The Journal of The European Palm Society - No. 45

C h a m a e r o p s

45

2 Chamaerops No. 45

C o n t e n t s

Artikles:For Your Health and Beauty by Pierre-Olivier Albano page 5Web Page by the EPS webmaster page 6The Big D by Tony Cerbone page 7Palms on La Palma by Ed Croft page 11Nannorrhops - The Enigmatic Palm by Robert Lackner page 13A Hardy Cordyline by Marinus van den Berg page 20

Standards:Editorial by Tobias W. Spanner page 3Letters by various authors page 22Shop get the back issues and more page 23

Cover: Split coconuts (Cocos nucifera) drying in the sun for the production of copa in Tahiti. See page 5. Photo: Pierre-Olivier Albano.

Chamaerops is the quarterly journal of The European Palm Society. The European Palm Society (EPS) is affiliated to theInternational Palm Society and was founded in 1991. The EPS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing information aboutpalms and other exotic plants across the continent of Europe. The main goal of the EPS is to communicate with other enthusiaststhrough Chamaerops, the EPS website, or personally at Society meetings, in order to share ideas and knowledge of the successfulcultivation of exotic plants. Above all, the EPS and Chamaerops are run by members, for members.Issue No. 45, winter 2001-2002

Editor Tobias W. Spanner briefe@palmsociety.orgMembership organizer Tony King membership@palmsociety.orgLanguage Editor Lauri D. CoulombeFrench Translator Yann CorbelGerman Translators Jörg WittickeLayout & Design ultracondensed.comPrinters Simmons Printers Ldt. UK

Special thanks to all our contributors.Please send manuscripts and pictures by mail or e-mail.Computer files are most welcome. Pictures can be send asprints, negatives, slides, on floppy, CD-ROM or by e-mail.Please send to: The European Palm Society, Tobias W. Spanner,Tizianstr. 44, 80638 München, Germany

To join the EPS please contactTony King - 34, Keats Avenue - Romford, Essex RM3 7ARUnited Kingdommembership@palmsociety.org

Membership rates:Chamaerops only: 1 year £15. Online only: 1 year £12, 2 years £20, 3 years £24. Chamaerops & Online: 1 year £20, 2 years £36, 3years £48. Upgrade: Members currently off-line can upgrade their membership to 'Chamaerops & Online': 1 year +£5, 2 years +£10,3 years +£15. For any online membership queries please visit www.palmsociety.org

The European Palm Societyc/o The Palm CentreHam Central NurseryHam Street, HamRichmond, Surrey, TW10 7HA - United KingdomPhone: +44 20 8255 6191Fax: +44 20 8255 6192mail@palmsociety.orgwww.palmsociety.org

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E d i t o r i a l

The New Year comes with some good newsthat I hope you all will appreciate.CHAMAEROPS WILL LIVE! Due to theencouraging comments and help I received afterthe last issue from so many members, I decided tokeep the Editor’s job for now, until someone elsecan be found to take over. My main goal will be toget Chamaerops back on track by the middle ofnext year. As of the issue in front of you, we aremore than 9 months behind with the magazine,so at least five issues will have to be put out beforesummer in order to complete 2002 and be on trackwith 2003. This is quite a lot and I will needeverybody’s support with plenty of publishablematerial to be able to achieve this goal.

Since renewals are due with this issue, I hopeyou will all sign up again for another year. If youhave friends who are interested in palms and whoare not yet members of the EPS, please encouragethem to sign up with the EPS. If you know ofprevious members who have dropped out, pleasetry to get them to rejoin. If you need applicationforms to hand out to friends or customers oranyone potentially interested, let us know and wewill provide them for free. At £15/EUR 23, theannual fee is as low as ever, lower than any otherpalm society with a magazine of comparablequality, and, I think, affordable for everyone. Ifyou want to save further, prices for onlinememberships are even lower: check out ourwebsite at www.palmsociety.org.

I would like to express my special gratitude allthose members who have supported Chamaeropsand recently sent in their comments and articles.To all those who would like to contribute but arenot sure how, here are ten guidelines on how tosupport your editing staff best:

1. Everyone is welcome to write an article forChamaerops. We are sure you have an interestingstory to tell!

2. Write about any subject you like. We arenot exclusively interested in palms and will publish

anything related to exotic plants.3. If you do not have a computer, do not let

that stop you from submitting; we will accept penand paper submissions.

4. If you are using a computer, we can read allWindows and Mac files. You can use MS Word,Notepad, MS Works, AppleWorks, SimpleText orany other text program to create your article. Pleasekeep the layout as simple as possible.

5. Put your name & address at the top of thearticle, together with a suggested title if you haveone.

6. Article length should be at least 600 words(one page). Letters can be as short as you like.

7. Send lots of pictures! If you send prints andwant them returned, just say so. Please put yourname on the back, together with a description orcaption (plant name, location etc.). Digital picturesare most welcome especially since newer digitalcameras provide excellent sharpness and colours.Please use best quality setting when e-mailingpictures. The bigger the files, the better the quality.

8. Some non-native English speakers may thinktheir English is not good enough. Don't worry!All articles are professionally edited and correctedand we will make sure your article will appear inthe best possible fashion. Dutch, French, Germanand Spanish articles are also welcome if you feelmore comfortable writing in your own language,and we will have these translated.

9. Please send your article by e-mail tomail@palmsociety.org or by post on paper, cd-romor floppy to: (see address on page 23)

10. It's easier than you think, just give it a try.

Finally, my apologies to Angelo Porcelli forforgetting to name him as the author of the articleon the Botanic Gardens in Rome in the last issue.Thanks Angelo for an article that I think everyonethoroughly enjoyed.

Please enjoy this issue of Chamaerops and havea great 2003. T.S.

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Top left: Areca catechu, the Betel Nut Palm in Kandy, Sri Lanka.Top right: Elaeis guineensis, fruiting prolifically in the BotanicalGarden Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.Left: Betel leaves and Areca nuts.Below: Serenoa repens fruit being collected in FloridaPhotos: Pierre-Olivier Albano

5Chamaerops No. 45

F o r Y o u r H e a l t ha n d B e a u t y

By Pierre-Olivier Albano, 81100 Castres, France

Palm trees supply an unbelievably diversenumber pf products. For centuries many of thesehave been used to heal us or to enhance ourbeauty.Although the Areca family is relatively poorin secondary metabolites, capable of producingpharmacological activity, certain traditionalmedicines used in tropical climes claim certaintherapeutic virtues.Similarly, the fruit and seeds,often oleaginous, are an important source fortraditional preparations, desired to beautify skinand hair. From a symbolic point of view, the palmtree has been the apothecary emblem in Francesince 1777.

