UK Hardy Palm Trial Results

This list is far from complete. It represents the initial results of several years experimenting with potential cold hardy palm species here in Cornwall in the UK. The results arise from our findings here or from records of palm species in similar environments in other countries. The question marks (?) in the table under the Damaged or Died columns means that those temperatures are not yet proven for the UK. The reason for this is that the lowest temperature we have had in this location is only -4°C since we have been conducting these experiments. The lowest temperature ever recorded here is -8.8°C on 2nd January 1979, this temperature was a very rare occasion and we cannot expect temperatures here to fall that low in the near future. Pending feedback from people attempting to grow these species in the colder North East of Britain we won't know just how cold hardy some of them are in the UK. The solitary question mark in the Damaged column means that the palm suffered no damage whatsoever at -4°C .

The location of Trebrown Nurseries, where we conduct these experiments is approximately 2.5 km from the south coast of East Cornwall. We are situated half way down a south-facing hillside, 16 metres above the valley bottom, at an altitude of 50 m (150 ft) above sea-level. We get, on average 10 nights below freezing each year with, usually no more than 3 of those nights as low as -3 or -4°C.
We estimate that our hardiness zone is borderline between zones 9a and 9b See the hardiness zone map.

Species	Zone	Damaged	Died	Notes
Acoelorrhaphe wrightii	9b	-1°C	-4.8°C ?
Acrocomia aculeata 'totai'	9a	-4°C ?	?	We do not yet have any records, which determine just how hardy this is.
Allagoptera arenaria	9b	-1°C	-3.1°C	Almost certainly hardier than this if planted as an understorey palm in a woodland environment.
Allagoptera campestris	9a	-1.8°C	-4.4°C ?
Archontophoenix alexandrae	9b	0°C	-1.4°C	Almost certainly hardier than this if planted as an understorey palm in a woodland environment.
Archontophoenix 'Illawarra'	9b	0°C	3.2°C	Almost certainly hardier than this if planted as an understorey palm in a woodland environment. And is no hardier than A. cunninghamiana.
Archontophoenix cunninghamiana	9b	0°C	3.2°C	Almost certainly hardier than this if planted as an understorey palm in a woodland environment.
Arenga engleri	9a	-3.8°C	-5.5°C ?
Arenga micrantha	9a	-2°C	-5°C ?
Attalea cohune	9a	-2°C	-4.8°C ?
Attalea speciosa	9a	-2°C	-4°C
Beccariophoenix madagascariensis	9b	-1°C	-3°C
Bismarckia nobilis	9b	-1°C	-4.5°C ?	The more silver the palm, the hardier it is. Almost certainly hardier than this if planted as an understorey palm in a woodland environment.
Borassus aethiopium	9b	0°C	-3.6°C
Borassus flabellifer	9b	0°C	-3.3°C
Brahea armata	8a	?	-10.3°C ?
Brahea berlandieri	9a	-3°C	-6°C ?
Brahea brandegeei	9a	-3°C	-6°C ?
Brahea decumbens	8b	?	-9.4°C ?
Brahea dulcis	9a	-3°C	-4.5°C ?
Brahea edulis	9a	-4.2°C	-6.6°C ?	May be hardier than this.
Brahea moorei	8b	?	-9.4°C ?
Brahea nari	8a	?	-11.5°C ?
Brahea nitida	9a	-1°C	-5°C ?
Butia bonnettii	7b	?	-12.8°C ?
Butia capitata	8a	?	-9.9°C ?	May be hardier than this.
Butia eriospatha	8a	?	-9.5°C ?	May be hardier than this.
Butia paraguayensis	9a	-3°C	-4.5°C ?
Butia yatay	8b	?	-9.5°C ?	May be hardier than this.
Calamus inermis	9b	0°C	-3.3°C	Needs to be planted as an understorey palm. May be hardier in denser woodland.
Caryota gigas	9b	0°C	-2.2°C
Caryota maxima 'Himalaya'	9b	0°C	-3.3°C	Certainly not as hardy as some say.
Caryota mitis	9b	0°C	-2.5°C
Caryota obtusa	9b	0°C	-2.7°C	May be hardier than this. Needs to be planted as an understorey palm.
Caryota ochlandra	9b	0°C	-2.7°C	May be hardier than this. Needs to be planted as an understorey palm.
Caryota urens	9b	0°C	-2.6°C	May be hardier than this. Needs to be planted as an understorey palm.
Ceroxylon alpinum	9a	-3°C	-4.5°C ?	Difficult to know what it likes.
