C h a m a e r o p s 42

The Journal of The European Palm Society - No. 42 - 2001

C h a m a e r o p s42

2Chamaerops No. 42 - 2001

C o n t e n t s

Experience by Eric Speybroek page 5Eric Speybroek has run his nursery in Belgium for many years, and was one of the earliest suppliersof The Palm Centre. His wealth of knowledge and experience was an inspriatiuon for me in theearly days of palm popularity. Now Erich tells his own story.

A Palm World on the Island of Tenerife by Carlo Morici page 7A history of the palms of this wonderful island and what to find there, and where.

Cyberpalms by Vince Carr page 13Vince grabs his road map and navigates us along the palm superhighway of the Internet.

Road to Rio by Martin Gibbons page 16A palm trip of a lifetime, to Brazil home of many wonderful palm species, many of which wouldbe worth trying in Europe, even in sheltered areas in cooler climates. Part 2 follows.

Puzzling Questions by Ivan Hares page 19Ivan Hares poses palm questions, and relates his trials and tribulations as a new exotics enthusiast.

Palm Growing by George Oaks page 20The north-west of England is not the first place one thinks of in relation to palms, but as GeorgeOaks writes, there are a number that can grow there, and tells us about his successes and failures.

Letters & Shop page 22Cover: Syagrus glaucescens - one of the first (and most exciting) palms seen on our trip to Brazil. (Page 16)

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.

Editor Martin Gibbons [email protected] Tobias W. Spanner [email protected] organizer Tony King [email protected] Editor Lauri D. CoulombeFrench Translator Yann CorbelGerman Translators Barbara Schmid, Jörg Witticke, Jörg Schumann, Angela Müller, Elmar Grimsehl, Mario Stähler

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.

To join the EPS please contactTony King - 34, Keats Avenue - Romford, Essex RM3 7ARUnited [email protected]

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 [email protected]


E d i t o r i a l

With summer finally here, the temperaturerising, the sun shining and the breeze chasing awaythose fluffy white clouds leaving an azure blue sky,it seems an odd time to visit the southernhemisphere and travel back (or forward?) 6 monthsin time, to when the leaves are turning shades ofred, yellow and gold, and sweeping down fromthe trees on the back of an icy autumnal wind.For this is Chile, that extremely long and extremelynarrow band of a country that clings to the westernedge of Argentina.

It doesn’t take a lot of imagination on the partof palm enthusiasts to work out why I am here.The prize is Jubaea chilensis, surely the biggest-trunked, and one of the most cold-hardy of allpalms. Funny, the concept of ‘west’ and ‘east’hardly seems to exist in this strip of a nation,everything and everywhere is either ‘north’ or‘south’; ‘up’ or ‘down’, and from Santiago, thecapital, this, of course, includes the two mainnational parks where this wonderful palm stillgrows in the wild, one up, and one down.

First a city tour, ending up at a high hillsidepark overlooking the metropolis, stunning, withskyscrapers and glass towers, and a remarkablebackdrop of snow covered mountains, the Andes,spine of South America. Downside: a band ofbrown polluted air that hangs over the city like apall, and for which the word ‘fug’ was surelycoined. It’s worst at this time of year I am told;low humidity and no air movement. Traffic jamseverywhere keep it from dissipating. That aside,it’s a stunning view, from a stunning park,populated by 30 or 40 colossi of the palm world,the endemic Jubaea, Chilean Wine palm, standingsentinel, high over the city.

North then to the first of the parks where wewill see these giants in the wild, along straightnorth/south roads (that’s all there are) lined withpoplars, elms and sycamores, all turning autumnalcolours, reds and golds, it could be England inOctober, apart from the fact that there are acres

and acres of vineyards behind the trees, busymaking one of Chile’s most important exports.

After a couple of hours drive we are here. Along and winding road then suddenly we areamong them, hundreds and hundreds of hugeJubaeas, in ones and twos and in groups of five orten. To say they dominate the landscape would bean understatement; they ARE the landscape. Thesky is deep, deep blue and between the palms’ bulkwe can see hills and valleys, all clad to a greater orlesser degree with these stunning palms. Even alongthe high ridge, hundreds of feet above us, we cansee a long line of them like Redskins in a cowboymovie. Curiously there are no (or very few) youngplants; all the seeds are collected for sale either forexport or in the local market, and men and womenare wandering around with overflowing cans andbaskets.

Two days later we are in a similar reserve, a fewhundred kilometres to the south. It’s noticeablycooler here, but the morning sun is rapidlywarming the air, and steam is rising from theJubaeas’ trunks after last night’s downpour. It’s acurious sight, these huge pachydermal palmswreathed in mist, and our cameras are busy. Again,the seed collectors are active, no seedlings this year,that’s for sure.

Darwin reported seeing hundreds of thousandsof Jubaeas when he sailed to Chile on the Beagle,inspired by the wildlife on the Chilean GalapagosIslands to write his ‘Origin of the Species’. Thepalm’s downfall has been that its cut trunk exudesa sweet sap, which can be drunk as Palm Honey,or processed to produce Palm Wine. For thisreason, countless thousands have been felled sinceDarwin’s time and today’s population is but ashadow of its former self. Mercifully, the tree isnow protected as Chile’s national tree and,incredibly, efforts are being made to replace ALLthe lost palms, a thankless task since they willhardly reach maturity in a man’s lifetime.

M.G.


A L i f e t i m e o f E x p e r i e n c e

Eric van Speybroeck, Zevergem (De Pinte), Belgium

My interest in palms started when I was stillyoung, in the late 50’s. It probably happened as ithappens for most of us: views of postcards withpalm trees in the background, magazines with palmpictures, and films shot in a sunshine climate wherehundreds or thousands of palms grow happily in aplace that looks like paradise.

I have always been fascinated with the imageof palm trees. I don’t know exactly why, exceptthat they seem to express something completelydifferent from other, ordinary trees; they look sounique, and when fully grown, are really majestic.

