They are both easy germinators and grow quickly. The Alex is a little more tropical looking, but the King is hardier. I've grown kings in the ground here in Jax for a few years. I have some Alexandria seedlings, but nothing in the ground yet.

The Alex has a larger greener crownshaft and without counting,Seems to have slightly more pinnae per frond. But,some very well cared for,fast growing Kings seem to have a near identical crownshaft and light colored trunk. Without even trying the alex palm,I dont see why if your planting outdoors in a marginal climate giving time and space to the Alex palm when a single night of(or two) 32F could kill it and a King could take almost 10F degrees lower and live..and 32F leaves no damage to a King.
If your in a nice warm climate,no freezes ever..then the Alex is the better looking so,that would be the preference-and don't be surprised if 99% of your guests can't tell the difference-lol

Maybe I should have said leaflets not pinnae.

Wow !
A king palm can take 32 degrees with no burn ?

Last year topher, my Home Depot and Lowes Kings took four nights of 30f and one or two 32f-in January.On top of a 32f in December last year.
Only one is a large trunking palm all the others are about 4'.
One small king,just out of a one gallon did die.No burn,just died!,when all others sailed on through.I might have planted that one too high is all i can think of.

The blurb on Daves Garden states that the Cunninghamiana grows like a weed and also reproduces like one. If that is the case I wonder why they are not as common as other palms in stores i.e. majesties and chinese fans.

Cool !
Thanks for the info i am germinating some king right now.

tagfcps are you in Jacksonville, FL? What kind of King are you growing in the ground? I have a small Illawara in the ground (Jax) that seems to be doing good so far this winter.

Aren't the common name Alexander and King actually the same palm? The cunninghamiana is Piccabeen palm.

Yep that's right don.

This is a very interesting thread. I grow both of these palms and I can tell you they are almost exactly the same when it comes to cold hardiness. I think if anything the cunninghamiana might be 1 or 2 degrees more cold hardy but I have never seen proof of it. The A.cunninghamiana var illwarra is not been proven to be anymore cold hardy than A.cunninhamiana.The word "king palm " has been given to cunninghamiana in the USA but is not the name given to it in its natural environment where it is Piccabeen or Bangalow Palm. I have heard the word king palm for alexandrae also so I guess that it is also correct to call it that.I have grown both of these from seeds and they are almost the same in how fast they grow also.They both can take temps in the 20s probably mid to a little higher depending on the palm and occasionally someone will have one that will take lower 20s but not often.They can take some frost but not much.

seventh,

Yes, I'm in Jax, FL. Mine are Illawara too. I have two 12 footers with about 4' of trunk, give or take, amd two smaller seedlings in the ground. No concerns at all this winter. The two larger ones have seen 26 in past years with only minor to moderate leaf damage. They grow out of it very quickly in the Spring though. Fyi..the HD on Atlantic and at Regency both had Triple 7 gallons for sale for $49

Hey david you say you've grown king from seed how long did it take your seeds to germinate ?

Thanks for the info ya got to love those kings !

tagfcps that's amazing you have a couple 12 footers. I haven't seen any Kings around town but I decided to give it a shot. Guess your proving it possible. Thanks for the info, it's a little drive from OP but I might scope out that HD.

seventh,

That's a long trip. I'd probably call before making it, just to confirm they have any left. They were being sold under Piccabeen. Let me know if you'd like information about the First Coast Palm Sociaety. We are the local chapter of the Palm and Cycad Society of Florida. Several of us have kings and many other zone pushers in the ground. My kings are the offspring of another member's mature king.

Davids climate might account for his experiences. Iliwarra here isnt hardier to lower temps,it has the ability to grow fast in areas of very cool summers like San Francisco.The growing season for it is longer in marginal climates.
And I imagine in Florida a Alex palms greater hardiness to winter cold is that they are much more vigorous growers in Florida's hot summers.Here,in a cooler 10a climate that hardiness isnt carried over into the winter as it is with King palms.Not that Alex palms wont grow in the bay area,they just wouldnt be the first pick.

