1889 was stated to be 6 ft (1.8 m) thick at the base. A hollow (but living) Jubaea in the Valle de Ocoa in La Campana National Park, Chile is between six and seven feet (between 1.8 and 2.1 m) thick at the base, with no apparent taper in the lower trunk. The 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft) leaves are pinnate. The largest individual specimen of indoor plant in the world was the Jubaea chilensis at Kew Gardens which was cut off by Kew Gardens in 2014 because it grew to the top of its greenhouse, England. Of the 2,600+ known species of palms, Jubaea chilensis is the second most massive, exceeded only by the floodplain or river bottom variety of Borassus aethiopum.

It needs mild winters, but will tolerate frosts down to about -15 °C (5 °F) as well as relatively cool summers, making it one of the hardiest of pinnate-leaved palms; this is because it grows up to 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) above sea level in its natural habitat. In the wild, the tree lives almost exclusively on the steep slopes of ravines.

In the U.S. this palm grows best in dry summer climates like most of California, and in semi arid climates in parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas. Generally, this is not a palm for tropical climates like Hawaii, Florida, or parts of northern Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubaea

Conservation, Environment, Europe, Germany, News, Nursery, Palms

Cultivating Leipzig Palms like the Wagner Palm

LE Palms cultivating Leipzig Palms like the Wagner Palm. The first one year palms and new cuttings are ready. You can order now Leipzig Palms from Leipzig. We want to create palm gardens, parks, woods and forests together with European palm societies. Everyone is invited to join our palm tree, greening and plant community. Stay tuned for more news and updates. Visit our websites for more information. http://www.lepalms.org, lepalms.shop

Trachycarpus fortunei ‘Wagnerianus’ is unknown in the wild, but may have originated in cultivation in Japan, where it was first discovered by the horticulturalist Albert Wagner of Leipzig, Germany in the second half of the 19th century (in 1873). It has remained in comparative obscurity until recently, when its qualities as a garden plant were at last realized.

Trachycarpus is a genus of eleven species of palms native to Asia, from the Himalaya east to eastern China. The most common species in cultivation is Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan palm or windmill palm), which is the northernmost cultivated palm species in the world. Cities as far north as London, Dublin, and Seattle have long term cultivated palms in several areas. The dwarf form popularly known as T. wagnerianus is unknown in the wild, and is now considered synonymous with T. fortunei or treated as a cultivar of that species.

Trachycarpus fortunei is notable as the hardiest large trunk-forming palm known, with established specimens tolerating winter temperatures below -20°C, and also tolerant of cool summer temperatures in oceanic climates such as Scotland and even the Faroe Islands at 62°N latitude, making it the northernmost palm outdoors anywhere in the world. Some planted in Plovdiv (Bulgaria) are known to have survived a temperature of -27.5°C, the coldest temperature reported to have been survived by any palm. It is tolerant of heavy snow cover.

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Cultivation of Butia Palms in Leipzig Germany

Butia palms or jelly palms are diverse crops and useful plants. In their countries of origin, the jelly palm is grown as a crop, because the plants carry plum-sized fruits, which are suitable for direct consumption as well as for the production of jelly and marmalades. The taste has similarities to peaches and pineapple. The particularly nutritious kernels are excellent for producing animal feed but also eaten as a nut.

From single seeds up to three seedlings can grow. The frost resistance varies depending on the plant between -8 °C and -15 °C. Butia is one quite undemanding palm, which is also suitable for planting in mild areas here with us. It makes low demands on the ground, prefers a high sand content and thus good drainage, but then would like to be poured abundantly in summer. Like the origin from a very precipitous area suggests, it has no problems with wet. The substrate should always be slightly damp being held. Suitable substrate is coconut fiber substrate, vermiculite, perlite or a mixture of these three substrate types. All these substrates are germ-free and provide good moisture retention. The jelly palm prefers the brightest possible location with good sunlight. Most palm seeds germinate in reasonable conditions within one to three months. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butia

LE Palms (Leipzig Palms) cultivates the three species Butia capitata, Butia odorata and Butia yatay. These varieties are very resistant or robust and tolerate frost and a bit more cold temperatures, so they are relatively winter hardy. Winter protection themes will be described in a few more articles this year.

Butia capitata, also known as jelly palm, is a palm native to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. This palm grows up to 8m (exceptionally 10m) in an
extremely fast manner. It is easily identifiable with feather palm pinnate leaves that arch inwards towards a thick stout trunk.
Butia capitata is notable as one of the hardiest feather palms, tolerating temperatures down to about -10 °C; it is widely cultivated in temperate climates. In the United States, B. capitata is grown along the West Coast from San Diego to Seattle, and along the East Coast from Florida to Virginia Beach, with a few known plantings north to the Long Island, NY area. Butia capitata has become naturalized in some areas of the Southern United States, from Virginia to Florida.
Ripe fruit are about the size of large cherry, and yellowish/orange in color, but can also include a blush towards the tip. The taste is a mixture of pineapple, apricot, and vanilla. Taste can vary depending on soil conditions, and the tastes of apple, pineapple, and banana together is also common. It is tart and sweet at the same time, with a flesh similar to a loquat, but slightly more fibrous. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butia_capitata