I can even recall the specific moment when Idecided that I would grow palms. In 1957 I leftmy home, a small village near Ghent in Belgium,for a business trip in Italy. After having crossedFrance, I arrived on the other side of Mont Blancin the Italian town Aosta. When I was driving mycar from Aosta towards Ivrea, my attention wassuddenly drawn to something that looked like apalm tree at least 500m away. When I got closer, Isaw the characteristic stem of a palm tree with abig crown of leaves, planted very close to the wallof a house. This palm tree was later identified asbeing a Trachycarpus fortunei, but 40 years ago,this name was practically not known. At that time,"Chamaerops excelsa" was used, though we now

know this species does not exist. (There is, ofcourse, a Chamaerops humilis, which is completelydifferent). From that moment on, after seeing thata palm tree could grow in such an inhospitableregion, I decided that I would grow palms.

I started a nursery in 1963 under the name of“Plantimpex," and soon grew and commercializedHowea forsteriana, an indoor palm tree appreciatedfor its durability and ease of cultivation.

I still remember the first two Trachycarpusfortunei I planted in my garden in May, 1965.They were imported from Spain through a localnurseryman, and grew very well for 20 years onlyto be destroyed in the 1985/86 winter, which wasthe coldest winter in the last 35 years. That Januaryhad a minimum temperature of -18°C which lastedapproximately ten days, followed by a two weekspell of very mild weather, and followed again inFebruary by another ten days in which theminimum temperature was as low as -19° C.

I planted more Trachycarpus fortunei between1965 and 1980, and a lot of those palms survivedthat winter, although they all suffered from thesevere cold spell. In February, 1967, I plantedabout ten T. fortunei, all 3 to 5m high andimported directly from Italy. They all grew welluntil 1985 when they were mostly killed duringthat infamous winter. In the spring of 1975 mostpalms were in full bloom, and my surprise camein the summer of 1976 when I discovered somesmall palms only a few centimeters high growingin the shadows of the big ones. They survived thewinter of 1985 and by now have reached 3 1/2 to4m with trunks 2 1/2 to 3m high.

I could not stay with just one genera andspecies, of course, even though I still considerTrachycarpus fortunei to be the best palm tree forour region. I believe it even grows better here than

Page 4:Top left and right: Trachycarpus fortunei, floweringin the garden.Middle left: Chamaerops humilis has grown into adense group.Middle right: A young Jubaea chilensis.Bottom left: Trachycarpus wagnerianus near thehouse.Bottom right: Chamaerops humilis protectedagainst the house.


in warmer regions, such as the south of France,Italy, or Spain, since it prefers a mild climatewithout extremes and a lot of water.

In 1959, I heard about the International PalmSociety, which had been created in the U.S. inApril, 1956. Through their quarterly publicationPrincipes (which became Palms in January, 1999),I learned about a lot of other hardy palm trees,such as Trachycarpus wagnerianus, Chamaeropshumilis, Rhapidophyllum hystrix, Sabal minor andSabal palmetto, Butia capitata, Jubaea chilensis,Brahea armata, and so on.

I started trying these palms as early as 1971.Most of them, except T. wagnerianus and R.hystrix, are not as cold hardy as T. fortunei, butcan still be grown here with a minimum of care.This means a south, southeast or southwestexposure and protection from cold northerlywinds, which may include some protection withstraw, jute, or a bag in very cold winters. Believeme, most of them grow very well and remain inperfect condition most of the time. While a verysevere winter might partially destroy them oreventually kill them, many of the palms I plantedbetween 1971 and 1980 are still growing well.

Several new species of Trachycarpus wereintroduced some years ago by Martin Gibbons andToby Spanner, who have done a lot of research onpalm hardiness. These species, including T. takil,T. oreophilus, T. martianus, T. nanus, T. princeps,and T. latisectus, all come from the mountainousregions of or around the Himalayas in China,India, Nepal, and Thailand. Their cold hardinesshas not been fully tested, however, since mostpalms are still young and small.

So what conclusions can be drawn from a manwith 35 years of experience, who is first a true palmlover and second a palm grower? I have learnedquite a lot about caring for and growing palmssince I started growing them, and while there havebeen regular losses in severe weather conditions,this means nothing in comparison to the pleasureyou feel when you succeed at something you love.To help palm lovers like myself succeed, we now

have regular publications and books on growingpalms from all over the world. In Chamaerops,for instance, there have been several articles bypalm enthusiasts about palms that are now grownin countries where you would not suspect them togrow, such as Austria, Azebaidjan, Bulgaria,Crimea, Georgia, Germany, Holland, andScandinavia. In terms of cities, a lot ofTrachycarpus fortunei, among others, have recentlybeen planted in Paris, and I predict that Londonwill soon be the capital of palms, as you see themeverywhere.

Since the 1990’s, "Plantimpex" has beentransformed into a “Palmeraie" with severalthousands of palms of all sizes. Most areTrachycarpus fortunei and rather small, but thereare also some specimens with up to 2 to 3m ofstem. Other palms available in smaller quantitiesare Trachycarpus wagnerianus, Rhapidophyllumhystrix, Chamaerops humilis, Sabal minor andSabal palmetto, Butia capitata, and Brahea armata--enough to transform an ordinary garden into aluxuriant palm haven. With palms, you cancompletely change your garden, or even create anexotic corner in or around terraces, patios,swimming pools and so on.

As more people realize that these beautifulplants can be grown easily and in all kinds ofdifferent climates and soils, there is no doubt thatthe palm world will expand even more rapidly andthat demand will be bigger in the near future thanit has been in the past. As I write these words, Ican already detect the first spathes on severalTrachycarpus fortunei and Chamaerops humilis,which, in two to three weeks of warm weather,will emerge into beautiful flower stalks that willgive me a lot of happiness and pleasure the wholeyear round. I hope that these few lines mayencourage other palm enthusiasts all over Europewho have not yet, for one reason or another, startedplanting palms in their own gardens. Whereveryou live, if you can find a southern corner that iswell protected in winter, even in the coldestregions, you, too, can grow palms.


T h e P a l m W o r l d o n t h eI s l a n d o f T e n e r i f e

Carlo Morici, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canarias,Spain

I live in Europe, in a mid-sized city, but I haveno umbrella. No, I am not asking the readers ofChamaerops to send me money so I can buy anumbrella, but thank you anyway. I just␣ don't needone. That is because I am one of the 600,000people who live on the island of Tenerife. We arelocated beyond what you may think of as theboundaries of the European Union, but we are partof Spain. Our climate may be loosely characterizedas a rainless, eternal spring, and this is one of thereasons why 11 million European tourists visit ourislands every year. This, of course, is also why Idon't need that device to keep my head dry.