I have three kings in the ground (at least i think they are king - cunninghamia). They were planted this month but while they were still potted, they took several 30 degree mornings without damage (planted in a south facing area).

David is also conservative in his zone statement..in the background he has a perfect Coconut palm. On the west coast even our cool zone 10b, 11 wont grow them like that-if at all. Not until you reach tropical zone 11 Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of Baja California do they grow that easily.
Just to help explain the difference in Alex palm growing on the west coast and Florida or Texas. Alex palms were burned and young ones killed in SouCal last year in areas where Kings did fine.

Here are my Kings:

First One

Second one

stanofh you are correct in saying there is a difference in the cold between California and Fl. We have a few days in the 30s per year but most days are 75+ in the day and 49+ at night. We do have occasional bad freezes but we usually rebound back to the 70s in a few days.This year has been quite warm with temps in the 80s several days in dec Jan.

tagfcps your Kings look great! They look like they're in a great spot, good luck with them. Are you going to try a Royal in the ground next? lol I went by the local HD in OP yesterday and they had some A. Cunninghamiana's but they weren't the cold hardy "Illawara" palms so I didn't pick one up.

seventh,

I don't think the "Illawara" variety have proven any hardier than standard cunninghamianas.

I actually have some royal seedlings that will go in the ground some time. Below is a picture of one of our member's royals in Jax Beach.

He has a coconut too.

Nice Royal and coconut and looks somewhat protected.

tagfcps I guess that Royal & Coconut now qualify as the most northern in the state of Florida. They look great. Amazing too cause it got down to 24 degrees over here about 3 weeks ago. To be in the ground palms, they must be well protected. I thought the Illawara's could take a couple degrees lower than all Kings? Anyways great pics.

Seventh,

They probably are the most northern coconut and royal. Jax beach would not have seen anywhere near 24 this winter though. I live about five miles from the coast and the lowest temp i've seen so far is 29. I doubt Jax beach saw less than 32. Jax beach has been a solid 9b/10a for the past several years. The lowest I've seen in four years is 26, so I'm a cold 9b. It gets much colder west of here.

Great looking palms tag ! I realy think the cold hardiness of illawaras are badly overblown. To me they are no diffrient than a regular king.

Wow, it's amazing to see such a large, healthy coconut in Jax beach! I guess the Fl. east coast barrier islands are bordering on 10a(maybe 9b) all the way to Georgia. The major difference would be the lack of heat relative to the rest of the state. I believe Jacksonville has some of the lowest average temps in the summer for Florida. Does this mean that the the outer banks of NC are zone 9? Where along Florida's east coast does zone 10 really end? Truely inspiring for those of us in inland central Florida trying to grow coconuts, royals, etc.

sorry i meant piccabeans

tagfcps your right it does get much colder. Sometimes I don't know if I'm a zone 8b, 9a, or even 9b? Also don't Kings have a low salt tolerance? Guess 5 miles is enough though.

williamr you make some great points. It's sometimes very puzzling to figure out where a zone begins and ends in Florida. And it can be a lot cooler inland than on the east coast... but Coconuts can grow in Orlando so? I wonder if Florida is even zone 8b anymore? Queens are growing in Tallahassee.

williamr,

Here is the heat index map per the FSU cliemate center. The Jax coast is comparable to the rest of the East coast of florida, but outside the coast, there are less heating days.

What do I have here? Archontophoenix cunninghamiana or alexandrae?

King palm. Alex palms fronds have silvery undersides as the one big difference between the two.