Butia odorata is native to the grasslands, and dry woodlands and savannahs of South America. Populations range across a wide area of northern Argentina, southern Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Long pinnate leaves that arch and recurve towards the ground from atop a thick stout trunk. The trunk can grow to 20 feet, but normally reaches 12-15 ft (3.7-4.6 m) with a diameter of 1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.5 m). Trees 3-5 m tall, 40-50 cm in diam. This palm was also known incorrectly as Butia capitata for many years. The true Butia capitata was first described and named by Martius as Cocos capitata in 1826. It was discovered in the state of Minas Gerais by Martius near the town of Montes Claros and is a cerrado-loving palm endemic to the central planalto region of Brazil. It is a very different palm from the more robust coastal plane or restinga-loving “Butia capitata” of Uruguay and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Full sun to moderate shade (the fronds grow longer in shady situations, giving the palm a more graceful aspect than those grown in full sun). Prefers sandy, well drained soil but is adaptable and very drought tolerant. Regular watering and feeding will produce a faster growing, more attractive palm. http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Butia_odorata

Butia odorata can tolerate freezing temperatures to about -15°C (5°F). It naturally occurs in open, sun exposed, montane or lowland hilly
locations, and should be planted to maximise sunshine exposure.

Butia yatay is long-lived, can grow up to 12 meters and is thus higher than most other species of the genus Butia. Her tribe is from covered with dark leaf bases. The up to 2 m long, bluish leaves are pinnate. The yellow inflorescences contain up to 100 flowers. The fruits have a diameter of 3 to 5 cm and are not edible for humans. But they attract many birds and were the main food of the probably extinct turquoise macaw. In its region of origin in the south of Brazil, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina, the Yatay palm once formed large forests. She grew up there on sandy soil. Many of them were cleared for agricultural use. The largest preserved Yatay forest is located on one area of approximately 85 km² in the El Palmar National Park in the Argentine province of Entre Ríos. Today Butia yatay is also subtropical in other Regions planted as a decorative palm. It also tolerates dry heat.

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Cultivation of Diverse Palm Tree Species in Leipzig

Today we want to inform about the first palm species we started to cultivate last years in Leipzig, Saxonia, Germany. All articles and contents on the new website will be translated into German language and you can use the translators on Facebook and Google. We will offer one and two year palms in our upcoming shop and later in the palm store, lounge and café in Leipzig city.

Washingtonia filifera (Lindl. ex André) H.Wendl. California Washingtonia, Northern Washingtonia, California fan palm, or Desert fan palm. Tree to 23 m tall; leaves large, with petiole up to 2 m long, and leaflets up to 2 m long. Inflorescence to 5 m long; flowers white; fruit oval. Southwestern USA, just into extreme northwest Mexico. Palms are often found at the base of mountains, hills and form around desert oasis in the southwest. They are used in landscaping, particularly in southern counties of California.

Washingtonia robusta H.Wendl. Mexican Washingtonia or Southern Washingtonia. Tree to 25 m tall; leaves smaller, with petiole up to 1 m long, and leaflets up to 1 m long. Inflorescence to 3 m long; flowers pale orange-pink; fruit spherical. Northwest Mexico. (Teresa Ribeiro et al.).
The fruit is edible, and was used by Native American people as a minor food source. They are also eaten by birds, which disperse the seeds in their droppings after digesting the fruit pulp. Washingtonia species are also used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including Paysandisia archon.

Both species are cultivated as ornamental trees, widely planted in California in particular, but also in Florida, extreme southwest Utah, Arizona, southern New Mexico, Texas, the Carolinas and the Mediterranean region in southern Europe and north Africa, parts of Australia, and the leeward sides of the Hawaiian Islands. W. filifera is modestly hardy in drier climate and able to survive brief temperatures in the vicinity of -15 °C (10 °F), provided the air and soil are not too wet, and the afternoon temperatures are not too cold. Intolerance of wet, prolonged cold is the main reason the filifera species cannot grow properly in temperate marine climates. W. robusta is less sensitive to moisture than filifera, but far more easily damaged by cold.

The genus is named after George Washington.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washingtonia

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Greening Deserts Palm and Tree Nursery from Leipzig

Today is a very special day. Together with Greening Deserts we are proud to announce the first palm nursery and tree nursery, for important and rare endangered plants (Red List), in Leipzig. Of course we will plant and research also other crops.

LE PALMS (Leipzig Palms), the official palm platform, portal, forum and group for palms was founded last year and starts now officially. The page and shop are ready and in development. We want to open the first palm cafe, lounge and palm shop in Leipzig, Saxony. Since years we have the idea to launch a palm garden and palm store – botanic gardens and parks are a speciality of Greening Deserts. Stay tuned for more news and updates. Visit the official pages for more information. http://www.lepalms.org

Category: Europe