How do palms grow in the rainless spring? Theoceanic climate of Tenerife is really quite good forgrowing palms. It is equable and inflicts no thermalstresses. Private and public gardens on the islandhold more than 600 palm species, and more speciescould be added to the list. The island has a surfaceof 2000 km2, and the climates of the northernand southern parts of the island differ greatly. Thenorthern coast is cooler, cloudier and more moistthan the southern coast, which is dry, sunny andwarm. The absolute minimum temperaturerecorded in the north is 9°C, while on the southerncoast the temperature has never fallen below 12°C.The hottest summer temperatures rarely exceed30°C on both coasts.

Hundreds of palm species can be grown onboth coasts, but the true warmth-loving tropicalsdo well only on the desert southern coast, and onlyif water and shade are provided.

As the altitude increases, the nights become

much colder, though day temperatures remainwarm. The climate at 600 to 900 m asl iscomparable to that of the southern Mediterranean.Above 1000 m, frosts occur. The island is toppedby the volcano Teide, at 3718 m, which experiencesvery hard frosts and snow. Few people grow palmsin the highlands, which are usually considered toocold for most palms. Actually, some shelteredwindless spots at 400-800 m could be interestingfor planting high-altitude palms such as Ceroxylonor Trachycarpus.

If you live at sea level, temperatures are not aproblem. The principal nightmares of the palmgrower on Tenerife are wind, dry air, drought, toomuch sun and too little soil (here and there onecan find outcrops of solid lava). Water quantityand water quality are probably the greatest limitingfactors, and virtually all our palm losses have beendue to lack of water. In our dry climate, muchmore irrigation is needed than in non-desert tropicsor subtropics, and on Tenerife, water can beexpensive, salty, hard, too alkaline, polluted, or--even worse--there can be no water at all!

A C u l t u r a l S y m b o l

The palm is unquestionably a prominentsymbol in the visual culture of this island. Palmsilhouettes appear on postcards, logotypes, and anykind of decoration, mural, or advertisment. Palmsare simply everywhere, even during Carnival, whenmany disguises and sceneries feature palms. OnceI saw a man dancing in the crowd with a 4-metertall Veitchia joannis, which, in his alcoholicenthusiasm, he had surely uprooted and stolenfrom a city garden.


Phoenix leaves are used to decorate townsduring festivals, and street cleaners still use themas brooms. And they use them by the thousands .. . scroushscroush! Even in the center of the largestcity, one can hear the sound of the street beingcleaned with a canariensis leaf, followed by themost technically advanced, automatic cleaningmachines.

“Miel de palma” is the concentrated sap of P.canariensis. It is collected and produced througha complicated traditional procedure, and is servedas a topping for desserts or fruit in fancyrestaurants.

Even if the palm tree is fully integrated intothe culture, local people are nonetheless consciousthat is has an exotic quality. Together with thedragon tree (Dracaena draco) and the banana tree,palms make the Canaries the land of arborescentmonocots, splashes of palmy colour in the greysea of a deciduous Europe.

P a l m s o n t h e I s l a n d -N e w P a l m s ,N e w S u r p r i s e s

In the next few lines, I will tell the story of anisland that, until two decades ago, hosted just 10or 15 palm species in its streets and public gardens.Today it may be one of the world's most palmyplaces.

The landscape has changed a great deal duringthe last few years. Private gardeners started tocollect palms; the old botanic garden dramaticallyimproved its collection; private nurseries beganproducing millions of palms for export; and citygovernments, and the politicians themselves,became interested in tropical gardens and palms.On top of this, tourism exploded, and the touristsbegged for a tropical look. Lastly, a few years ago,work began on a new Palmetum, a palm botanicalgarden that is still under construction.

P u b l i c G a r d e n s a n dS t r e e t s

Old palms--palms more than 50 years old--arelimited to a few common species with a fewexceptions that are chiefly grown at the old JardínBotánico de La Orotava.

The “old favourites” of Tenerife areArchontophoenix cunninghamiana, Howeaforsteriana, Livistona chinensis, Phoenixcanariensis, P. dactylifera, Roystonea regia,Trachycarpus fortunei, Washingtonia filifera, andW. robusta. In a few squares, one can find Phoenixrupicola, Chamaedorea pochutlensis and Howeabelmoreana.

During the 1980's, a few new palm species,such as Dypsis lutescens and Rhapis excelsa,appeared in public spaces. During the 90's morespecies became common: Syagrus romanzoffiana,Hyophorbe vershaffeltii, and Phoenix roebelenii.In the last few years, the triangle palm, Dypsisdecaryi, and the tropical Veitchia joannis havejoined the show, and upcoming landscapingprojects will soon introduce more than 20 newspecies. Among palms that are now unusual, butwhich are likely candidates to become “common,”are Bismarckia nobilis, Chambeyronia macrocarpa,Hyophorbe lagenicaulis, Latania spp.,Ptychosperma elegans and Wodyetia bifurcata.

O u r N a t i v e P a l m

There is just one palm species native to theCanary Islands, but thankfully it is one of thelargest and most beautiful species of the wholefamily, and maybe the most spectacular one of all.It is Phoenix canariensis. In the wild, Phoenixcanariensis is much more attractive than it is incultivation. Although wild populations have beendramatically reduced over the centuries, one canstill find wild palm groves, some with hundred-year-old individuals more than 20 m tall. A fewyears ago, I published an extensive paper, with

Page 8:Top left: Trithrinax acanthocoma in La OrotavaBot.Gdns.Top right: Close-up of a Trithrinax acanthocomatrunk . Pen for scale.Bottom left: Phytelephas macrocarpa withAlejandra Lazzaro in La Orotava.Bottom right: Close-up of a Phytelephasmacrocarpa trunk. Pen for scale.

