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Nannorrhops ritchieanaMazari palm, Afghan palm

Cold resistance - very har dy in South Texas, can be grown as far as San AntonioDrought - highSalt - good Coast - should be goodWind - good resistanceLight - sun to very light shadeGrowth rate - on the slow sideAvailability - uncommon in South Texas, occasionally foundOther - the forms with the greyer leaves are nicest

Low to medium clustering fan palms with grey-green to very grey leaves (Pa ki stan and Af ghan i stan)

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Phoenix canariensisCanary Island date palm

Majestic large feather palm with dark green leaves which are spiny at the base (Ca nary Is lands)

Cold resistance - the leaves can freeze in extreme cold but the plant is hardythroughout South Tex asDrought - goodSalt - good Coast - fairly goodWind - goodLight - sunGrowth rate - slowerAvailability - not a problemOther - A disease consistent with le thal yel low ing has killed many plants in the Val ley and has recently ap peared in Cor pus. This makes it im pos si ble to rec om mend for much of South Texas

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Phoenix dactyliferaTrue date palm

Large single or clumping feath er palm with sil very to grey-green leaves. Edible fruit in dry ar eas (Mid dle East)

Cold resistance - the leaves can freeze in extreme cold, plants are mostly hardy in South TexasDrought - good resistanceSalt - high resistance Coast - fairly goodWind - goodLight - full sun onlyGrowth rate - slowerAvailability - rather commonOther - This palm is also af fect ed by le thal yellowing in South Texas, especially in the humid parts of the Valley, though the offsets may sur vive an attack

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Phoenix reclinataSenegal date palm

Thickly clumping feath er palms with dark green leaves and thin trunks (Africa)

Cold resistance - leaves can burn in moderate cold; the trunks on most plants will die to the ground in severe cold but recover wellDrought - acceptableSalt - acceptable Coast - should take some ex po sureWind - goodLight - sunGrowth rate - rather slowAvailability - not hard to findOther - Listed as sus cep ti ble to lethal yellowing, though it is gen er al ly not a prob lem here. Some forms are apparently hardier than others. A good plant for a large screen

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Small, single delicate feath er palm with a grace ful crown of green leaves (Asia)

Cold resistance - leaves can freeze in moderate cold, the plant can freeze out in se vere cold but are easily pro tect ed by wrapping. For warm areas of South Texas Drought - moderateSalt - acceptable Coast - takes very light ex po sureWind - goodLight - part shade to full sunGrowth rate - slowAvailability - commonOther - Resistant to lethal yel low ing. A beautiful small palm. Phoenix rupicolais another elegant small date palm

Phoenix roebeleniiPygmy date palm

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Phoenix sylvestrisIndian date palm

Medium large feather palm re sem bling the true date but with out the multiple stems (In dia and Pa ki stan)

Cold resistance - should be hardy in South Texas, the leaves may burn in hard frost but re cov er quicklyDrought - goodSalt - seem to be quite tolerant to our soil and water Coast - should do wellWind - goodLight - full sunGrowth rate - fast for a dateAvailability - reasonableOther - this palm is fast er grow ing and possibly more re sis tant to le thal yel low ing than the other large dates and should be used more here. No long term data is yet avail able

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Rhapidophyllum hystrixNeedle palm

Low, almost trunkless fan palm with steel green leaves. The base of the plant has needle like spines (Southeastern U.S.)

Cold resistance - extremely har dy, grows in most of Tex asDrought - not that highSalt - moderate to low Coast - probably not highWind - best with protectionLight - light shade to shadeGrowth rate - slowAvailability - not commonly carried in South Texas, usually offered in Central/East Tex as and the Southeastern United StatesOther - A good low palm for shady areas in the frost-prone areas of South Texas

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Small fan palm which suck ers pro fuse ly to form a small attractive dense clump of dark leaves (Chi na)

Cold resistance - leaves can burn off in a hard freeze but the stems or roots recover in most of South TexasDrought - acceptable when es tab lished but bet ter if not ne glect edSalt - moderate, can get slight tip burn if water with a high salt con tent is used Coast - moderate Wind - best out of the wind Light - shade, at least in the af ter noon Growth rate - slower Avail abil i ty - commonOther - there are many cultivars of this fine little species; all make attractive ornamentals. Rhapis subtilis is similar with smaller leaves and not quite as tough

Rhapis excelsaLady palm

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Rhapis multifidaFinger palm

Cold resistance - apparently similar to R. excelsa, it is root hardy in South TexasDrought - at least as tolerant as lady palmSalt - moderate, possibly slightly more tolerant than lady palm Coast - unknown Wind - best out of the wind Light - shade is bestGrowth rate - moderate, though it does not appear to get very large Avail abil i ty - hard to find but available in specialty nurseriesOther - one of the finest small clumping fan palms, it apparently is at least as happy in South Texas as the lady palm

