Scientific: Brahea brandegeei (formerly known as Erythea brandegeei)
Common: San Jose hesper palm, palma del taco (good tacos are "da best, I love it"), palmilla
Family: Areaceae
Origin: Baja California
Pronounciation: Bra-HEE-a bran-de-GE-a
Hardiness zones
Sunset 13-24
USDA 9-11
Landscape Use: Vertical accent for many land uses, oasis landscape design theme.
Form & Character: Upright and sturdy, yet a very elegant and refined presence in the landscape.
Growth Habit: Evergreen, perennial monocot, slow growth rate when young, but gradually increasing over time, growing rarely to 100 feet (but that'll take more than a lifetime), it's ultimately the tallest of the Brahea palms; not self shedding.
Foliage/Texture: Costapalmately-compound frond blades (possessing a longitudinal rib), medium bright green above, glaucous below, variably with shaggy filaments. Relatively narrow, slim frond petioles are armed with sharp, stout, stubby, recurved bright yellow, thorn-like sclerotic spines; medium coarse texture (though not as coarse textured as palmately compound frond palms attaining similar height, e.g. Washingtonia).
Flowers & Fruits: Unusually hermaphroditic, flower stalks arising from among the leaves, shorter than the leaves unlike Brahea armata. Fruit is shiny dark brown and round when ripe, 0.6 to 0.8 inch in diameter.
Seasonal Color: Long extended floral stalks in late spring.
Temperature: More cold sensitive than Brahea armata, damaged below 22oF.
Light: Full sun to partial shade.
Soil: Tolerant
Watering: Variable - apply water deeply but infrequently to regular.
Pruning: Only remove old fronds. Do not over prune by removing the living, green fronds like the 'Horticultural clods of Phoenix' (aka 'Hort clods') always do with Washingtonia robusta.
Propagation: Solely seed propagated - difficult. Collect fresh seed in late summer and early autumn. Like other Brahea taxa, seeds of San Jose hesper palm can be very erratic to germinate. I've had limited success with moisten peat moss filled baggies. However, I have found that if I broadcast and lightly till seeds into my highly amended very moist garden soil, they will uniformly germinate in June and July.
Disease and Pests: None
Additional comments: San Jose hesper plam is a totally classy specimen palm that makes a wonderful landscape palm substitute for Washingtonia robusta; if only it were more readily available.