This page:Top left: An old Encephalartos laurentianus (belowright) rivals a tall Phoenix canariensis in crownsize. La Orotava Bot.Gdns.Top right: Trunk of the female specimen ofEncephalartos laurentianus with Alejandra. Thebase is embraced by the epiphytic fern Davalliacanariensis.Bottom left: Efrén Hernández Marrero with Turcain a sea of Phoenix roebelenii. A young palm loverwho is also commercially growing some newspecies.


photographs, on this topic in Principes, so I willsimply refer those who wish to read more to“Phoenix canariensis in the wild,” Principes, April1998 (Vol.42 N.2, pp.85–89, 92–93). Part of thispaper is available on the Web at http://www.palms.org/principes/1998/canariensis.htm,and you can find the photograph that was featuredas the cover of that issue at http://www.palms.org/principes/1998/pf9804.JPG.

T h e N e w P a l m e t u m o fS a n t a C r u z d e T e n e r i f e

A new botanical garden specializing in palmsis being built in the main city of Tenerife, SantaCruz. Already thousands of palms, representing400 species, are surprising us with their vigorousgrowth. I won't describe the Palmetum here, asJose-Manuel Zerolo has written an article, whichwill appear in the next issue of Chamaerops, inwhich he describes the Palmetum in detail.

J a r d í n B o t á n i c o d e l aO r o t a v a

In Puerto de La Cruz, one of the most populartourist destinations on the island, there is abotanical garden that is two centuries old. Theweather in Puerto de La Cruz is usually cloudyand not too hot. The garden contains more than150 palm species, among which are some veryinteresting tropicals and beautiful old specimensof unusual genera. To list all of these would requiremore space than I am permitted here, but I wishto mention Cryosophila sp., Phytelephasmacrocarpa, Pritchardia hillebrandtii, Pinangakuhlii and many uncommon species of Areca,Chamaedorea and Roystonea. Genera from non-tropical climates also perform well there. A hugeJubaea chilensis and various species ofRhopalostylis and Trachycarpus all thrive in theeternal spring.

All this is part of a spectacularly lush vegetation

of ancient tropical trees, Musaceae, Bromeliaceae,cycads and succulents, all of which are worth avisit. There is even a huge, old Encephalartoslaurentianus that rivals Phoenix canariensis incrown size. Recently, the garden acquired a new,very large, empty, adjacent property and willdedicate 10,000 m2 of this space to Americanpalms.

P r i v a t e G a r d e n s

The number of palmophiles on the island isgrowing rapidly, and they have developed somevery beautiful private gardens, which are scatteredthroughout the islands. These gardens contain themost sought-after palms, such as many species ofthe delicate genera Johannesteijsmannia, Licuala,Beccariophoenix, and Pseudophoenix, all growingoutdoors. Because these aficionados have thepatience that commercial nurseries lack, they alsoraise slow-growing, hardier palms such asCoccothrinax, Jubaea and Hedyscepe.

O u r U n o f f i c i a l P a l mS o c i e t y

There is no local palm society on Tenerife, butduring the past two or three years a good-sizedgroup of palm friends has begun to gather fromtime to time. More than 40 “members” of thisinformal society meet every few months. Wefrequently enjoy slide lectures (sometimes about amember's travels in search of palms), andsometimes an overseas visitor will speak to us abouthis or her specialty or garden. Our palmcommunity is diverse. Of course it includes palmaficionados, but it also includes scientists,nurserymen, students, lecture-addicts and curious“globetrotters.” Rather than creating an isolatedisland chapter, we encourage each other to joinother palm societies so we can get “fresh exoticnews.”


N u r s e r i e s

The production of ornamental plants is a livelyindustry in the Canaries, and palms are amongthe most commonly planted ornamentals. Somelarge nurseries produce huge quantities of commonspecies for export. This is the case with Rhapisand Howea (kentia). Producers in NorthernTenerife maintain several million tall, maturekentias to produce seed for this industry. It is hardto believe how many seeds, seedlings, boxes,trolleys, and pots move behind the kentia industry.Other less common species are also produced inlarge quantites. These include Phoenix roebellenii,Dypsis lutescens and Hyophorbe verschaffeltii.Recently, a few nurserymen started to growunusual palms for collectors. Up to 150 species ofmostly young plants can be found in some of thesenurseries.

P a l m s i n t h e U r b a nL a n d s c a p e

I wish to end this essay with a slice of life onthe island. I live on the 6th floor of a building inthe very heart of Santa Cruz, right in the middleof a pretty and peaceful part of town that is hometo offices and shops. People walk down my street20 hours a day.

Nevertheless, from my balcony I enjoy anabsolute minimum temperature of 16°C and thesight of four Cassia fistula; two old, branchedDracaena draco; an Adansonia digitata that is fourmeters tall; a row of three Washingtonia; a longline of 27 Veitchia joannis mixed with V.macdanielsii; one Howea forsteriana; a clump offour Syagrus romanzoffiana; and the farawaybranch of an olive tree.

A few shrubs native to the Canaries (Euphorbiaobtusifolia, Aeonium holochrysum andArgyranthemum spp.) grow beneath one of thedragon trees. There are also six or seven Delonixregia, a line of 12 young Brachychiton acerifolium,

two Tipuana tipu and some 40 Robinia hispidathat cannot shed their leaves and so look untidyin this “winterless” climate (I find they break theharmony of the general landscape). Groundcoverssuch as lavenders, ivies, petunias and poinsettiascome and go. Parakeets, pigeons and blackbirdsfly freely around, and there are human beingseverywhere.

I must admit that it actually does rain here,but only 300 mm per year, concentrated in winter.The usual showers can wet your hair slightly, butthe drops evaporate before they can reach yourscalp. We can get two or three real rains each year,but by the time I decide to buy an umbrella, therain has stopped and the rainy season is over.

A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s

I wish to express my gratitude to Ken Banks,editor of the Palm Society of Hawaii who haspatiently revised this article and my Englishspellings.


C y b e r p a l m s

Vince Carr, Northolt, UK

Editing a Journal such as Chamaerops is notan easy task and combining that task with runningand expanding a successful business like The PalmCentre makes it all the more difficult. At times itmust seem like a thankless task and so, whenMartin Gibbons our Editor asks for contributionsfrom the membership of EPS as he did in IssueNo. 39 - Summer 2000 it's time to pull out all thestops and find something to write about. At thispoint I must apologise to our members whosenative languages are other than English and whomay lose something of the flavour of this piece inthe translation. So my friends, what shall I writeabout? Why, the Internet of course!