Ceroxylon parvifrons	9b	-1°C	-3°C
Ceroxylon quindiuense	9b	-1°C	-3°C	May be hardier than this.
Chamaedorea cataractarum	9b	-1°C	-3.9°C
Chamaedorea elegans	9a	-2.5°C	-4.3°C ?
Chamaedorea ernesti-augustii	9a	-2.5°C	-5.6°C ?
Chamaedorea klotzschiana	9a	-2°C	-5°C ?
Chamaedorea metallica	9b	0°C	-4°C ?
Chamaedorea microspadix	8b	-4°C	-7.4°C ?
Chamaedorea plumosa	9a	-2°C	-4.7°C ?
Chamaedorea radicalis	9a	-2°C	-6.5°C ?
Chamaedorea seifrizii	9b	0°C	-3.9°C
Chamaedorea stolonifera	9b	0°C	-2.8°C
Chamaerops humilis	8b	?	-8.8°C ?
Chamaerops humilis 'cerifera'	8b	?	-8.8°C ?	May be much hardier than this.
Coccothrinax barbadensis	9b	0°C	-2.8°C
Copernicia alba	9b	0°C	-3.6°C
Corypha lecomtei	9a	-3°C	-6.7°C ?	Going by its provenance it should be hardier than C. umbraculifera.
Corypha umbraculifera	9a	-3°C	-6.7°C ?	We've also tried C. utan with mixed results. It is certainly not as hardy as this one.
Dypsis ambositrae	9a	?	-5°C ?	The palm is too new to know for sure. It may be much hardier than this.
Dypsis baronii	9a	-3°C	-5°C ?	May be much hardier than this.
Dypsis crinita	9a	-1.5°C	-3.5°C	Not as hardy as some say.
Dypsis decipiens	9a	-2.5°C	-6°C ?
Dypsis heteromorpha	9a	?	-8°C ?	This is certainly the hardiest of the Dypsis, but there are 10 or 11 other Dypsis, which grow at a similar altitude that we would like to try.
Dypsis oropedionis	9a	-2.5°C	-5°C ?	May be hardier than this.
Elaeis guineensis	10b	0°C	0°C	I collected my seed for this trial from what I believe is some of the most northerly planted trees.
Guihaia argyrata	9a	-2°C	-5.7°C ?
Howea forsteriana	9a	-1°C	-4°C ?	Needs to be planted as an understorey palm.
Hyphaene petersiana	9a	-2.6°C	-6°C ?
Juania australis	9a	?	-5.6°C ?	We've not trialed this yet, but from our research it would be at home on a Cornish sea cliff.
Jubaea chilensis	8a	?	-10.7°C ?
Latania lontaroides	9a	-1°C	-4.7°C ?	We've also trialed L. loddigessii but with poor results. All 3 Latanias need more research.
Licuala peltata var. sumawongii	9b	-1°C	-3.3°C	Not as hardy as some say.
Livistona australis	9a	-3°C	-5.6°C ?
Livistona chinensis	8b	-3.5°C	-6.9°C ?
Livistona decipiens	9a	-3°C	-5°C ?
Livistona saribus	9a	-3°C	-4.6°C ?
Lytocaryum hoehnei	9b	0°C	-3.9°C	May be hardier as an understorey palm.
Lytocaryum weddellianum	9b	0°C	-3.9°C	May be hardier as an understorey palm.
Nannorrhops ritchiana	8b	?	-8.9°C ?
Nannorrhops ritchiana (Silver)	7b	?	-13.9°C ?
Parajubaea cocoides	9b	-2°C	-2.6°C
Parajubaea torallyi var. microcarpa	9a	-2°C	-5.3°C ?
Parajubaea torallyi var. torallyi	9a	-3°C	-6.5°C ?
Phoenix acaulis	8b	?	-7.2°C ?
Phoenix canariensis	9a	-5°C	-8.5°C	-8.5 is really the mark. It has been tried many times in the UK.
Phoenix dactylifera	9a	-5°C	-6.5°C ?
Phoenix dactylifera var. Medjool	9a	?	-7°C ?	Research being carried out in the states suggests that this may actually be hardier than P. canariensis. it certainly seams to be more tolerant of damp and coastal positions than other P. dactylifera cultivars.
Phoenix loureiri var. humilis	8b	?	-7.2°C ?	May be much hardier than this.
Phoenix hanceana loureiroi var. loureiroi	8b	?	-6°C ?	May be much hardier than this.
Phoenix reclinata	9a	0°C	-4°C
Phoenix roebelinii	9b	0°C	-3.6°C	-3.6 is the best you can achieve. You may loose it at much lower temperatures.
