CARYOTA GIGAS" THAI MOUNTAIN GIANT", "KING KONG PALM", "BLACK STEM FISHTAIL"

COMPARISON WITH CARYOTA URENS

Yes, this beautiful large palm from northern Thailand has been given a lot of common names. I’m showing you today some boxed size plants of this species. We also have 15g for sale. But, I thought I’d make a few points about this plant that you may not know and make some comparisons to Caryota urens:

•It has an extremely thick fat trunk that can get up to three feet wide (see last photo). This is much thicker than C. urens.
•Trunk height in Southern California is hardly ever over 35 feet, less than most of us expected. C. urens can get over 60 feet with ease.
• It appears to tolerate full sun better than C. urens. By this I mean it has less brown tipping on the leaflets
• It appears to have a shorter life span than expected, often blossoming in less than 15 years. This is less than C. urens.
• It has very wide and long leaves, up to fifteen feet in length and provides good shade underneath. Caryota urens’ leaves are smaller but still quite large.
• It is not as cold hardy as C. urens and will burn in the low 20’s F. But, most plants will survive and return from temperatures of 20 degrees f.
• It is quick growing but does not put on vertical height as fast as Caryota urens.
• If your plant doesn’t look good, it’s probably from your lack of giving it adequate water (if there’s no cold burn)
• It is the most popular Fishtail Palm presently. In the past, before this species introduction, C. urens was the most popular. I think people really like the leaves and leaflet shape..

Presently we are offering young seedlings on special. These would be easy to mail order. For optimal results, these should be repotted into a larger container.