Scientific knowledge of the palm tree and itsattributes passed into the western pharmacopoeia,most notably the Betel Nut. This chewing mixtureis largely used in southwest Asia, and is composedof several ingredients. The leaves or inflorescencesof the Pepper Betel (Piper betel) is only oneingredient. Others are lime, tobacco, or otherspices. In Asia, each region has its own recipe, butthe Betel nut is ever present as it contains thepharmacological substances arecaine and arecoline.The first is slightly narcotic and has never beenused in Europe. The second has wormingproperties and has been used for a long time inEurope for both animals and humans againstparasitic intestinal worms. Today, it has beenreplaced by synthetic substances, less toxic andmore effective. Even if it cannot be heldresponsible, it must be pointed out that regularchewing of the Betel Nut has been linked to throatcancer.

Another traditional substance is the resinextracted from the fruits of Daemonorops draco

(Willd.) also known as Dragon Blood because ofits bright red colour. Reputed for its antiseptic andhealing qualities, it was used until a few years agoin toothpaste in many European countries. Today,only Chinese medicine still uses this.

Today, many types of palm trees are used inlarge quantities by the pharmaceutical andcosmetics industries. The Saw Palmetto fromFlorida, (Serenoa repens (Bart.) Small) containsacids and sterols which are highly therapeutic.Before Europeans arrived in Florida, the SeminoleIndians used the fruits to treat urinary problems.Early Americans used these fruits to treat suchthings as difficulty in urinating, as an aphrodisiac,and even to increase breast size! It wasn’t until the1970‘s that serious work was done with it, notablyin French and German laboratories. Today, theextract of the fruit is the base of many productsused in the treatment of the enlarged prostrate. Inmost Latin and German countries it is treated as amedicine and refunded by the state. In Anglo-Saxon countries it is considered to be a foodsupplement and demand is rising rapidly. Thisinternational success has led to an increase indemand for these fruits. 4000 tons of fruit areharvested annually in Florida to satisfy demand.The fruits come from trees in the wild which arenumerous. Their growth rate is very slow, and thereare no artificial plantations. Other extracts fromthis palm enter into cosmetic products such asthose created for oily skin and for the struggleagainst baldness. Homeopathic treatments usethese fruit for prostatitis.

The coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) producesCopra oil, used to make the famous Tahiti“Mono_” (suntan lotion). One litre of oil is leftto macerate with 12 gardenia taitensis flowers.

6 Chamaerops No. 45

Coconut oil is a base product for greases andwetting agents, used for soaps. In fact, every timeyou use soap or shower gel, coprah oil is almostcertainly present as a wetting agent. Coconut milkis also used in cosmetics and homeopathic remediesfor certain allergies.

The palm Elaeis guineesis Jacq, the famousAfrican oil palm, gives us oil from the fruit pulpas well as from the stone. These are also widelyused as fats, emulsions, and wetting agents incosmetic formulations. The fruit pulp containsvitamins A and E. These have anti-oxygenatingproperties which are being investigated as foodsupplements.

The Brazilian wax palm (Copernica prunifera(Miller) H. Moore), formerly known as Copernicacerifera, produces the high quality Carnuba wax.This wax is on the fronds which have to be cut toharvest the wax. The younger the frond, the betterthe wax. The best wax is used for lip salves,lipsticks, and in pasta – it gives it body. It is alsoused to cover tablets and to lubricate dental floss.There are other industrial uses, but that’s anotherstory.

These examples have all been for massinternational usage, but there are also local uses.In China they commercially use the Trachycarpusfortunei (Hook.) H. Wendl to stop bleeding. Theyalso harvest the fibres which cover the trunk. Aftercharring, it is used in many traditional Chinesemedicines.

If the uses of this family of palm trees is stilllimited, they are indeed one of the major playersin cosmetics, especially for fats and wetting agentscoming from palm oils and coprah oil. The nexttime that you use soap or lipstick (ladies) or treatyour prostrate (gentlemen), don’t forget what youowe to palms !

W e b P a g e

In Chamaerops issue 43/44 we have introducedthe EPS website in detail. I am glad to report thatthis has inspired many of you to upgrade theirmembership and subscribe to the website. This hada very positive effect on the site so we thought tohave a regular feature about our web activities inthe printed issue of Chamaerops.

T h e F a c t s

The website went online as early as 1997 as aprivate homepage at CompuServe and got its owndomain name one year later: www.palmsociety.org.There were only a few sample articles taken fromold Chamaerops issues and an online subscriptionform.

In spring 2000 the site was completely re-designed and got the looks it has today. Apassword-protected members area was createdfeaturing a discussion forum, Chamaerops archive,classified ads and more. Subscription has becomeautomated to get immediate access to the site.Visitor numbers are constantly increasing and havenow reached 4000 per month. There are currently230 online-members who have posted more than2600 messages in the forum.

The Chamaerops archive - the 'heart' of thewebsite - has been completed just recently and nowfeatures all the 360 articles that have appeared inChamaerops since we started, the entire content ofissues 1 to 45. The Picture Gallery currentlycontains 385 pictures. I think we can claim thatthe EPS website has more information to offer thanany other palmsociety website. It currently consistsof 2033 files, filling 60MB of disk space, and ishosted in Southern California by one the pioneersof webhosting.

You can upgrade your membership now for just£5/EUR8 per year at www.palmsociety.org/join/english1.shtml and get full access to the EPSwebsite. R.M.S.

7Chamaerops No. 45

T h e B i g D

By Tony Cerbone, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.

Palm trees in Dallas, Texas! Most people, whenthinking of the Big D, would rephrase this toquery: Palm trees in Dallas, Texas???? Many of ushave preconceived images of certain places andDallas is of course one of them. Those kind offolks, when they think of my town, conjure upimages of oil wells, cactus, Cowboys (both thoseon horseback and the football variety), JR Ewing,HOT summers, big hair, and cowboy boots.

