Pronunciation: joo-bee-OP-siss KAFF-ruh
Common Name: Pondoland Palm
Jubaeaopsis caffra is one of the most prized and ornamental of all the palms that grow well in southern California. It is a very attractive, ornamental suckering palm from South Africa with long, shiny, brilliant green, tropical looking, arching leaves with bright orange or yellow petioles. But probably the reason it is so sought after is it is such a slow growing palm that large ones are prized because of all the care and work that went in to getting them to that size. Even small palms are pricey.
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Appearance and Biology
- Habit: suckering; in old palms, branching also possible
- Height: 18 feet trunk height; 25-30 feet overall
- Trunk: multiple, arching, covered completely with retained leaf bases (usually cut off); 18" diameter
- Crownshaft: none
- Spread: 25 feet or more
- Leaf Shape: pinnate, arching, long, closely spaced leaflets; 10'-15' long
- Petiole: very short, unarmed, deeply channeled with moderately sharp margins
- Foliage: bright green with prominent yellow to orange rachis
- Reproduction: monoecious; seed slow to germinate (often very low germination rates)
- Inflorescence: 3'-4' long emerging from between leaf bases and surround by pair of bracts
- Fruit: 2.5cm green to yellow when ripe
- Seed: 2cm spherical very hard
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Horticultural Characteristics
- Minimum Temp: 22F though juvenile and seedling plants have less cold tolerance
- Drought Tolerance: fair
- Dry Heat Tolerance: good
- Wind Tolerance: fair to good
- Salt Tolerance: unknown
- Growth Rate: slow to very slow when young
- Soil Preference: very tolerant of a wide variety
- Light Requirement: full sun, even when very young
- Human Hazards: none known
- Disease or Horticultural Problems: Bud rot from overhead watering when young; few well defined, but some younger plants die without warning for no apparent reasons
- Indoor?: unknown
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