San Jose Hesper Palm

Scientific Name: Brahea brandegeei (Purpus) H.E. Moore
Synonym: Erythea brandegeei, Erythea elegans, Erythea loretensis, Glaucothea brandegeei
Family: Arecaceae

Recommended Temperature Zone:
Sunset®: 19,21-24

Frost Tolerance: 22°F (-5.5°C)

Sun Exposure: Full sun

Origin: Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, in canyons near streams

Growth Habits: Palm tree, moderately fast up to 42 feet tall (13 m), 6 feet in spread (1.8 m); trunk up to 1 foot in diameter; costapalmate leaves, 3 feet long, pale green on the top side, with glaucous green underside, stiff leaflets; strongly armed stalks with yellowish edges..

Watering Needs: Little water, good drainage

Easy to mistake for Washingtonia robusta. The Hesper Palm fruits are bigger, the flower stalks are shorter and less pendulous. The leaves are also stiffer.

Blooming Habits:
Hermaphoditic. Flower stalk coming from among the leaves, shorter than the leaves.

Fruiting Habits:
The fruit is round, shiny brown when ripe, 0.6 to 0.8 inches in diameter (1.5 to 2 cm).