Brahea edulis (Guadalupe Palm)

Brahea edulis (Guadalupe Palm) is a small to medium-sized palm adorned with a thick solitary trunk and a low canopy of bluish-green, fan-shaped fronds. The fronds are divided into many stiff leaflets and borne at the tips of smooth petioles. The dead leaves drop, leaving a naked, stout trunk ringed with scars where the leaves once were. In the summer, fragrant, creamy-yellow flowers are borne on long drooping stems, usually within the crown of fronds. They give way to braids of rounded, black fruits. Noted for their sweet pulp, they can be eaten fresh or used to make preserves. Brahea edulis is a relatively slow grower, adding 12 in. (30 cm) per year. Resistant to wind, salt, drought, and heat, it can survive short periods at 20ºF (-7ºC). Guadalupe Palm makes a strong and dramatic statement in the landscape. It can take both beach and desert conditions.

• Grows with an upright habit up to 30-40 ft. tall (9-12 m) and 10-15 ft. wide (3-5 m).
• Easily grown in well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates poor, dry soil. Needs little irrigation once established but looks better with occasional summer watering. Thrives in drier subtropical conditions and does not perform well with constant humidity.
• No pruning is required.
• No serious disease or pest issues.
• Propagated by seeds that germinate between 3-6 months.
• Native to Guadalupe Island off the west coast of Mexico.