Reality: there is not a drop of oil in DallasCounty. JR Ewing is fictitious, but a real celebrity,George W., did make his millions here in NorthTexas. In addition, palm trees not only grow herebut are natives!

Dallas is located about 300 miles from the Gulfof Mexico and has a continental climate. Thismeans that it is prone to wide swings intemperature because we don’t have a huge body ofwater to help moderate things. So averages arejust that, and the reality is that it is best to describethe climate in generalities. An extremely wet, hot,cold, or dry year can be followed by the extremeopposite the following year. Dallas has a growingseason that is a warm, humid, subtropical type,with an abundance of rain in spring, summerdrought with high prolonged heat, followed by areturn of rain in the fall.

This transitional climate allows North Texangardeners to take advantage of a unique gardeningexperience. It is hot and dry enough in the summerfor Southwestern natives like cactus, agaves, yuccas,Chihuahua desert flowers, and desert palms tothrive. With our lush springs, and withsupplemental water provided during dry spells,plants from the Southeast are as pleased as punch.Fall brings spectacular fall color! This display comesnot only from native trees but also from imported

varieties brought in to enhance the original prairies.Winters have enough chill to allow more northernassociated plants–like apple trees–to grow andthrive. Overall, we have four distinct seasons.

Dallas, in general, has long, hot summers withan average of 15 days per year where thetemperature will reach 100°F (38°C). Thisextended period of heat (accompanied by very littlerain) is great for most cold hardy palms, providedwater is supplied on a regular basis. Spring andautumn are long, and are the times when the mostprecipitation (38 in. / 965 mm per year) occurs.Winters are mild with brief cold spells usually notlasting more than three days at a time. Extremecold temperatures can occur, and that is one ofthe limiting factors in palm cultivation in northTexas.

For long-term palm culture there is a way toovercome these periodic cold snaps: select theappropriate varieties and utilize microclimates. Thepalms that grow the fastest in Dallas are theWashingtonias and Trachycarpus fortunei. So, byplanting these particular species within 10 ft. of awall, fence, or some other wind blocking structureand providing them with regular water during thesummer, it is possible to achieve long-term successhere in USDA zone 8. The majority of the metroarea (population five million) is zone 8a, but usinga protected microclimate and being located withinthe city’s urban heat island means that zone 8band 9a winter lows can be achieved. In the past 12years winter lows have fallen between 11°F (-12°C)and 25°F (-4°C) in these protected areas. My yardis one of these areas. My results and observations,therefore, are not typical for zone 8a.

I’ve had my garden for the past 15 years andhave had lots of experience trialing very exotic andcommonly available palm species. The followingis a list of what work best for me, and what my

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9Chamaerops No. 45

experience with them has revealed.

Washingtonia filifera: needs full sun, and isvery drought and high heat tolerant. Produces over25 fronds in a season. Leaves don’t burn until thetemperatures go below 10°F (-12°C), but aresusceptible to ice and snow damage.

Trachycarpus fortunei: does best in afternoonshade, and is very fast growing with regular water,producing over 25 fronds a season.

Sabal minor: will grow in sun, shade, part sun,and grows to its largest size in habitat in Dallas’fertile, black, slightly alkaline clay soils.

Brahea armata: needs full sun, is a stunningpowder blue color, produces about 8 fronds aseason, and has leaves very resistant to ice and snow.

Sabal x texensis (Brazoria county) and Sabalminor var. louisiana: requirements similar toSabal minor. It’s very cold hardy, does well in heat,and is resistant to ice.

Sabal mexicana and S. palmetto: need fullsun and are slow growers, producing only about5-8 fronds a season.

Other palms that are doing well in Dallasinclude Phoenix dactylifera (fast-growing and verysurprisingly cold tolerant), Chamaerops humilis,Trachycarpus wagnerianus, Jubaea chilensis,Chamaedorea radicalis, C. microspadix,Nannorrhops ritchiana, and Trachycarpus takil.

Palms that live but don’t look their best inDallas include Livistona chinensis (defoliatesalmost every winter but lives through most extremecold, though doesn’t look good until the end ofthe growing season) L. saribus, L. decipiens, Sabalrosei and Trachycarpus latisectus.

Palms that shouldn’t be attempted in Dallas arePhoenix canariensis and Washingtonia robusta,as temperatures below 18°F (-8°C) kill them.

M y f i n a l a d v i c e

• Use the appropriate recommended palms foryour zone for your foundation plantings.

• Experiment with other types you enjoy,knowing that you may have to modify theirenvironment.

• Protect ALL palms for the first two wintersuntil they have had a chance to become established.

• Don’t over water, over fertilize or over lovethem to death! Palms are pretty hardy once theyare established.

• Be very cautious about introducing any palmspecific pests. If you aren’t in a major palm-growingarea, don’t introduce a pestilence along with a newaddition to your palm collection.

• Have fun, and try to design your palm gardenwith beauty and restraint, or your yard will end uplooking like mine–a jungle out-of-control!

So. . . rebuke those fire ants and killer bees andmake Lady Bird Johnson’s heart swell with prideand plant your corner of the Northcentral Texasprairie with a palm! Bubba won’t know thedifference between a Sabal and a Bradford pearanyway!

Don’t forget to check out my website at:http://web.novaone.net/DallasPalms/index.htm

Top left: Beautifully colored Sabal uresana from Mexico.Top right: A small Brahea armata among other Palms in theCerbone garden.Bottom: View of the Cerbone garden from the street, Trachycarpusfortunei and Washingtonia filifera on the left.Photos: Tony Cerbone

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P a l m s o n L a P a l m a

By Ed Croft, Icklesham, East Sussex, U.K.

La Palma is the most westerly of the CanaryIslands at 29° North and 18° West. It is one of thelesser-known Canary Islands and tourism has nottaken off in the same way as it has on some of theother islands such as Tenerife and Lanzarote.Visitors to the island are mainly Spanishmainlanders and Germans, although there is asmattering of visitors from other northernEuropean countries. La Palma is particularlyattractive to ramblers given the mountainous andforested landscape.

