Brahea armata
{{Short description|Species of palm}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Brahea armata 6193267.jpg
| image_caption = In habitat
| genus = Brahea
| species = armata
| authority = S.Watson
| synonyms = * Brahea armata var. microcarpa Becc.
- Brahea clara (L.H.Bailey) Espejo & López-Ferr.
- Brahea elegans (Franceschi ex Becc.) H.E.MooreH.E. Moore Baileya 19(4): 168 1975
- Brahea glauca Hook.f.
- Brahea lucida Hook.f.
- Brahea nobilis Hook.f.
- Brahea roezlii Linden
- Erythea armata (S.Watson) S.Watson
- Erythea armata var. microcarpa Becc.
- Erythea clara L.H.Bailey
- Erythea elegans Franceschi ex Becc.Becc. Webbia 2: 138–140 1907
- Erythea roezlii (Linden) Becc. ex Martelli
- Glaucothea armata (S.Watson) O.F.Cook
- Glaucothea elegans (Franceschi ex Becc.) I.M.Johnst.I.M. Johnst. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, 12: 993 1924
}}
Brahea armata, commonly known as Mexican blue palm or blue hesper palm, is a large evergreen tree of the palm family Arecaceae, endemic to Baja California, Mexico. It is widely planted as an ornamental.
Description
It grows to a height of {{convert|15|m}},{{cite web|url=https://www.zimmerpalmen.net/blaue-hesperidenpalme/| title =Blaue Hesperidenpalme (Brahea Armata)| date =28 October 2020|language=de}} with a stout trunk. Its distinctly bluish leaves are {{convert|1|-|2|m}} wide, with {{convert|1|m|adj=on}} 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 {{convert|5|m}} in length. The flowers themselves are small, appearing in February and March, while the fruits are {{convert|18|-|24|mm}} in length, brown and with a generally ovoid to globose shape.
Distribution and habitat
File:Brahea armata 55075626.jpg
File:Brahea armata 6193266.jpg
This species is endemic to the Mexican state of Baja California, distributed from just south of the international border near the Jacumba Mountains to the central desert and Isla Angel de la Guarda. Plants growing in the Sierra de San Francisco in Baja California Sur may be of a different species.{{Cite journal|last1=Rebman|first1=J. P.|last2=Gibson|first2=J.|last3=Rich|first3=K.|date=2016|title=Annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Baja California, Mexico|url=http://sdplantatlas.org/pdffiles/BajaChecklist2016.pdf|journal=San Diego Society of Natural History|volume=45|pages=274}} 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.
Uses
Brahea armata has an attractive appearance, especially when young, and is commonly available at nurseries in the American southwest and in warm temperate locations elsewhere. In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/19713/i-Brahea-armata-i/Details| title = Brahea armata | work = RHS Plantfinder |accessdate=12 January 2018}}
It is drought tolerant (although occasional deep irrigation is recommended), can handle both partial shade and full sun, and temperatures down to {{convert|-10|C|abbr=on}}. 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.
File:MatureBraheaArmataAZ.jpg|Mature pair of Brahea armata, Phoenix AZ
File:BraheaArmataSettingSeed.jpg|Brahea armata setting seed
File:BraheaArmataClumpPhxAz.jpg|Group planting of Brahea armata, Phoenix, AZ
File:JuvenileBraheaArmatapair.jpg|Juvenile pair of Brahea armata
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
{{Commons category|Brahea armata}}
- Raymond M. Turner, Janice E. Bowers, and Tony L. Burgess, Sonoran Desert Plants: an Ecological Atlas (Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1995) pp. 115–116
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1758201}}
Category:Trees of Northern America