Palms For California

Pronunciation: KAM-er-ops HEW-mill-iss variety ahr-jen-TEE-uh

Common Name: Blue Mediterranean Fan Palm

Chamaerops humilis var. argentea is listed here separately as it is such a beautiful and somewhat unique form of this plant and rapidly becoming one of the more popular palms in California. Though many gray, waxy and somewhat glaucous forms of Chamaerops humilis exist in cultivation all over California, this form seems so strikingly blue and they grow a lot slow and ultimately are smaller, that it is getting a separate entry here. However, if grown under extreme conditions of drought, heat and high winds, a lot of the blue coloration gets wiped from the leaves and the resulting plants look disappointingly ordinary- these now greener plants still grow agonizingly slow unlike their naturally green counterparts, though. Note that seeds from this variety often grow into ordinarily green plants. True var. argenteas are strikingly blue from small seedling stages.

Chamaerops humilis var. cerifera

Appearance and Biology Habit: clustering with a crown of 20-30 fan leaves Height: 8' estimate Trunk: multiple; 5"-6"; covered with thick layer of tan fibers and retained, un-split leaf bases Crownshaft: none Spread: 3'-6'+ Leaf Description: palmate; deeply divided (4/5 or more of leaf blade length); stiff; pale blue-grey to pale turquoise-greenish grey; Petiole/Leaf bases: 18" long; pale greenish to light yellow-green; heavily armed with 1/2" long, reddish-brown, marginal spines that project perpendicular to petioles; un-split leaf bases Reproduction: monoecious Inflorescence: 1' long; from within leaves Fruit:

Horticultural Characteristics Minimum Temp: 15F Drought Tolerance: good once established (can take several years, though) Dry Heat Tolerance: very good Cool Tolerance: very good Wind Tolerance: good, but may loose blue coloration Salt Tolerance: unknown Growth Rate: slow Soil Preference: adaptable Light Requirement: full sun Human Hazards: very dangerous petiolar spines (can even penetrate some leather gloves) Disease or Horticultural Problems: very sensitive to crown rot if watered from above in cooler weather Transplants?: fair Indoor?: not likely to be a good choice Availability: moderately common (often sold at garden outlet stores) though large plants costly