In broad terms, the climate on La Palma is notthe same as that which offers islands likeFuerteventura and Lanzarote long days ofunbroken sunshine, but more like the climate seenin the north of both Tenerife and Gran Canaria,where cloudy days are common and rain isrelatively frequent. As a result of this climate, LaPalma is known as 'La Isla Bonita' (the prettyisland) because of its lush green vegetation. Thepredominant wind direction is from the northeastand as a consequence the northern and easterncoasts are more breezy and cooler than the westernand southern coasts.

The ridge of volcanoes running down thecentre of the southern half of the island and theCaldera de Taburiente in the north of the islanddivides the island into two differing climatic zoneswhich favour different palms. The northern andeastern sides of the island are cooler and wetterwhereas the Southwest is noticeably humid, hotter,and distinctly less windy. This is important asCocos nucifera is now being used by landscapersin increasing numbers. In other islands such asFuerteventura and Lanzarote, Cocos nucifera will

grow but I think it is fair to say that they do notthrive because of the low rain fall, strong winds,and perhaps the cooler evening temperatures.Specimens in those islands often look windbattered and the fronds take on a dark, unhealthyappearance. The humid, wetter and less breezyconditions on La Palma suit this palm well andthere are many thriving specimens to be seen.There are a group of about 50 contented Cocosnucifera thriving in a black sandy beach at PuertoNaos on the humid western side of the island anda number of others close to the beach at Tazacortein a landscaped garden that also contains Syagrusromanzoffiana, Phoenix canariensis and many finespecimens of Washingtonia filifera. The dead leavesand leaf-bases have been completely removed fromthe Washingtonias, leaving a bare, rust colouredtrunk. Also at Tazacorte are two good, but young,examples of Sabal minor at the northern end ofthe beach.

Moving inland there are several interesting andunusual sights west of Los Llanos at a village calledArgual. For the first time ever I saw a maturePhoenix dactylifera which, at a height of threemetres up the trunk, had actually produced asucker. Nearby in the old village square were fourLivistona chinensis with fine stout trucks and thoselovely fan-shaped leaves with drooping tips. In thegrounds of a house that bordered the square weretwo huge Roystonea regia, the tallest examples Ihad ever seen, thriving in the humid climate.

As is common in many European and NorthAfrican holiday destinations, Washingtonia filiferawere everywhere to be seen (there are some verymature examples in the gardens of the Sol EliteHotel in Puerto Naos). Less common, however, isWashingtonia robusta. There are a few specimensdotted around La Palma, the best example being a20 m one in the centre of Los Llanos behind thechurch. It is a real beauty, particularly if you haven'tseen a mature Washingtonia robusta before.

South of Los Llanos is the Palmex Cactus

Top: Livistona chinensis at Argual.Bottom left: Brahea armata at the Palmex Cactus Garden.Bottom right: Phoenix dactylifera at Argual, suckering high up onthe trunk.Photos: Ed CroftArtwork: Rudolph Maria Spanner

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Garden, run by a very friendly (non-Englishspeaking) German couple. At four euros it is wellworth a visit to see the amazing variety of cactiand succulents, many of which were in flower atthe time of our visit in November 2001. Inparticular there was a mature Agave americana witha huge 6 m flower that had gone to seed, but therewere also many other examples of large cacti, othertypes of Agave and Aloe, as well as several varietiesof cycad which would excite the exotic enthusiast.The most interesting specimen in the garden,however, was neither a cactus nor a succulent buta very sturdy Brahea armata that, at 2.5 m tall,had formed a stout truck with a crown of verystiff, pale blue leaves all in beautiful condition. Areal treat! Sadly this was the only one I saw on theisland. (Incidentally, when you visit the PalmexCactus Garden, as part of the entrance fee youreceive a packet of cacti/succulent seeds topropagate so that you can start your own cactusgarden.)

If you are a Phoenix canariensis fan you wouldbe delighted to see many fine mature examples,with trunks up to 8-10 m, growing on the wetterand cooler eastern side of the island, viewed clearlyfrom the LP1 and LP2 main roads. The regularrainfall has meant that these palms have formed athick head of bright green fronds free from windor drought burned tips. Super!

Near the centre of the village of Las Manchas,on the road to the wine museum, was the one andonly mature Trachycarpus fortunei that I have seenin the Canary Islands, although I have heard thatthere are others around. There are few places whereboth Trachycarpus and Cocos nucifera will growhappily together, and the Canary Islands iscertainly one of the them.

In shadier spots here and there were manyHowea forsteriana, some with healthy green trunksup to 3 m in length. Rare, but also seen from timeto time, were Phoenix roebelenii and Rhapisexcelsa.

The biggest industry on La Palma is nottourism but bananas. Even as one flies into theairport, banana plantations are evident. Most ofthe arable land lower than 500 m altitude isoccupied by banana plantations, except where therocky terrain is too steep. Many people are

employed in what is a relatively labour intensiveindustry and you can almost always be sure thatthere is a plantation worker toiling in the small,one to two acre plots. In between these plots Ifound two wholesale palm nurseries. The first hadover 100 large Washingtonia filifera of between 3and 4 m, planted in the ground in rows, hundredsof 150 cm Cocos nucifera in pots, many youngPhoenix canariensis also in pots, and a ratherneglected clump of Dypsis lutescens. Sadly therewas nobody around who I could talk to about theseplants. The second nursery was more of a mysteryas someone had planted, in rows, perhaps as manyas 120 Washingtonia filifera with trunks of about1 m in height and then, at some point, had simplyabandoned the plot. Unfortunately, this was in thedrier south west of the island and all but perhaps15 of the palms had died through lack of watering.It was a very sad sight indeed to see thisWashingtonia graveyard. Most of the 15 survivors,however, bordered directly onto one of the heavilywatered banana plantations and I believe that waterhad seeped into the plot. These plants hadcontinued to grow well and had reached a trunkheight of 2 - 3 m when I saw them.

Ubiquitous on La Palma are both the blue andvariegated forms of Agave americana, particularlyon the eastern side. They appear to grow out ofalmost any surface at almost any angle and producelittle suckers freely. Also common is Agaveattenuata, one of the most beautiful of allsucculents with a fine rosette of unarmed, lime-green leaves. Incidentally, if you are an Agave fanand live in the south east of England, there aresome very large Agave americana on the seafrontsat Hastings and Eastbourne. Both the blue andvariegated versions are growing well in our coolerclimate.