When Chamaerops Summer 2000 was stuffedthrough my letterbox I was in bed with arespiratory infection and frost lay on the ground.Yes, it was January 15th 2001. Not exactly a goodtime for outdoor gardening so something else wasrequired as a subject and so whilst checking on-line for new e-mail the Internet slotted into placeas the subject matter.

Now, I'm sure that all EPS Members who areInternet enabled and have a command of Englishwill be familiar with our web site atwww.palmsociety.org and our Editor's palmbusiness at www.palmcentre.co.uk and jolly goodthey are too, but what other resources are availableon the Net? The short answer to that is, who cansay? Nevertheless, in a very short time it's possibleto amass a great deal of information from aroundthe world about Palms, the subject in question.

I believe that in a journal such as Chamaeropsthere is room for a variety of palm related subjectmatter, be that of the learned botany variety, the'guess what I grew in my back garden' variety, orpalm related retail therapy. There are some

excellent palm articles and papers on the Internetas well as web sites of other palm societies andsome excellent retail sites. Should we include otherretail sites in our journal? Yes, I think we should,on the grounds that this enhances the knowledgeof our members and it isn't exactly advertising, isit?

So what little treats have I found for you tosample? Let me list just a few of the many itemsthat appealed to me; here goes:-

1. From the Palm & Cycad Societies ofAustralia a Palm Article about Bonsai Palms. Thatcould open up a whole new way of growing, sellingand collecting palms. I can't wait to have a go atBonsai myself.

http://www.pacsoa.org.au/palms/articles/BonsaiPalms.html

2. The Cold-Rating Data Base. This is a usefuldatabase listing Genera, Species, MinimumTemperatures and USDA Zones, showing lowestsurvival temperatures for palms plus access to thestatistical report on each species. A very usefulreference indeed.

http://tct.netfirms.com/cgi-bin/crdb/crdblist.cgi?DataBank=Palm

3. A superb article on Washingtonia filifera -Nevada's rejected ancient Palm, where the NativeAmericans are trying to stop destruction of thesenative palms of the 'Moapa' region and includesan on-line petition form to complete and help theappeal.

http://www.xeri.com/Moapa/wf-hr-foreword.htm

4. This one's a splendid paper from our owntwo learned gentlemen, Martin Gibbons andTobias W. Spanner entitled The GenusTrachycarpus to be found at

http://www.plantapalm.com/vpe/general/keys/vpe_keks1.htm


5. Container Production of Palms by Alan W.Meerow. Although about palm production on thegrand scale contains very useful information forthe amateur.

http://www.ftld.ufl.edu/CONPALM.htm

6. Huw's Pleasure Garden in North DevonUK. Shows you how to grow a pineapple (yes, Iknow a pineapple ain't a palm).

http://www.treetops.u-net.com/pineapple.htmlHuw's associated retail therapy site where you

can buy Palm Seeds is a must for the palmenthusiast.

http://www.rosedownmill.freeserve.co.uk

7. Finally, just one of the many places to searchfor palm resources is Searching the Internet forPalms at (where there are 74 website links)

http://www.mahpro.com/palmsch.html

I hope you find something to interest you atthe above locations and I look forward to readingother members' articles or letters related to theirown experiences of palm related web surfing. Ifyou find a palm society or business web-site witha guest book or comments box, how about fillingit in with your comments and sign off with yourname and the legend ..... a member of TheEuropean Palm Society - Website atwww.palmsociety.org

Finally one last point, do you remember when,here in the UK, car registration numbers like ABC123 or XYZ 789 were available for just a fewpounds and now they cost an absolute fortune.Well my friends the same, will be true of DomainNames. If you wish to secure a top level PalmGenus domain name for yourself, your businessor organisation you'd better get a move on becausedomain names are going fast. Firms likeGetDotted.com http://www.getdotted.com andDomain Express http://www.domainexpress.co.ukallow you to search for, purchase and registerdomain names for reasonable fees and offer domainhosting or domain parking on a similar low costbasis. You could use the name for your own website or simply as an e-mail address such [email protected] (ficticious). Some

months ago I purchased the nameTrachycarpus.com as .com, .net, .org & co.uk arethe top level domains and go the quickest. Why, Ihear you ask, did I want my own domain nameand more particularly Trachycarpus.

That's not an easy one to answer in any detailbut in conclusion I offer the following lameexcuses:-

A. I wanted it!B. I'm a palm enthusiast.C. I belong to the European Palm Society.D. Why shouldn't I.E. There's no law against it!

flowered yet, but it looks as if it will this year. Lotsof people want seeds from it.

Lastly, like most people keen on palms, I havea collection of Trachycarpus. I have maybe 100 orso T. fortunei, both floppy and stiff-leaved versions.I find the stiff-leaved version hardier to below -5°,and I intend to plant some in a wooded area. Iown to give it a bit of a different look. I also haveone T. takil, four T. nana, one T. martinanus, andone T. wagnerianus. Of particular interest are theT. nana seedlings, which are kept inside on thedry side. Just one was planted in the wettest,coldest, windiest part of my garden. The oneoutside is the best colour, and has withstood -10°this year for one night only, but -5° for two ormore nights, -1° for 10-15 nights, and rain formore or less the last four or five months. Theground is well drained and has six inches of oldfarmyard manure (I have horses and chickens)placed around it each year, which does help. Itlooks in better condition than a three feet high T.fortunei with a nine inch-thick trunk after thisbad winter, so the others are going outside forgood. Keep growing!

P a l m G r o w i n g i n t h eN o r t h W e s t o f E n g l a n d

...continued from page 20


R o a d t o R i o - P a r t I

By Martin Gibbons, Ham Central Nursery, HamStreet, Ham, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 7HA, U.K.

When Brian Trollip (nephew of the famousSteve Trollip of South Africa) and I decided to visitBrazil for a three-week trip over Christmas last year,we had the very best in the way of predecessors.Inge Hoffmann had travelled our planned routesome nine or ten years previously, as had Brian'suncle with three friends in a minivan, some fouryears ago. Both parties had published details oftheir expeditions, so we were armed with valuablerouting tips and with a juicy list of palm specieswe could expect to find along the way.

