Wild dates in Charlotte County

The Phoenix sylvestris,  also known as  the wild date palm, or,  more commonly, the  Sylvester palm, is a strikingly magnificent palm relatively new to our area in comparison to the Canary Island Date Palm (pineapple palm) .  The blue-green fronds and  attractive patterned trunk make this palm particularly special.  Sylvester palms are often planted at entrances and gateways to housing developments or high-end commercial properties.   You may have already seen one and pondered on the palm’s true identity.

The Sylvester palm is native to India where it is tapped as a source of sugar and, as such, is sometimes called the sugar date palm or toddy palm.  Slowly growing upwards to fifty-feet tall, with dense fronds up to ten feet long, the attractive golden trunks of the Sylvester palm are patterned with triangular to diamond-shaped leaf scars.  Mature specimens produce colorful clusters of orange fruit.  Beware the fronds as, like many other Phoenix palms, they are armed with very sharp spines.

Sylvester palms are fully hardy in our area and are noted for taking temperatures as low as fifteen degrees F.   Plant Sylvester palms in full sun in well-drained sandy soils.  After establishment, this palm is considered drought-tolerant, but will still appreciate some occasional watering. 

One concern to be mindful of is a new disease called Texas Phoenix Palm Decline or TPPD.  This disease has been found in a number of Phoenix palms including the Canary Island date palm, the edible date palm, and the Sylvester palm.   Texas Phoenix Palm Decline has also been found in our native Sabal palms and queen palms, but only once in the Pygmy date palm, and once in the mule palm.  While this problem has been documented in Charlotte County, I have not seen a case as yet.  I do however hear of TPPD occurring much more frequently north of us and to the west.   For more information, please see this publication - https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp163 - Texas Phoenix Palm Decline.

While most Sylvester palms are available as mature specimens, on occasion you may find some smaller individuals in containers at garden centers and nurseries.   I received mine as a two-gallon plant which in ten years has grown to about ten feet tall with not much of a trunk at this point. 

The Sylvester palm is a beautiful landscape subject that you will want for your own yard.  In the meantime, as you daydream about it, simply admire one from afar!  For more information on all types of Phoenix palms suitable for our area,  please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area.  Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.

Resources:

Northrop, R. J.,  Andreu, M. G., Friedman, M. H. McKenzie, M. & Quintana, H. V. (2013) Phoenix sylvestris, Wild Date Palm.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Culbert, D. F. (2001) Make a Date With Palms.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Okeechobee County.

Phoenix sylvestris. (2015) Wikipedia.

When cardboard plants attack!

The first time I saw a cardboard plant was up north when I worked for a garden center.  They were small specimens meant to be houseplants in that situation.  And they did feel just like cardboard to the touch or even something artificial.  Here in Southwest Florida, the cardboard plant or cardboard cycad is a popular landscape plant for shrub boarders that gives a very tropical lush appearance.  They grow slowly, but can eventually get up to six feet in diameter.  Planning ahead for the space needed, the cardboard plant can make a nice addition to any yard.

The cardboard plant has been available to Florida gardeners for some time and is  a frequent component of many landscapes.  Although palm-like in appearance, the cardboard plant is a cycad more closely related to conifers.  Other plants that are cycads include the native coontie and the sago.  The fronds of the cardboard plant are leathery and have the feel of cardboard due to the fuzzy texture.  New fronds emerge from the center of a thick trunk in  a rosette pattern.  There are separate male and female plants which each produce cone-like reproductive structures.  The female plants develop seed-bearing cones which produce large red seeds.  These attractive red seeds (and plant parts) are noted to be toxic to both animals and people so make sure to keep pets and children away. 

Not only was the cardboard plant listed as one of Florida Nursery Growers & Landscaper Association’s (FNGLA) 2007 Plants of the Year, but it is also considered a Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ plant selection.  As such, it is considered drought tolerant, salt tolerant and will grow in sites from full sun to partial shade. 

As mentioned previously, the cardboard plant needs room to grow.  I have seen many plantings that did not take the ultimate size of this plant into consideration and they outgrew the site spilling out into walkways and other such travel areas poking and interfering with passersby. Cardboard plants are also armed with spines on their stems which can be hazardous.    As a result, they were often hideously pruned by hacking off portions and shaping them into no-longer ornamentally useful ragged cubes.  Not only did they outgrow the site as individual plants, but they also spread via side-shoots and germinated seeds.  This is one of those cases again where you need to “plan before you plant”.    Those smallish two-gallon plants will slowly, but surely grow larger into six-foot disks.  If pruning is needed, just take off out-of-bound fronds.

Cardboard plants are excellent subjects for the landscape that are practically carefree.  However, prior planning will help keep these beautiful cycads under control and in your good graces!  For information on all types of plants suitable for our area, please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area.  Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.

Resources:

Gilman, E. F. (2014) Zamia furfuracea Cardboard Plant, Cardboard Cycad.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Scheper, J. (2004) Zamia furfuracea.  Floridata.com, Tallahassee, FL.