Lastly, whilst we may fuss and worry over ourfavourite plants, some of the locals on La Palmahave a more casual approach. Most notably I sawa Cocos nucifera growing happily from an old,rusty oil drum and a fine Aloe vera growing in anold metal paint tin in a dive shop doorway.

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N a n n o r r h o p s ,T h e E n i g m a t i c P a l m

By Robert Lackner, Burggasse 1a, 2405 BadDeutschaltenburg, Austria

When your interest in palms was awakened itwas almost certainly caused by one of the manyTrachys, by a Phoenix, or Washingtonia, all ofwhich can be seen frequently in milder andsometimes even cooler parts of Europe. Then youlearn and read more about several other species,some of which can also be grown under really harshconditions, be it frost, drought, or heat. After awhile you'll find a really good palm book and whenflying over the pages you'll almost certainly makea pause at the page of Nannorrhops ritchiana, theMazari Palm or, as it should be called, theEnigmatic Palm. You want to know why this palmis a mystery in my eyes? Well there are many goodreasons:

E n i g m a N o . 1

This palm is so common and abundant in itshabitat and yet so few plants can be found incultivation. On one hand everybody talks aboutit, but on the other hand only a few people growthese palms successfully.

E n i g m a N o . 2

Also adding to its mystery are the areas wherethis palm grows. The deserts of Afghanistan,Pakistan and Iran are not on most people's listsfor their family holidays, and even if they were,the current situation makes it even more difficultto visit these places than it was a year or so ago.Thus, only a few palm enthusiasts have seen thispalm in habitat. This, in my opinion, has allowedmany rumors about its climatic growing conditions

to arise, especially in the beginning. I possess fourpalm books where this mysterious palm (which isnamed after its original collector David Ritchie)is mentioned. Three of these books claim that theseplants may be covered with snow for long periodsduring the winter. One book even mentions thatit is covered with snow for months at a time.Climatic data on these areas indeed suggest that itcan become really cold in some places whereNannorrhops grows, as far as the absolute extrememinimum temperature is concerned. This,however, only applies to some of Nannorrhops'habitats, not to all of them. The climatic data alsoshow that these areas have a fairly high meanannual temperature and almost no precipitation.This suggests that the plants are normally notcovered with snow for weeks or months because itrarely snows there, and if it does, the snow certainlymelts soon in the warm desert sun of thesesouthern regions. This brings us to the nextenigma, and the question of how hardy this palmreally is.

E n i g m a N o . 3

All of the above mentioned palm books statethat this is an "extremely cold-tolerant palm",which is a relative term, because you don't knowfrom which (geographical) point of view this waswritten. Two books are even more precise,suggesting it can tolerate temperatures as low as -20°C or even -26°C. This is certainly a point whichalmost forces the inexperienced palm enthusiastto purchase this palm at any price, because in hisday dreams he already sees a nice palm with its fanleaves swaying outside in a gentle arctic breeze at -25°C. I, too, thought "I must have this one" someeight or nine years ago when I first ran across the

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Mazari Palm’s description. In addition, many plantnurseries offer this as a palm that is hardy in manyparts of central Europe. But is this really the case?Fact is, that hardly any Nannies are growingsuccessfully outside in central Europe and you canread more about failures than about successes. Evenin relatively mild areas, such as southern England,this hardy palm does not seem to growsatisfactorily. So what is true and what is not?

As for most exotic plants, this question doesnot have a straight answer. Nannorrhops ritchianais indeed a very frost-tolerant palm in habitat, butthe frosts there are very dry and, compared withcentral and western Europe, short lived. Manyparts of Central and Western Europe, however, arerather moist and humid, especially during thecritical winter months. This, in my opinion, makesthis palm unsuitable for outdoor cultivation inmany areas, unless you can create a good shelterto keep the plant completely dry while alsoallowing it to get enough light, as this palm requiresbright conditions even during the winter.Furthermore, Nannorrhops requires very gooddrainage. It is odd that in England so many rathertender (which again is a relative term) palms canbe grown without shelter (e.g. Phoenix, Arengaengleri), but the allegedly extremely frost-hardyNannorrhops simply rots away and dies, unless ofcourse it has either a very favourable and/or dryplace.

In light of all this, I strongly disagree withnurseries selling this palm as being hardy in almostall parts of central and western Europe. If this palmcan be grown in the cooler parts of Europe, thenin my opinion more continental areas with cold,dry winters and hot summers have the besttheoretical chances for outdoor cultivation, unlesstheir winters are too cold for this palm to grow.That means that without special preparations thisis not the ideal palm for countries that have mildbut moist winters (e.g. England, the Netherlands,Belgium, the northwest of France and the northernparts of Germany). This palm would probably bebetter suited to Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia,Slovakia and maybe eastern Austria. But even inthese parts a rain-sheltered place, good drainage

andÑduring severe coldÑsome frost protection iscertainly necessary. (I need not mention thatNannorrhops has no problems growing insouthern Europe, and therefore I hope you don'tmind if I focus on the less favourable regions ofEurope).

Regarding Nannorrhops' frost hardiness youshould take into consideration that Washingtoniafilifera is, in the Southwest of the States, regardedas being hardier than Trachycarpus. The reason isclear: Trachys are certainly not suited to desertclimates and thus won't grow very well there. W.filifera, however, is really exceedingly hardy in suchdry climates and can therefore indeed cope with -20°C for short periods. W. filifera is cultivated inareas (e.g. El Paso, Texas or St. George, Utah) where-20°C can be reached (although it does so veryrarely), and where frosts down to -10°C are fairlycommon. But the frosts there are dry and shortlived, which makes a huge difference. In centraland western Europe, on the other hand, W. filifera(if you have the true type; many Washingtoniasbeing offered as W. filifera are actually W. robusta)is rather difficult, because it needs fresh air andresents moisture, especially during the winter, andis therefore sometimes damaged at temperaturesaround -5ÁC. Again, the lower the humidity, themore cold it tolerates. W. robusta, although inhabitat not nearly as frost tolerant as W. filifera,copes much better with moisture and is thereforebetter suited to our gardens and greenhouses. Soyou see, if a palm can cope with -20ÁC in a certainclimate, this must not lead to the conclusion thatit can be planted out in central Europe.

