Palms For California

Pronunciation: brah-HEE-uh duh-CUM-benz

Common Name: Mexican Dwarf Blue Palm; Sierra Madre Palm

Brahea decumbens is a very popular but still quite rare palm in California. It is such a slow growing palm that many have either decided against acquiring one, or have not planted out their dinky seedlings yet. It is a wonderful, very blue, short, suckering fan palm. Mature palms are very rare and always something worth showing off. There are many short, suckering blue palms in collections that may or may not be this plant as they seem too large and too fast growing to be this palm, but they are probably within the natural variation of this plant and just large due to improved circumstances in cultivation. This palm is rarely if ever reproduced in cultivation- only source of new palms is wild seed from Sierra Madre area of northwestern Mexico.

Appearance and Biology Habit: clustering fan palm with a crown of about 8-12 leaves per stem Height: overall plant height up to 5' Trunk: multiple; 0'-6' but longer trunks tend to be decumbent rather than upright; 6" in diameter; rarely clean- nearly always covered with retained leaf bases Crownshaft: none Spread: 6'+ Leaf Description: palmate; pale blue-grey when mature; dull green to deep green in seedlings and young juveniles; very stiff leaflets (no droop); nearly circular; 2'-4' long; leaves divided about 2/3 their length Petiole/Leaf bases: 2' long; pale silvery-blue; armed with very small teeth along margins; retained unsplit leaf bases Reproduction: monoecious Inflorescence: 2' long; highly branched; hidden within crowns; pale yellow flowers Fruit: rarely seen

Horticultural Characteristics Minimum Temp: 20F Drought Tolerance: high Dry Heat Tolerance: excellent Wind Tolerance: very good Salt Tolerance: low Growth Rate: very slow Soil Preference: non-acidic and well draining Light Requirement: full sun Human Hazards: mild danger of petiolar teeth when trimming Disease or Horticultural Problems: none Transplants?: not easy to move successfully Indoor?: no Availability: very rare, but occasionally seed will come in and some specialty nurseries will offer; tends to be very pricey