Lots of differences: A alexandrae has a stepped trunk while cunninghamiana trunks are relatively smooth (still ringed, but not in 3-D really); A alexandrae palms are much more cold sensitive, handling temps into the high 20s barely in So Cal, while A cunninghamianas do OK down to the mid 20s, though some burn may occur on both depending upon wind or lack thereof- this is why A alexandrae palms are relatively rare in California (struggle to survive in most areas) but extremely common in tropical climates, while the opposite seems to be the case with A cunninhamiana- VERY common in California (do great in most areas of So California) but hardly seen in some place like Hawaii; A alexandrae leaves have whitish coloration on the underside- A cunninghamianas tend to be green on both surfaces; A alexandrae palm leaves arch or a flat in appearance, while A cunninghamianas often tilt/twist 90 degrees so that leaves are perpendicular to the ground (this is not 100%); A alexandrae flowers are white while cunninghamiana flowers are lavender. In a tropical climate, A alexandraes grow faster and get taller... opposite is the case in a more temperate climate

exceptionally nice A alexandrae palms in San Diego

Archontophoenix alexandraes in Hawaii

A alexandrae trunk

A alexandrae palm- note the white flowers and relatively flat leaves

A alexandrae clump in tropics

A cunninghamianas in So Cal

A cunninghamiana pair in San Diego

A cunninghmaiana trunks (nearly smooth)

A cunninghamiana - note that leaves are perpendicular to ground

A cunninghamiana showing deep lavender flower emerging

Beautiful photos! Thank you. How come A/c trunks in the Photo # 8 are so zebra? What palms do you suggest could be best for a often windy (sometimes droughts of several weeks or lots of rain for weeks and a rainy winters) climate 45F to 80F as extremes and usually 50s to 60s year round. Especially those that would grow medium to fast, and are quite wind resistant.

Funny that this should be dredged up after my old 2008 posts. Why? Because just today I see a bloom spike on my largest King. Nearly 15 years- at least 13,after planting it. Why it took so long I can't say. But its been very healthy,with a thick trunk and a overall 20' of height or so.

Stanofh, that is great, but 15 years.... how long does it usually take? Can you post photos of your palms? The more photos the better. Oh the post... well, because it's the 10th anniversary of your OP :-)

Well, I have seen King palms almost half the size of mine in bloom in town. I think I'm too liberal with the fertilizer and water. Is this a bloom stalk too be btw? I could be wrong.

Thick trunk- I had just watered.

bloom thingy above?
Overall shot compared to 25' home peak.

This the rest of the yard. Birds nest fern with 1' of trunk and 5' fronds.

Amazingly- this is also the first flowering of a Howea I planted in 1992.

Oh,I got word from experts that my palms will only bloom once they reach full sun. They've spent there time in the shade of my home with full sun by afternoon then. Now,they get it nearly sunup to sundown.

Thanks for sharing the fantastic photos with us. It makes sense that palms bloom once they are in a full sun.

The Zebra trunks must have been in rain. I've seen photos of those palms in Los Angeles with their near sun bleached white trunks. Farther north,haven't seen them THAT white.

Or could be if not rains..the shady side of the trunk?

Here's the fat trunk on my King/Bangalow. If you've seen those purple Oxalis for sale that might offer scale..but its fat. (the others are Pleranda elegantissima).

The 'zebra' trunk effect is thanks to sprinklers in the area... not weird rainfall.

Ha!..forgot about sprinklers.

OMG

The thing is..my palms were never in complete shade..it was always part shade with a few hours of direct sun..then it became the fronds in sun,the trunks in shade.

But I think no matter how close I came to the required light for blooming..it wasn't the minimum. Now,over the roof,it is all day sun.

And i hope to plant many of those those future seeds. People in the bay area love King palms,most here not knowing they will grow here even as they are in awe over their exotic looks. They are NOT common here. You still have to search to find them. Nothing like Washingtonia's or CIDP or Queen palms ALL on every corner.

Can't believe SFO has tropical palm trees growing at 38 degrees parallel. I think common palms does not mean they are ugly. Every palm tree is close to my heart and is like my family, just like every human or animal on Earth.

Let's correct something here. This thread is basically about two palms but there is a lot of confusion about their names. The Archontophoenix Alexandrae is known as Alexander, King, King Alexander, or Alexandra. The Archontophoenix cunninghamiana is known as Piccabeen or Bungalow.