There's one thing my experience withNannorrhops shows clearly: It is certainly bettersuited to our winters than Washingtonia filiferaand thus it is certainly hardier. During the winter95/96 I wintered a blue and a green Nanny seedlingoutside just with a plastic pot placed over it forrain protection. That winter was the longest andwettest winter I can recall (see my article inChamaerops No. 30) with an absolute minimum

Right: A massive "green" Nannorrhops at Fairchild TropicalGarden, Miami.Photo: Gibbons/Spanner

15Chamaerops No. 45

16 Chamaerops No. 45

of -19°C. The green Nanny seedling just survivedthe winter and began to recover later, but veryslowly. The blue Nannorrhops died. Formerly Iwas too inexperienced and thus too impatient andwanted to plant them out as soon as possible. NowI know that it makes no sense to plant out seedlingsof any palm, let alone of a palm that needs muchheat to achieve a good growth rate. I therefore dugup the surviving green Nanny and placed it in apot again.

E n i g m a N o . 4

As I mentioned before, there are Nannies withdifferent leaf colours, which leads me to the nextmystery: different species. It is still unclear if allthe different forms of Nannorrhops can be lumpedtogether into just one species. Formerly four speciesof Nannorrhops were recognized: N. ritchiana, N.stocksiana, N. arabica and N. naudiniana. H.Moore lumped them into just one variable species,namely Nannorrhops ritchiana. Now, doubts fromexperts arise, suggesting that some of the differentforms found in habitat may indeed be separatespecies.

I can attest that the three forms I have lookquite different from one another. I have the greenform from Pakistan, the blue Pakistan form (alsooffered as 'Silver form'), and a silver form fromIran (sometimes referred to as N. arabica or N. sp.'Iran'). It seems that the Pakistan silver form is byfar the least hardy, which was also my experience,whereas the Pakistan green form and the Iran silverform seem to be hardier. The most obviousdifference between the forms is their leaf colour,which ranges from an intense silver-white (Iranform), to a moderate silver-blue (silver Pakistanform), to plain green with bluish undersides (greenPakistan form). The varying amount of insect peststhese plants attract also suggests there aredifferences between the forms. The green form isobviously the least tasty as I have hardly ever seenany insect pests on its leaves. The Iran form suffersonly slightly, whereas the Pakistan silver form issometimes moderately attacked by pests. The leafbases of my three forms are also different. The

green form is partly covered with an orange furthat can be seen easily. The Iran form shows onlya very light orange-brown fur, whereas the Pakistansilver form completely lacks this characteristic.Another distinguishing characteristic is the leafform. The silver forms from Iran and Pakistan havecostapalmate leaves, whereas the green Nanny haspalmate ones. Taking all of this into consideration,one can see that my experience supports the theorythat not all of the former Nannorrhops speciesshould have been lumped together into just one,but of course more scientific proof and detailedexaminations are neededÑsuch as examining theflowering characteristics of these palmsÑbefore anysolid conclusions can be made. Unfortunately, thenecessary plant materials appear to be hard to comeby, so it'll still be a while before we palm enthusiastsare better informed about Nannorrhops' scientificstatus.

As you can see, 'Enigmatic Palm' is really anappropriate title for Nannorrhops. It iscertainlyÑespecially in the cooler regions of theworldÑone of the most talked about palms, anddespite that, so little is known about it. And what'smore, some of the information given is simplywrong. This has led to the creation of legendarymyths about the palm from the deserts ofAfghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. Hopefully thesemyths will give way to more reliable and scientificinformation that will certainly save the lives ofmany Nannies that would otherwise just rot awayor barely grow in many of the colder regions ofEurope.

Reading this article you might suppose that Iwant to convince you to leave Nannorrhops to theexperts or for warmer climates. No, definitely not!I encourage you, in fact, to buy one or raise onefrom seed, but give it the growing conditions itneeds. I have been experimenting withNannorrhops for seven or eight years and I canassure you it's really a marvelous palm.

...continued on next page

Right: Some like it hot: a "green" Nannorrhops ritchiana in thedesert in the mountains north of Sibi, Pakistan.Photo: Gibbons/Spanner

17Chamaerops No. 45

18 Chamaerops No. 45

E n i g m a N o . 5

Another myth about Nannorrhops is that it isa slow-growing palm. It is just slow growing whengiven the wrong conditions! If you know how toraise them, however, you can have a splendidlooking palm within only a few years. I purchasedmy green (Pakistan) Nanny as a 30 cm (1 ft.)seedling, still with seedling leaves. Now, not evensix years later, I have a wonderful double trunkedpalm with a height of almost 150 cm (5 ft.) withoutthe pot. The trunk diameter at the base of the tallerstem is already 12-13 cm and it is still growingfast. Even much faster growing is my silver formfrom Iran. I raised it from seed three and a halfyears ago. Now it measures 100 cm in height!!Doesn't really sound like a slow growing palm,does it?

So what is the proper way to raise them?• Use large pots.• Keep them very hot (30 - 45°C).• Keep them very moist during the hottesttemperatures.• Use (plastic) saucers during this time, so that theplants can stand in water.• Allow them to soak up the water from the saucersbefore refilling them.• Reduce the watering as it becomes cooler. Thelower the temperature, the less water they need.• Keep them very dry in winter if they are in anunheated greenhouse. If you keep Nannorrhopsin a heated greenhouse do continue watering, butnot as excessively as during the hot summermonths.

G e r m i n a t i o n

I germinate Nannorrhops seed like any otherpalm, in a transparent plastic bag, but with twolittle differences: 1) I keep the seeds at temperaturesbetween 30 and 45°C as these hot temperaturesare necessary for good results; and 2) I take theseedlings out at an earlier stage than I would forTrachycarpus, for example. When germinatingTrachycarpus it does not make a big difference ifyou leave the plants somewhat longer inside the

plastic bag. Nannorrhops, however, seems to bringslightly better results if you take them out and potthem up a little bit earlier, because of their strongroot growth. I usually take them out when the firstseedling leaf has just begun to appear. Then I plantit in a deep plastic pot to allow the first roots togrow unhindered for a while. Leaving the plantletsinside the plastic bag longer means that the rootsof the seedlings get mixed up and the necessaryseparation of the plants afterwards causes somestress. Therefore it's better to pot them up whilethe roots are still small.