Culbert, D. (2007) Five New Plants For 2007.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Okeechobee County.

Zamia furfuracea. (2015) Wikipedia.

McAvoy, G. (2015) Cycads Provide and Exotic Prehistoric Look.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Hendry County.

Gardening Solutions (2015) Cardboard Plant.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design. (2010) The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Pretty poison

The rosary pea is a vining plant with pinkish flowers and two-inch seed pods.  Once the seed pod opens, up to eight shiny bright red seeds with black spots are visible.  This invasive plant not only infiltrates natural and residential areas, but also produces highly toxic, attractive seeds ready to infest new areas.  Once identified, this non-native plant can be controlled.

It is believed that the rosary pea originated in India and has now spread to many tropical and subtropical areas of the world including Florida.  The colorful seeds have been used for a number of reasons including jewelry and as a standard for measuring the weight of gold.  These seeds, although colorful and attractive, are highly toxic to people and animals and can be deadly.  The actual perennial woody vine will grow up into shrubs and trees where it often disappears in the foliage of the understory almost hiding in plain sight.  The pinnate leaves frame the clusters of pinkish flowers which are followed by flat two-inch pods.  When ripe, the pod flares open reveling the brilliantly-colored seeds.  Besides humans spreading the seeds, birds also move them about.  This plant has deep roots making it difficult to eliminate.

Rosary peas are found in central and southern Florida including Charlotte County.  Characterized by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC) as a Category I Invasive, the rosary pea does invade natural areas and can displace native plants.  Prevention of this invasive plant is the best measure to keep rosary peas from establishing in residential properties.  Hand-pull rosary pea plants when spotted.  Chemical control with the careful use of herbicides can also be used.  The literature mentions that treatments applied in the fall are the most effective.  As with using any pesticide, read the label as it is the law. 

The bottom-line here is don’t plant the rosary pea, don’t use the seeds for any purpose, and eradicate this plant whenever it is found on your property.  For more information on all types of invasive plants in our area, please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area.  Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.

Resources:

Abrus precatorius (2015) UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.

Langeland, K.A. Cherry, H. M., McCormick, C. M.,& Burks,  K. C. (2008) Identification and Biology of Nonnative Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas – Second Edition.  The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS. 

Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council’s 2015 List of Invasive (2015) http://www.fleppc.org/list/2015FLEPPCLIST-LARGEFORMAT-FINAL.pdf.

Abrus precatorius (2015) Wikipedia. 

The African violet – a gift for the holidays

African violets were the first houseplants I remember growing as a child.  Walk into any garden center or supermarket floral section these days and you are liable to see a nice display of African violets.  These traditional flowering houseplants not only make a great Holiday gift idea for the gardener, but also have a place in every home.  These plants do well in low light, (even artificial light), and come in a wide variety of flower colors and leaf style and texture.

So, you bring your African violet home and wonder where to place it so that it gets the correct amount of light.  These plants will do best with indirect light.  African violets will tell you if they are getting enough light.  Too low of a light intensity, and the African violet will not flower well.  Too much light will result in leaves that are pale or yellowish-green.  The literature indicates that an African violet needs about one thousand foot-candles of light for eight to twelve hours per day – in other words, bright, indirect light. 

Hand-in-hand with light requirements is making sure your plants receive the proper temperature.  Try to keep your night to day temperatures between seventy to eighty degrees F.  Temperatures over eighty degrees F can affect growth and flowering.  Air conditioning can help provide an even temperature.  In association with temperature of course is humidity.  Humidity can be maintained by placing pots on pebble-filled trays of water.  Make sure that the pots do not touch the water directly.

Ready-to-use African violet potting soils are usually available at any retail garden center.  The soil medium is generally made up of peat and perlite (volcanic material) which provides water retention and good drainage.  Water African violets from the top or the bottom with room temperature or warm water.  Using a good liquid fertilizer at intervals recommended on the package label will ensure good growth and frequent flowering.  Good leaf color and normal flowering are signs that your feeding program is working. 

Even novice gardeners will find that African violets are very easy to propagate.  In as little as six months you can grow a new plant ready to flower!  Leaf cuttings (with the petiole - leaf stem-attached) are made by snapping or cutting a leave from the original plant.  Make sure that the stem is about one and one half inches long.  Insert the leaf stem into a sterile potting medium.  Insert this leaf into a pre-dug hole made with a pencil and firm the medium gently around the cutting.  Expect roots in three to four weeks and leaves in about another month.

Pest control will include monitoring your plants for pests and always quarantining new plants to prevent introducing infestations.  Cold water can cause spotting on leaves - use warm water as mentioned earlier.  Soluble salts that accumulate on pot rims can cause problems to leaf petioles from chemical burns.  The cure for this can include watering from the surface to flush excess fertilizer salts away or by using fertilizer less frequently.

African violets are real gems of the houseplant world – give one as  a gift this season!  For more information on all types of houseplants, please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area.  Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf.

Resource:  Park Brown S. (2013) African Violets, The University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, IFAS.