Phoenix rupicola	9b	0°C	-3.5°C	May be hardier.
Phoenix sylvestris	9a	-3°C	-6°C ?	May be much hardier than this.
Phoenix theophrastii	8b	?	-7.2°C ?	May be much hardier than this.
Ravenea glauca	9a	-1°C	-5°C ?
Rhapidophyllum hystrix	7b	?	-14.9°C ?	This is almost certainly the hardiest palm of all, it'll tolerate cold in any situation in Britain. Although, Sabal minor, the other cold hardiest candidate has been recorded at a lower temperature it requires an understorey woodland environment.
Rhapis excelsa	9a	-2°C	-6°C ?
Rhapis humilis	9a	-3°C	-6°C ?
Rhapis multifida	9a	-3°C	-6°C ?
Rhopalostylis sapida	9b	-2°C	-3.9°C	Not as hardy as you might expect for a New Zealand palm. The South Island Nikau may well be hardier. Requires an understorey environment.
Sabal domingensis	9a	-3°C	-5.6°C ?
Sabal mexicana	8b	?	-8.5°C ?
Sabal minor	7a	?	-15.3°C ?	One of the hardiest of all palms. Requires an understorey environment.
Sabal palmetto	8a	?	-12.2°C ?
Sabal uresana	8b	-4°C	-8°C ?	May be hardier than this.
Serenoa repens	8b	-3°C	-7.7°C ?	The silver form may be hardier than this.
Syagrus comosa	9a	-1°C	-5.6°C ?
Syagrus quinquefaria	9a	-1°C	-5.6°C ?
Syagrus romanzoffiana	9b	0°C	-3.9°C	May be hardier than this, depends on provenance.
Trachycarpus fortunei	8a	?	-11.9°C ?
Trachycarpus latisectus	9a	-3°C	-6.6°C ?	Not as hardy as some think.
Trachycarpus martianus var. khasia hills	9a	-3°C	-5°C ?
Trachycarpus martianus var. nepal	9a	-3°C	-6.6°C ?
Trachycarpus nanus	7b	?	-13.9°C ?
Trachycarpus oreophilus	8a	?	-10°C ?
Trachycarpus princeps	8a	?	-11.9°C ?
Trachycarpus sp. Naga Hills (Manipur)	8a	?	-10°C ?	Too new to know much yet.
Trachycarpus takil	7b	?	-14.2°C ?
Trachycarpus wagnerianus	8a	?	-10.5°C ?
Trithrinax acanthocoma	9a	-3°C	-6.4°C ?
Trithrinax brasiliensis	9a	-2°C	-4.4°C ?
Trithrinax campestris	8a	?	-10.5°C ?
Trithrinax schizophylla	9a	-2°C	-5°C ?
Wallichia caryotoides	9b	-2°C	-2.2°C	May be hardier than this.
Washingtonia filifera	8b	-3°C	-9°C ?
Washingtonia robusta	8b	-3°C	-5.6°C ?	Will tolerate cold damp better than W. filifera.

Palms listed in their probable order of cold-hardiness

1	Rhapidophyllum hystrix
2	Sabal minor
3	Sabal x texensis
4	Trachycarpus nanus
5	Trachycarpus takil
6	Nannorrhops (Silver)
7	Butia archeri
8	Butia bonnettii
9	Sabal palmetto
10	Trachycarpus fortunei
11	Trachycarpus wagnerianus
12	Trachycarpus princeps
13	Brahea nari
14	Jubaea chilensis
15	Trithrinax campestris
16	Brahea armata
17	Trachycarpus oreophilus
18	Trachycarpus sp. (Naga Hills)
19	Butia capitata
20	Butia yatay
21	Butia eriospatha
22	Brahea moorei
23	Brahea decumbens
24	Sabal etonia
25	Nannorrhops ritchiana
26	Chamaerops humilis 'cerifera'
27	Chamaerops humilis
28	Chamaerops humilis 'Vulcano'
29	Sabal mexicana
30	Sabal uresana
31	Chamaedorea microspadix
32	Phoenix theophrastii
33	Phoenix canariensis
34	Washingtonia filifera
35	Serenoa repens
36	Phoenix acaulis
37	Phoenix loureiri var. humilis
38	Phoenix dactylifera
39	Sabal rosei
40	Livistona chinensis
41	Brahea edulis
42	Chamaedorea radicalis
43	Corypha lecomtei
44	Corypha umbraculifera
45	Phoenix hanceana (loureiroi var. loureiroi)
46	Parajubaea torallyi var. torallyi
47	Trachycarpus latisectus
48	Trachycarpus martianus var. nepal
49	Trithrinax acanthocoma
50	Dypsis onilahensis