After arriving in Rio, we first collected ourrental car. Warning: car hire in Brazil is not cheap.Even though we had booked in advance, we stillended up paying £1000 ($1500) for our 17 dayson the road. In these cases, one just has to grinand bear it, and try not to dwell on it too much.

Our trip proper began in Belo Horizonte,Brazil's third largest city after Rio and Sao Paulo,from which we set off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, the23rd of December. With a good breakfast insideus, we headed northwest towards Itabira, seeingAcrocomia and Syagrus species along the way. InItabira we were stranded for an hour by the mosttorrential downpour! The rain just fell down in atropical storm of such ferocity that we were forcedto call a halt before we had hardly begun. Oncethe rain stopped, however, the sun appeared in acloudless blue sky, and the temperature rapidlyclimbed to around 90 F. (30 C.), where it stayedfor most of the rest of our journey. We stayed atGaunhaes that night and the next day set off forSerro, and between here and Diamantina, we sawthe first of many exciting palms that we were tosee on our trip. As we rounded a bend, on anoutcrop of rocks, Syagrus glaucescens was waitingfor us. As we approached we saw many more, allgrowing on or around this rocky hillock, and westopped to photograph them and check for seeds,

none of which, unfortunately, were ripe.Quite unlike Syagrus romanzoffia, the best

known of the genus, S. glaucescens grows only toaround 10 or 12 feet, and has short, stubby andvery stiff leaves, with upward-pointing leaflets,almost cycad-like in appearance. These palms, likethe landscape on which they were growing, seemedvery old, and one would suspect they are extremelyslow-growing. They are scarcely known incultivation anywhere in the world.

After Diamantina, like Inge before us, wespotted a veritable field of diminutive, blue featherpalms that turned out to be Butia archeri. Withshort and thick trunks that had been burned bymany bush fires, and grey-blue leaves, theypresented an extraordinary sight. We only sawthem in this one area, and if that is the only placethey grow one would think that their future is notvery secure. Should this field be ploughed orotherwise cultivated, that may be the end of these

lovely and again slow-growing palms. Otherpalms we saw in the same area include Allagoptera

Page 15: Top: Trunkless Syagrus werdermannii -occasionally seen by the side of the roadBottom left: Syagrus glaucescens - wonderful, stiffleaved relative of the humble Queen palm.Bottom right: Syagrus duartei - very similar toSyagrus glaucescens, experts differ as to itsidentification and validity.Page 17: Top left: Syagrus coronata - one of themost common palms seen on our trip. There wereliterally millions of them.Top right: Butia archeri - small palms, mature atonly a couple of feet tall. Would make wonderfulpot plantsBottom left: Allagoptera brevicalix - commonlyseen, small palms, growing in colonies and verydifficult to photograph!Bottom right: Acrocomia aculeata - tall and spinypalm, not uncommonly seen by the roadside.


campestris, Queen palms, and but a singleSyagrus flexuosa, an unusual, suckering species.The countryside around us was quite wonderful,with great rocky outcrops and cliff faces, alldemanding to be photographed.

Passing Biribiri and Mendanha, we chose aside road leading to Inhai that took our fancy and,rubber-necking all the while, drove several milesalong it. Our patience was rewarded as we cameacross 30 or 40 Syagrus duartei growing togetherin a grassy meadow. To our eyes it looked veryclose to S. glaucescens and since some authoritiesdescribe it as trunkless, there seems to be someconfusion here. Anyway, they were wonderfulplants indeed. It was starting to get dark by thistime, making photography tricky, so we decidedto head back to Diamantina for the night andreturn in the morning. It being Christmas/NewYear, the church in this pretty village was lit upwith thousands of tiny white light bulbs; anincredible sight in the village square.

We set off early the next morning, stopping atthe palms for a good photo session, but furtheralong the road was blocked, so we had to return asecond time and abandon hopes of getting to Inhai.Thus we turned left (north) on the main road,towards Turmalina and Minas Novas ("NewMines"). Though it was rather dull from a palmperspective, one never knows what might bewaiting around the next corner. In this case, it wasthe town of Arucai which straddles the ArucaiRiver. Here we found a small posada (inn) calledPosada Tropical where we stayed for the night,enjoying a very un-Christmassy Christmas supperal fresco in the village square.

Sometimes on palm travels you can drive foran entire day and see nothing, and this was thecase here, as we crossed the river again, headingnorth for Itaobim. This very long drive wasrelieved, however, by spectacular sandstone hillsin bizarre and beautiful shapes. We stopped everyso often to take photos, and for lunch, but from apalm point of view, it was very disappointing. Andthen, suddenly, by the side of the road we sawSyagrus oleracaea, Allagoptera leucocalyx and S.flexuosa, all growing together. Our disappointmentwas forgotten as we admired these rare species.

Pedro Azul (Blue Peter?!) was our stop for that

night, at the Posada Bom Jardim. In town the nextmorning we bought maps, had a haircut, sentemails, and had breakfast as well, so it was asuccessful morning. Heading north once again, wewere stopped by police for a minor traffic offence,but it was very good natured and we were allowedon our way without even a bribe. On the way toVictoria da Conquista, our immediate destination,we saw many Syagrus coronata, and on the laterroad from Bromado to Caetite we found S.werdermannii in great abundance, growing by theroadside and easily accessible. That night we spentin Brumado in a brand new hotel, without a/c, tvor phone, but very cheap, and the steaks weredelicious!

From Bromado, we headed east then northagain and at a junction a few miles up we found agood population of Allagoptera campestris, small,plumose-leaved palms of the cerrado, with seedheads like corn-on-the-cob. Over the next houror two, as we sped north along a ruler-straight roadtowards Mucuge, we were to see millions more,hundreds of square miles of them, covering thelandscape from horizon to horizon. Yet anotherexample of a palm so common in the wild, yet soinexplicably rare in cultivation. Growing withthem, and similar in appearance except for theirfierce spines, was Bactris tucum, with a maximumheight of about three or four feet. The flatlandscape then slowly gave way to spectacularscenery with, again, huge outcrops of rock, and atthe base of these were growing Syagrus harleyi inabundance, together with amaryllis, cacti andterrestrial orchids, in sandy soil.