Small palm resembling the lady palm but with fi ner, more delicate leaves (Chi na)

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Roystonea regiaRoyal palm

Large majestic feather palm with plumy leaves, white trunk and dis tinc tive green crownshaft (Cuba)

Cold resistance - poor, only for use in warm ar eas of the Low er Valley be tween major freez esDrought - fair once es tab lished, though it appreciates as much water as you can give itSalt - good, tolerates soil and water in the Lower Valley Coast - relatively good Wind - good Light - full sun Growth rate - fast to very fast if watered and fer til ized Avail abil i ty - commonOther - a gorgeous palm for tem po rary enjoyment in the warmest areas of Texas

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Sabal mauritiiformisTropical palmetto

Taller slender palmetto with deeply di vid ed trop i cal looking leaves (Cen tral Amer i ca)

Cold resistance - low for a palmetto, but plants protected from direct north winds are ap par ent ly hardy in the Lower ValleyDrought - probably good, like the oth er pal met tosSalt - good tolerance Coast - acceptable Wind - OK, though it might beat the leaves up a little Light - sun Growth rate - faster than most palmettosAvailability - hard to find but carried at several spe cial ty nurs er iesOther - the most tropical look ing fan palm. Sabal yapa looks similar. They seem especially susceptible to rhino beetle attacks when young

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Large stout spineless fan palm with dark green costapalmate leaves (South Tex as to Mex i co)

Cold resistance - high, har dy to at least College Sta tion Drought - good, new trans plants need ample water thoughSalt - good tolerance Coast - acceptable Wind - good Light - sun to light shade Growth rate - moderate if not drought stressed Avail abil i ty - commonOther - our only native palm tree, widely used and naturally well adapt ed. Forms from Mex i co may be more slen der and taller

Sabal mexicanaTexas palmetto

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Sabal minorDwarf palmetto

Low, usually trunkless fan palm with dark green leaves (Central Tex as & eastward, also NE Mexico)

Cold resistance - very high, perhaps the hardiest known palmDrought - goodSalt - good Coast - should be ac cept able, not widely used there Wind - tolerant Light - sun to shade Growth rate - slower Avail abil i ty - while not overly common it can be foundOther - this common palm of the south east ern United States is ex treme ly hardy but not much used in far South Texas since more ex cit ing palms are avail able

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Medium large fan palm with dark green costapalmate leaves much like our native Texas palmetto (Florida/SE Atlantic)

Cold resistance - high, even better than Texas palmetto in the colder parts of Central TexasDrought - decent when established, better with irrigation, especially after translplanting. Perhaps not as tolerant of rocky soil as Texas palmettoSalt - good tolerance Coast - good Wind - hight Light - sun to part shade Growth rate - slow to moderate in ideal conditions Avail abil i ty - commonly dug in Florida and brought here for saleOther - often hard to distinguish from our native palmetto, it has smaller fruit

Sabal palmettoFlorida palmetto

Sabal uresanaBlue palmetto, Sonoran Palmetto

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Fairly large palmetto with distinctive bluish leaves, especially when young (Sonora, Mexico)

Cold resistance - high according to reports, should be suitable for South and Central TexasDrought - goodSalt - surely good Coast - unknown, probably should do reasonably well Wind - tolerant Light - sun, maybe some light shade Growth rate - not fast, like most palmettos Avail abil i ty - hard to find, sold most often in ArizonaOther - a beautiful palmetto and the only sabal with bluish leaves. Recently introduced into Texas and seems to be an excellent choice for here

Sabal uresanaBlue palmetto, Sonoran Palmetto

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Sabal xtexensisBrazoria palmetto

Cold resistance - apparently quite highDrought - probably goodSalt - good Coast - should be ac cept able, not used there Wind - tolerant Light - sun to shade Growth rate - slower Avail abil i ty - hard to find, a specialty item Other - this is a rare palm, probably of hybrid origin, that comes from the Brazoria area near Houston

Low. stout fan palms with dark green leaves and short trunks with age (SE Texas)

Serenoa repensSaw palmetto

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Small to medium, low clumping fan palm with green to very grey leaves (Florida/SE Atlantic)

Cold resistance - high, used in Cen tral TexasDrought - not as high as many grey palms, needs some irrigation to do wellSalt - good Coast - very good, seen on the dunes by the Atlantic in Florida Wind - good Light - sun Growth rate - slow Avail abil i ty - moderate, best grown from containersOther - the silver forms are very nice, a good choice for the coast. Overall they are underused palms in our area

Serenoa repensSaw palmetto

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Syagrus romanzoffianaQueen palm, cocos plumosa

