Brahea armata

Brahea armata subsp. var.	Mexican blue palm, blue hesper palm", blue fan palm, sweet brahea
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Brahea armata, commonly known as Mexican blue palm or "blue hesper palm", is a palm growing in Baja California on the west coast and in Savannah, Georgia on the east coast. It is widely planted as an ornamental.

It grows to a height of 15 meters, with a stout trunk. Its distinctly bluish leaves are 1-2 meters wide, with meter-long petioles. The leaves are persistent in nature, forming a shag around the trunk; in cultivation they are typically burned or cut off. The inflorescences extend out beyond the crown, reaching 5 meters in length. The flowers themselves are small, appearing in February and March, while the fruits are 18-24 mm in length, brown and with a generally ovoid to globose shape.

This species is the most widespread endemic palm of the northern peninsula; it is locally common in arroyos and canyon bottoms, and has been observed growing in rock crevices at higher elevations. It is sometimes found with Washingtonia filifera or Washingtonia robusta

B. armata has an attractive appearance, especially when young, and is commonly available at nurseries in the American southwest. It is drought tolerant (although occasional deep irrigation is recommended), can handle both partial shade and full sun, and temperatures down to -10 degrees C. It is found under a variety of names, including "Mexican blue palm", "blue hesper palm", "big blue hesper palm", "blue fan palm", "sweet brahea", and "palma blanca".

The Cocopah people ate the seeds after roasting them.

Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Brahea armata, Wats. (B. glauca, Hort. B. Roezlii, Lindl. Erythea armata, Wats.). Blue Palm. Tall and slender, 40 ft. high: Lvs. very glaucous; petiole narrow, deeply channeled, margined with numerous stout, more or leas hooked, slightly spreading spines; segms. 30-40, sub- lacerate at the apex, slightly filiferous: spadix 18 ft. long or somewhat less, sparingly branched: frs. reddish brown at maturity. Low. Calif. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

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