From here it was not far to Andarai where westayed at the resort Ecologica, on the river. Superbfood, comfortable beds, and the sound of the riverever in the background. Downside: lots of insectsand huge toads the size of dinner plates to eat them.Nonetheless a great place to stay and we were sorryto leave the next morning. Our first palms of theday were Elaeis oleifera, the American Oil palm(as opposed to E. guineensis, the African Oil palm).Soon we had a major change in direction as wemet the main west-east highway, and turned righttowards the east coast, Salvador, the sea, and parttwo of our Brazilian adventure.


P u z z l i n g Q u e s t i o n s f o r aN e w P a l m E n t h u s i a s t

Ivan Hares, Spring Cottage, 141 London Road,Cowplain, Waterlooville, Hants. PO8 8XJ, U.K.

I am a new member of the European PalmSociety and have, until now, never felt the urge towrite to any magazine. This is not due to a lack ofhobbies, as my interests range from astronomy towatergardening. The reason why I am putting pento paper now is because I have never before neededto know the answers to so many puzzling questionsconcerning such a seemingly mysterious subject,where there is equal scope for great success andmiserable failure.

I have been interested in growing palms forabout a year and, after managing to kill a successionof coconut seedlings (the usual fate for this palmwhen kept as a house plant, I'm told), I decidedto try some easier subjects, such as Kentia,Chamaedorea, etc. While all of these seem to behappy, I am a bit concerned about my Lytocaryumweddellianum. I bought it about six months agoas a two-year-old plant and (I found out later notto do this) repotted it as a delicate seedling! Itsurvived and has since almost doubled in size, nowmeasuring a foot in height, and will one day needa bigger pot. How can I do this without damagingthe roots, which I understand results in the deathof the plant? I also have a Phoenix canariensis,approximately four feet high, as a house plant,which is in and out of the house in good weather.It seems to be growing quite fast and will eventuallybe planted out.

Late last year I bought a Trachycarpusfortunei (35 litre) and a Chamaerops humilis (15litre), which I repotted immediately (again, as Inow understand, not the best thing to do). Both,however, survived the winter well and continued

to grow, though I'm not sure if that's a good thingor not. The Chamaerops has many suckers, someof which I would like to remove in order to shapethe plant and propagate new plants. What is thebest procedure for doing this without causing anyfatalities? In April I bought a Butia capitata in a35 litre pot that was bulging at the seams. It is agood size with approximately two dozen oldleafstalk remnants, and it has four large fronds withtwo more on the way. As it appeared to need alarger pot, I decided to repot it. The pot I used forthis, and the Trachycarpus, was a 75 litre plasticbuilder's bucket (modified with drain holes) withrope handles (excellent value from Wickes). Iwasn't too concerned about the aesthetics as it ismy intention to put them in the ground next year.However, after reading about “pot planting” (anidea I like), I am not entirely convinced theseextremely tough and indestructible-looking potswould be able to split and let sufficient roots out.(Is that how it works? Maybe someone can explainthe mechanics of it to me?) At any rate, they aresomewhat beyond the ideal five gallon size! Havingsaid that, if it works, I'm all for it. I can't think ofan easier way of planting them, especially takinginto consideration the weight and possible damagefactor.

I have some plans for the garden, still verymuch in the embryo stage at the moment, whichinclude digging out another pond but with anexotic theme, using palms (of course) and otherplants such as Cordyline, Phormiums, Fatsia,Bamboo and Bananas. Wish me luck!


P a l m G r o w i n g i n t h e N o r t hW e s t o f E n g l a n d

By George Oaks, 57 Abbey Road, St Mary´s, CheshireWA3 IEP, U.K.

Many years ago, while on holiday in Italy, Ibecame interested in palms. I picked up a fewseeds, which were scattered over the groundbeneath most of the trees, and put them in mypocket thinking, "I´ll give them a try." That was25 years ago.

I forgot about the seeds, two Phoenixcanariensis and one Chamaerops humilis, untilthe following year when I was cleaning out a lot ofold pots from my greenhouse. It was a quite coldFebruary day and very frosty. I was looking at abroken pane of glass with a corner missing when Inoticed this grass-like leaf about two inches highsticking up from the soil in one of the pots. It wasthick with ice. I left it alone, just to see if it wouldgrow. It did!

It turned out to be the Chamaerops, and I ampleased to say it is still with me. It is now overfive feet, two inches tall with a spread of over threefeet, and a nice, thick, yellow-green trunk. I keepit to a single trunk just like its parents in the mainstreet of Pompei, "the dead city." It is growingoutside in a raised bed along with my Trachycarpusfortunei.

The two Phoenix grew the following spring. Ileft one outside and lost it, but the other is stillwith me. It grew very slowly, but is now abouteight feet tall with a one foot trunk. It is keptoutside all year except when the temperature fallsbelow zero; then it is housed in my conservatory.Being too heavy to lift, it is in a large tub withrope handles bought from the local supermarket,which makes it very easy to drag.

The Chamaerops, now over 25 years old,flowered for the first time this year. Another is 30years old but smaller, probably because it came

without roots from a building site in Spain. Thisone also flowered, but seeds were not produced,making me believe they are both the same sex. Ihave two others, one a yellow-leaved form named"Volcano" that will possibly reach five feet inanother 50 years, and a blue-leaved form aboutwhich I know nothing. The 30 or more year-oldplant, although only 18 inches tall, is the mostbeautiful palm I have, being in almost perfectshape. Coming from the wild, it takes no lookingafter at all, and I think it is just happy to be alivewith roots again. (It took two years for it to growthem again.)

The rest of my collection, all of which aregrown from seed, include Queen palm, ButiaCapitata, Livistona australis, Washingtonia filiferaand robusta, Rhopalostylis sapeda, Chamaeropscostaricana, Sabal minor, and, if they germinate,Jubea chilensis (they have been in pots a year andI am still waiting for some movement). I havealso a collection of three types of Cordylines, butthis year's frost has given them a beating.