51	Dypsis heteromorpha
52	Dypsis pumila
53	Hyphaene petersiana
54	Rhapis excelsa
55	Rhapis humilis
56	Rhapis multifida
57	Dypsis ankaizinensis
58	Dypsis decipiens
59	Brahea berlandieri
60	Brahea brandegeei
61	Dypsis acuminum
62	Dypsis catatiana
63	Dypsis coursii
64	Dypsis cutisii
65	Dypsis andrianatonga
66	Dypsis tsaratananensis
67	Dypsis bonsai
68	Dypsis oreophila
69	Dypsis ambositrae
70	Dypsis montana
71	Dypsis baronii
72	Dypsis oropedionis
73	Guihaia argyrata
74	Guihaia grossefibrosa
75	Erythea loretensis
76	Juania australis
77	Livistona australis
78	Phoenix sylvestris
79	Sabal domingensis
80	Syagrus comosa
81	Syagrus quinquefaria
82	Washingtonia robusta
83	Chamaedorea ernesti-augustii
84	Parajubaea torallyi var. microcarpa
85	Dypsis heterophylla
86	Dypsis linearis
87	Dypsis andapae
88	Dypsis thermarum
89	Dypsis occidentalis
90	Dypsis sahanofensis
91	Dypsis fibrosa
92	Dypsis nodifera
93	Brahea aculeata
94	Brahea nitida
95	Chamaedorea klotzschiana
96	Livistona decipiens
97	Livistona drudei
98	Ravenea nana
99	Ravenea glauca
100	Ravenea dransfieldii
101	Trachycarpus martianus var. khasia hills
102	Trithrinax schizophylla
103	Arenga engleri
104	Arenga micrantha
105	Acrocomia aculeata 'totai'
107	Acoelorrhaphe wrightii
108	Corypha utan
109	Attalea cohune
110	Linospadix monostachya
111	Livistona saribus
112	Chamaedorea plumosa
113	Ravenea sambiranensis
114	Ravenea madagascariensis
115	Phoenix hanceana (loureiroi var. loureiroi)
116	Trithrinax brasiliensis
117	Chamaedorea elegans
118	Ceroxylon alpinum
119	Allagoptera campestris
120	Brahea dulcis
121	Butia paraguayensis
122	Phoenix reclinata
123	Pritchardia affinis
124	Latania lontaroides
125	Ravenea louvelii
126	Marojejya insignis
127	Ravenea robusta
128	Chamaedorea seifrizii
129	Syagrus romanzoffiana
130	Rhopalostylis sapida
131	Lytocaryum weddellianum
132	Lytocaryum hoehnei
133	Howea forsteriana
134	Howea belmoreana
135	Lepidorrhachis mooreana
136	Attalea speciosa
137	Chamaedorea cataractarum
138	Dypsis jumelleana
139	Dypsis lokohoensis
140	Dypsis bernierana
141	Dypsis concinna
142	Dypsis louvelii
143	Dypsis marojejyi
144	Dypsis cookei
145	Dypsis mcdonaldiana
146	Dypsis lutea
147	Dypsis tsaravoasira
148	Dypsis utilis
149	Dypsis spicata
150	Chamaedorea metallica
151	Chuniophoenix hainanensis
152	Chuniophoenix nana
153	Copernicia alba
154	Beccariophoenix madagascariensis
155	Borassus aethiopium
156	Dypsis hildebrandtii
157	Dypsis lanceolata
158	Raphia farinifera
159	Ravenea robusta
160	Calamus inermis
161	Caryota maxima 'Himalaya'
162	Marojejya darianii
162	Phoenix rupicola
163	Licuala peltata var. sumawongii
163	Borassus flabellifer
164	Bismarckia nobilis
165	Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
166	Allagoptera arenaria
167	Ceroxylon quindiuense
168	Chamaedorea stolonifera
169	Coccothrinax argentata
170	Coccothrinax barbadensis
171	Parajubaea cocoides
172	Caryota obtusa
173	Caryota ochlandra
174	Caryota urens
175	Phoenix roebelinii
176	Wallichia caryotoides
177	Wettinia maynensis
178	Wallichia densiflora
179	Caryota gigas
180	Archontophoenix alexandrae
181	Elaeis guineensis
182	Euterpe edulis
183	Latania loddigessii
184	Normanbya normanbyi
185	Dypsis decaryi
186	Wodyetia bifurcata

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