The first seedlings usually appear after threeto six weeks. As far as the silver forms are concernedmost of the seeds germinate within two months. Iachieved a germination rate of 85 to 90% withboth silver forms. The green form seems togerminate over a longer period. Some seeds cantake over a year to sprout, some only a few weeksafter sowing. But generally they also germinatesatisfactorily.

S o i l

I do not use any special type of soil.Nannorrhops seems to grow equally well in regulargarden mold or soil for pot plants. To my surprise,however, they did grow much more slowly in sandysoil. While they grew nicely even in this sandy soil,the plants that had been growing in light soil typesgrew much faster. I also fertilize the Nannies likeany other pot plant. As such, my treatment ofNannorrhops, Washingtonia, or Trachycarpus isthe same, except that I keep them at differenttemperatures during the growing season.

C o n c l u s i o n

All of the different types of Nannorrhops arewonderful plants. They are exceptionally goodpalms for the heated and unheated greenhouse andalmost trouble free. The green form especially iscompletely trouble free, as I have never, ever hadany problems with pests and diseases, despite thefact that this plant was, until last month, in thegreenhouse year round. During the first three years

19Chamaerops No. 45

I kept it in an unheated greenhouse and afterwardsit remained two years inside a heated one, whereit grew side-by-side with a superb coconut palm.Would you believe that these two palms thriveunder identical conditions? The Iran silver formis a must because of its beautiful colour, and it isnearly as trouble free as the green Pakistan form,in heated greenhouses as well as in unheated ones.The Pakistan silver form is probably the most'tender' of my Nannies. If you keep it permanentlyin a greenhouse you'll surely fight sometimesagainst some insect pests, but that has never beena big problem. It is also an interesting palm becauseof its beautifully coloured leaves.

During the last summer the green Nannybecame too broad to be kept in my rather smallgreenhouse, so I decided that IÔd plant it out nextyear. Since then I have been keeping it outside inthe pot, so that it gets used to the coldertemperatures outside. I'll leave it outside as longas temperatures do not fall below -8 or -9°C, andthen winter it in a cool place. Next spring I'll plantit out in the hottest and driest position I have inmy garden. I feel it has a good chance in our climatein this favourable spot, as it would be completelyrain sheltered and would see sun from dawn tilldusk. Our hot continental summers will do therest and our normally very dry winters willhopefully be dry enough.

During the last four winters we didn't see muchsnow here and temperatures never fell below -10°C. The summers were very long, hot, and verydry, which caused tremendous havoc agriculturally.To such conditions Nannorrhops would be ideallysuited. However, I have no illusions that somereally cold winters will come; it's just a matter oftime. When it does become really cold (-20°C)again some winter (which happens about every 15years or so), I'll be prepared to help the greenNanny through the worst of the cold.

If the green Nannorrhops grows satisfactorilyduring the next two or three years, then the silverIran form will be the next to be planted out, asit'll be quite large then. According to their habitat,these two Nanny forms are hardy enough to

tolerate temperatures of -20°C in dry conditions.I'll see how they cope with the not-so-cold butrather foggy periods here, which can also occurduring the winter. This is probably the onlydrawback of our climate as far as Nannorrhops'needs are concerned. Newer palm literaturesuggests, and my experience shows, that the silverPakistan form is certainly the least hardy in termsof low temperatures. So this palm is, in myopinion, not suitable for outdoor cultivation inmy area.

If you want to see some nice, matureNannorrhops, you can find them at the RomeBotanic Gardens. Probably the best known, thisgreen Nanny has a huge winding trunk. The mostbeautiful Nannies I have seen grow in the gardenof Villa Thuret in Cap d'Antibes in the South ofFrance. There you can admire a beautiful doubletrunked and upright green Nanny about 3 m inheight, and, beside it, a somewhat smaller plant. Ialso saw plants in Huntington Garden inCalifornia, and I've heard of large plants in theFairchild Botanical Garden in Florida and of onein a private garden in Florence.

The bottom line is that, if you can offerNannorrhops the appropriate conditions, youshould get one as soon as possible. You wont regretit! Although Nannorrhops will still remainsomewhat of a mystery until experts do furtherexaminations, I hope that I have given you a briefinsight into this wonderful palm that might helpyou to grow them successfully. I'm not an expertas far as the classification of palms into their speciesis concerned, and therefore I don't know whethermy observations of the characteristics of thedifferent forms are useful or not, but I'm eager toknow what will happen with the Enigmatic Palmin the future.

Photos on page 21:Top: green Pakistan form. This plant has withstood -9°C outsidein the pot during the last winter without problems.Middle left: silver Pakistan form, green Pakistan form, silver Iranform with intense silver fans, silver Iran form with green-blue-yellish fans.Middle right. costapalmate fans of the silver Pakistan form.Bottom left: Palmate fans of the green Pakistan form.Bottom right: Trunk with ornage fur, green Pakistan form.Photos: Robert Lackner

20 Chamaerops No. 45

A H a r d y C o r d y l i n e

By Marinus van den Berg, Veenendaal, Netherlands

C o r d y l i n e i n d i v i s a

In its native New Zealand, it grows mainly onthe South Island, and reaches eight metres inheight. The “mountain cabbage tree” or “broad-leaved cabbage tree” grows on mountain slopes,even along ski slopes. In Europe it can be seen inseveral botanical gardens in Cornwall, on The Isleof Wight, and in Northern Ireland in thearboretum in Castlewellan Forest Park and atMount Stewart Gardens near Newtownards. Theclimate in these places is rather mild with no reallyhot summers. The Dutch summer can be ratherhot and dry, so the plant needs protection fromsunshine to grow well. East winds are always dryand warm in summer, and dry and cold in winter,so it also has to be protected from this wind.