All my palms, which are in pots, are keptoutside from March to November, and do betteroutside than in. The Chamaedoria costaricanaloves it outside in a shaded part where it can beblown in the wind. It also likes the rain, and hasgone from a £2.99 plant in a two and a half inchpot to a £299. plant growing in a two feet, sixinch pot. It has grown into a clump of palms aswide as it is tall, at over three feet. It has not

...continued on page 14

Top left: A palm imposter.Top right: Ensete ventricosum, the AbessinianBanana.Bottom left: Mature Hedyscepe with unripe fruit.Bottom right: A young Coconut palm.


P a s c h a l o c o c o s

Carlo Morici's article 'Paschalococos and theDisappearing Palms' prompted me to share aconversation I had on the same subject. Duringmy recent trip to Chile, I had the pleasure ofmeeting Dr.Juan Grau, a specialist in asthma, whoat the age of 84 is still practising. Apart from thishe is an expert in a number of fields includingpalms, pollution, semi-precious stones, thelanguage of Easter Island, and the chinchilla, whichhe was instrumental in saving from extinction. Wehad a long conversation about palms in generaland then about Jubaea chilensis. He is of theopinion, which he told me is now shared by mosthistorian-botanists, that the palm which is nowextinct on Easter Island is not a 'new' species butis identical with Jubaea itself. The populationsthere were probably cut down many years ago bythe natives who used the trunks as huge rollers tomove the famous statues from quarry to finalstanding place. He has had 4 mature Jubaeas flownthere (courtesy of the Chilean Air Force) and re-planted in the soil of Easter Island, along with,some years previously, 100 seedlings which weredistributed and planted around the island itself.Perhaps one day Easter Island will boast its originalnumber of these wonderful palms.Martin Gibbons

P a l m C o n s e r v a t i o n

I found the article "Conservation ThroughCultivation" veryinteresting as it highlighted thepossibility for palm enthusiasts to help keep a widepalm gene pool. An underlying premise of thearticle is the need for palms to be more widelyplanted. Part of the reason why more hardy palmsare not planted is that most people think theywon't survive cold conditions. This misconception

is made worse when many reputable gardeningbooks contain defective information. Forexample, my recent edition of the RHS A-ZEncyclopaedia of Garden Plants gives the followinginformation:1. Butia capitata - half hardy to frost tender -minimum 5-10° C.2. Chamaerops humilis - Half hardy - min 0°C.3. Phoenix canariensis - Minimum 16°C.

Perhaps the only way we can counter theinaccurate underestimate of the hardiness of manypalms is to show the general public what the truthis; as they say, "seeing is believing." In the U.K., afew enlightened local Councils have planted amodest number of hardy palms. If members coulddonate the odd palm each, we could create somemodel palm beds in municipal gardens in the largercities of Europe. By posting the locations of theseplantings on the EPS website, people could easilylocate the nearest municipal garden containingthese palms.

Depending upon the hardiness of the palms,naturalised groves of endangered species could beplanted in appropriate climates. Once again,public gardens could be used.

If other members write in showing theirwillingness to donate palms or time to plant them,perhaps the viability of the idea can be gauged.Martyn Graham, 123 Benhill Road, Sutton, SurreySM1 3SB, U.K.

M o r e I n t e r e s t i n gG a r d e n s o f T e n e r i f e

It was interesting for us to read MichaelCarter's recent article on the splendid palms andother exotic plants that can be seen in the northeastof Tenerife, around Puerto de la Cruz. We, too,visited the area in 1999, in March and inNovember, and were thrilled at the variety of plantsto view.

In the Botanic Gardens at Puerto we countedover one hundred different palm species, many ofthem semi- or fully mature specimens. There is asmall "outpost" of this garden a few miles away, inthe beautiful town of La Orotava, with more fine

L e t t e r s


Send your letters to:The European Palm Societyc/o The Palm CentreHam Central NurseryHam Street, HamRichmond, Surrey, TW10 7HA, UKe-mail: [email protected]

S h o p

Chamaerops back-issues# 41 Winter 2000 £3.50# 40 Autumn 2000 £3.50# 39 Summer 2000 £3.50# 38 Spring 2000 £3.50# 37 Winter 1999/2000 £3.50# 35 Summer/Autumn 1999 £6.50# 34 Spring 1999 £3.50# 33 Winter 1998/99 £3.50# 32 Autumn 1998 £3.50# 31 Summer 1998 £3.50# 30 Spring 1998 £3.50# 29 Winter 1997/98 £3.50# 28 Autumn 1997 £3.50# 27 Summer 1997 £3.50# 26 Spring 1997 £3.50# 25 Winter 1996/97 £3.50# 24 Autumn 1996 £3.50# 23 Summer 1996 £3.50

Chamaerops issues # 23-40 £54.00

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. DM 34.80To 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.

palms, treeferns, and exotic under-plantings.Perhaps even more exciting, palm-wise, was our

visit to a smaller garden, the "Jardin LasTosquillas," situated half-way between Puerto andLa Laguna. Begun in 1957, this garden is devotedalmost exclusively to palms and Tillandsias.Finding this amazing garden is worth the effort,as the collection of palms is outstandingly beautifuland well-labeled. It was stunning to wanderbetween fruiting Hedyscepes and Howeas or siton a terrace shaded by dozens of Washingtonias!There were many medium-sized specimens ofSabals, Braheas, and Bismarckias, and some finecycads. We also saw hundreds of Tillandsias, somegrowing on nets shading the palms.

Fine palms can also be found in two otherbeautiful gardens in or near Puerto. A free coachor taxi will take you the short distance to "LaBananera". An interesting garden where you cansee coffee, cacao, kapok, papaya, and custard appletrees planted among Strelitzias, Aloes, Agaves andcacti, as well as many of the indigenous species ofthe island. A free banana liquor and Strelitziaflower are included in the price!

"Sitio Litre" is one of the oldest houses on theisland, and is now surrounded by the suburbs ofPuerto. Its garden has a lovely display of orchidsand a wide range of sub-tropical plants. It's apeaceful place to sit and sip a reviving drink whileadmiring a huge "dragon tree."

During our second stay on the island we visitedIcod de las Vinos, to the east of Puerto, where thereis a huge and ancient Dracena draco, aroundwhich a botanical garden dedicated to the island'sindigenous plants has recently been created. Theseplants have their own beauty and can easily be seenin the wild while driving or walking around theisland, which has a varied and spectacularlandscape.Carol and Alan Hawes

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

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