Graceful large plumose feath er palm com mon here and other subtropical cli mates (South Amer i ca)

Cold resistance - mod er ate, stands or di nary cold but can freeze out in worst winters if un pro tect ed. Used in much of South Tex as Drought - moderateSalt - ac cept able, though they sometimes suffer from nutrient deficiencies Coast - some Wind - tolerant Light - sun to light shade Growth rate - fast Availability - commonOther - treat mag ne sium de fi cien cy (yellowing leaves) with epsom salts. Our most popular trop i cal looking palm. A variant known as ‘Silver queen’ or ‘Santa Catarina’ is supposed to be slightly hardier

Trachycarpus fortuneiWindmill palm

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Small slender fan palm to 20-25 ft. often cov ered with “shag” on the trunk (China)

Cold resistance - high, used even into North TexasDrought - acceptable when established, prefers moistureSalt - not high, better suited for Central Texas than the Valley Coast - low Wind - best out of the wind Light - sun to part shadeGrowth rate - moderate Avail abil i ty - commonOther - more of a temperate palm, it does better in Central Texas than the nearly trop i cal conditions in deep South Texas. The look is more Oriental than trop i cal. Other species may do well in Central Texas

Trachycarpus fortuneiWindmill palm

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Trithrinax campestrisCampestris palm, blue needle palm

Cold resistance - very high, good for Cen tral TexasDrought - should be high. Needs well drained soilSalt - good Coast - probably good Wind - high toleranceLight - best with lots of sunGrowth rate - definitely slow Availability - very hard to find, especially larger plants, occasionally available from specialty nurs er iesOther - a tough but hand some and hardy palm from Ar gen ti na. Most Trithrinax should be suitable for South Texas. T acanthacoma is probably the most widely grown species but is not all that attractive

Small fan palm with very stiff , almost sharp but attractive greyish leaves and needle like matting on the trunk (Ar gen ti na)

Washingtonia filiferaCalifornia fan palm

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Washingtonia filiferaCalifornia fan palm

Cold resistance - high, though the leaves can burn in a hard freezeDrought - high, they often volunteer in cracks in con creteSalt - high, tolerant of nearly all soils and water Coast - fairly good, not as good as W. robusta or the hy brid Wind - high Light - full hot sun Growth rate - fast Avail abil i ty - commonOther - excellent for drier ar eas, in humid regions the trunks on old trees can suffer cold dam age which appears as trunk rot. Many plants now grown in South Texas are actually hy brids (a better choice for here)

Large fan palm with a thick stocky trunk and dull green fi lifer-ous leaves (Desert Southwest & NW Mexico)

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Very tall fan palm with thin often leaning trunks and bright shiny green leaves (Baja/NW Mexico)

Cold resistance - generally hardy enough to be used here, but old exposed trees are especially prone to very hard freezes, particularly in wet conditionsDrought - high, they also vol un teer readily hereSalt - high, tolerant of nearly all soils and water Coast - very good, one of the best palms for South Padre Wind - high Light - full sun Growth rate - quite fast Avail abil i ty - very commonOther - the signature land scape plant for the Lower Val ley, many were lost in the 1983 freeze but the plant is very easy to grow here. Trees planted in clumps with their leafbases left on the trunk tend to survive better in severe cold

Washingtonia robustaMexican fan palm

Washingtonia hybridHybrid washingtonia palm, Filibusta palm

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Large variable fan palm with thin or sometimes stout straight trunks and bright glossy leaves (hybrid or i gin)

Cold resistance - hardy to San Antonio, the leaves can burn in a heavy freeze but es tab lished plants recover Drought - high, they come up spontaneously here like the oth er wash ing to ni asSalt - high, tolerant of nearly all soils and water Coast - excellent, virtually the equal of W. ro bus ta Wind - high Light - full sun Growth rate - fast Avail abil i ty - common, though many people don’t re al ize they have a hybridOther - this spontaneous hy brid has the best char ac ter is tics of both parents and is bet ter adapted than either parent for use in South Texas. Prob a bly our best large palm for general use, many are difficult to distinguish from pure W. robusta

Washingtonia hybridHybrid washingtonia palm, Filibusta palm

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Wodyetia bifurcataFoxtail palm

Moderate sized palm with a thickly plumose feather leaves and a whit ish crownshaft. Resembles a small royal palm (NE Australia)

Cold resistance - low, only for temporary use in warmest areas of far South Tex as Drought - will stand some drought when established but usually needs irrigationSalt - fair, not generally a problem here Coast - not used there, may do reasonably well Wind - reasonable Light - sun Growth rate - fast Avail abil i ty - better nurs er ies usually carry themOther - a good smaller al ter na tive to the royal palm, it’s about as hardy and easier to protect (or cut down) in case of ex treme cold