H a r d t o g e t a n d t o g r o w

Cordyline indivisa is a very impressive plantwith a much more tropical look than any of theother Cordylines, and its level of hardiness is alsobetter. Sounds good so far; but, unfortunately, itis very hard to obtain. Even the seeds are rare andI don’t know why. Another problem is that thenames are almost always mixed up, so sowing theseeds is like playing the lottery. In New Zealandsuppliers are very slow or simply not offering theseseeds–you can get Dracaena indivisa (a.k.a.Cordyline australis), but not C. indivisa, whichlooks different. The leaves are broader than anyother Cordyline and it has obvious thin orangestripes on the green grey leaves. If you do manageto obtain a plant, you’ll find that it dislikes summerheat very much, and most of the young plants willdie with no plausible reason. Commerciallygrowing C. indivisa is therefore seeminglyimpossible, and that’s a shame, because every exotic

plant enthusiast should grow this very fine plant.I was lucky enough to get a plant in the U.K.

at Ventnor botanical gardens, and learned firsthandthat it is hard to grow C. indivisa. It is beautifultogether with Dicksonias and mountain bamboos,such as Chimonobambusa, Fargesia andDrepanostachyum. Look out forChimonobambusa because it is a runner; don’t letit disturb the C. indivisa. The bamboos are greatfor keeping out cold and hot winds.

H o w t o g r o w

C. indivisa needs a well prepared soil with lotsof humus which must retain moisture but notbecome water logged. It needs a lot of space as amature crown of leaves will spread over two metres.It needs to grow in shade or light shade. Of courseit is not fully hardy here, but it is hardier than thebooks tell you. I’ve had my plant for three wintersnow, and it has never shown any damage, eventhough many palms (even Trachycarpus) have haddamage! I protect it with some bracken or straw atthe base of the plant. When the temperature dropsbelow –10°C, I put some fleece around the leaves,but remove it as soon as the frost is over. I also tiethe leaves together with rope. This protects themfrom frost and keeps them from drying out becauseof the freezing. I untie the leaves somewhere inFebruary when there is no longer any chance ofsevere frost.

C o r d y l i n e a u s t r a l i s

Cordyline australis is much easier to grow andto obtain, but it needs a warmer and sunnier placethan C. indivisa with better drainage, and is alsoless hardy here. Most of the winters are too severeand many of the plants die back to the ground.Even though difficult to obtain and grow, Cindivisa is the premier choice for colder climates.

21Chamaerops No. 45

22 Chamaerops No. 45

I d e a s

In the Editorial of Chamaerops no. 43/44 yousaid that you are having problems finding enoughcontributions to continue Chamaeropssuccessfully. Here are some ideas that may help.One way to increase the number of articles youreceive in the future is to include articles on otherexotic plants. You already seem to have started this,as I noticed an article about yuccas in Chamaerops,which I liked very much. At the moment I am nota member of Chamaerops because my interest hasstarted to move from Trachycarpus to other hardyexotics which are not discussed in Chamaerops.My suggestion is to broaden the magazine’s focusby dramatically increasing the number of articleson related cold hardy exotics, adding one or two

articles in every issue of Chamaerops that discussplants like Acacia, bamboo, Ficus, olives and soon. Another suggestion for new articles would beto write/design an article/map on cold hardy palmprivate gardens that are open for public visits. Inoticed initiatives for this idea in both Dutch andGerman internet societies. You could choose oneor more gardens from this map and add adescription of all palms that can be found in thisspecific garden. The amount of hardy palm gardenswith enthusiastic owners is inexhaustible so youwould be guaranteed pages of palm informationfor years.

Of course, the ideas discussed above will onlyhelp to create some new ideas for articles. In thelong term this may not be sufficient to continueChamaerops. In my opinion, joining forces withthe Pacific Northwest Palm and Exotic PlantSociety would be the best option.

Maybe you could join forces with relatedEuropean societies like the European Bamboo

L e t t e r s

23Chamaerops No. 45

S h o p

Chamaerops back-issues# 43-44 Summer/Autumn 2001 £4.00# 42 Spring 2001 £2.00# 41 Winter 2000 £2.00# 40 Autumn 2000 £2.00# 39 Summer 2000 £2.00# 38 Spring 2000 £2.00# 37 Winter 1999/2000 £2.00# 35-36 Summer/Autumn 1999 £4.00# 34 Spring 1999 £2.00# 33 Winter 1998/99 £2.00# 32 Autumn 1998 £2.00# 31 Summer 1998 £2.00# 30 Spring 1998 £2.00# 29 Winter 1997/98 £2.00# 28 Autumn 1997 £2.00# 27 Summer 1997 £2.00# 26 Spring 1997 £2.00# 25 Winter 1996/97 £2.00# 24 Autumn 1996 £2.00# 23 Summer 1996 £2.00Any 10 for just £15.00

EPS BadgeChrome with colour printing £4.00

Please send your orders toTony King34, Keats AvenueRomford, Essex RM3 7ARUnited Kingdom

Stähler, MarioPalmen in Mitteleuropa

Anleitung zum erfolgreichen Auspflanzen undÜberwintern. EUR 15,20To order this item contact:Tobias W. Spanner, Tizianstr. 44, 80638 München,Germany

All prices include delivery to anywhere in theworld. Payable by credit card (Visa or Mastercard),cheque, or money order.

S e n d l e t t e r s , a r t i c l e sa n d p i c t u r e s t o :

The European Palm Societyc/o Tobias W. SpannerTizianstr. 4480638 MünchenGermanyE-mail: mail@palmsociety.org

Society or the European Rock Plant Society. Ofcourse, the percentage of palm articles would berelatively decreased. I visit palm message boardsdaily and notice there is an extremely wide rangeof hardy exotic plants that are being discussed. Ithink you should make use of this broad interest.I hope my comments are useful for the future ofChamaerops.

Kind regards,Oscar Salden, Beegden, Netherlands

Thank you very much for sharing your ideas. Eventhough our focus is on palms, we warmly welcomearticles on any exotic plants and would be happy topublish whatever we receive. I think articles onprivate gardens is a great idea, but again, someonewill have to take the initiative to write somethingup. As outlined in the editorial, we will work moreclosely with the Pacific Northwest Palm and ExoticPlant Society in the future, particularly through theexchange of articles, and I would be glad to use ourmembers’ contacts with other exotic plant societies tomake similar connections. T.S.

w w w . p a l m s o c i e t y . o r g