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'''Common Name''': | '''Common Name''': | ||
</center> | </center> | ||
| − | '''''Bismarckia nobilis''''' is a large, solitary Madagascan palm with immense mildly costapalmate leaves of either dull green or various shades of waxy blue or grey. | + | '''''Bismarckia nobilis''''' is a large, solitary Madagascan palm with immense mildly costapalmate leaves of either dull green or various shades of waxy blue or grey. It is widely considered one of the most ornamental and majestic palms one can grow in southern California. Green forms of this palm grow rapidly in the tropics, but are rather marginal in most areas of southern California, only managing to grow to adulthood in the most ideal climates. However, the blue, grey and white forms are much hardier and faster growing in a Mediterranean climate and perform excellently along the coast as well as far inland as the low deserts. |
{| colspan="2" style="background: #FCFCFC; border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;" | | {| colspan="2" style="background: #FCFCFC; border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;" | | ||
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<div style="background: #e5a178; border: 1px solid black; padding: 5px; margin: 3px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; font-size: 120%;">Morphology (Identification)</div> | <div style="background: #e5a178; border: 1px solid black; padding: 5px; margin: 3px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; font-size: 120%;">Morphology (Identification)</div> | ||
<div style="padding-left: 1em;"> | <div style="padding-left: 1em;"> | ||
| − | *'''Habit''': | + | *'''Habit''': solitary |
| − | *'''Trunk''': | + | *'''Height''': 30 feet |
| − | *'''Leaf''': | + | *'''Spread''': 14'-16' |
| − | *'''Foliage''': | + | *'''Trunk''': 12"-24" and clean |
| − | *'''Reproduction''': | + | *'''Leaf Shape''': palmate to mildly costapalmate |
| − | *'''Inflorescence''': | + | *'''Petiole''': no teeth but extremely sharp |
| − | *'''Seed''': | + | *'''Foliage''': dull green (to lime green if struggling); dull, pale blue; bright light blue (nearly white); grey |
| + | *'''Reproduction''': dioecious | ||
| + | *'''Inflorescence''': stiff, rope-like and branched | ||
| + | *'''Fruit''': green turning black in maturity about 2", or 4"-5" if fertilized seed within | ||
| + | *'''Seed''': sperical about 2" in diameter | ||
| style="width: 50%; background: #f8e8df; border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;" | | | style="width: 50%; background: #f8e8df; border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;" | | ||
<div style="background: #e5a178; border: 1px solid black; padding: 5px; margin: 3px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; font-size: 120%;">Horticultural Characteristics</div> | <div style="background: #e5a178; border: 1px solid black; padding: 5px; margin: 3px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; font-size: 120%;">Horticultural Characteristics</div> | ||
<div style="padding-left: 1em;"> | <div style="padding-left: 1em;"> | ||
| − | *'''Drought Tolerance''': | + | *'''Minimum Temperature''': Green form- 28F; Blue or Grey forms- 22F (improves with maturity) |
| − | *''' | + | *'''Drought Tolerance''': moderate to good with maturity |
| − | *''' | + | *'''Heat Tolerance''': excellent |
| − | *''' | + | *'''Wind Tolerance''': fair to good (blue forms more tolerant than green) |
| − | *''' | + | *'''Soil Preference''': prefers well draining, rich soils, but fairly tolerant of high clay content and sandy soils |
| − | *''' | + | *'''Light Requrement''': full sun |
| − | *''' | + | *'''Growth Rate''': slow to moderate, becoming moderately fast with maturity |
| − | *'''Disease Problems''': | + | *'''Human Hazards''': very sharp petiole blades (easy to injure oneself if pruning without gloves) |
| + | *'''Disease Problems''': few in California | ||
|} | |} | ||
<gallery> | <gallery> | ||
Common Name:
Bismarckia nobilis is a large, solitary Madagascan palm with immense mildly costapalmate leaves of either dull green or various shades of waxy blue or grey. It is widely considered one of the most ornamental and majestic palms one can grow in southern California. Green forms of this palm grow rapidly in the tropics, but are rather marginal in most areas of southern California, only managing to grow to adulthood in the most ideal climates. However, the blue, grey and white forms are much hardier and faster growing in a Mediterranean climate and perform excellently along the coast as well as far inland as the low deserts.
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Morphology (Identification)
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Horticultural Characteristics
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Description
Description