Brahea calcarea - Palm

Brahea calcarea (synonym nitida), very rare in gardens, is a palm tree very close to the B. armata, also known as the Mexican Blue Palm. Perhaps a little duller than its cousin due to its less blue foliage, it is also less spiny and slightly less hardy, but shows a more slender habit and above all a faster growth. It will be appreciated for its beautiful crown of fan-shaped leaves with metallic reflections carried like a bouquet at the top of an elegant trunk, as well as for its spectacular inflorescences. This plant, extremely graphic and very bright in the sun, does not leave one indifferent. It is a sun-loving species that thrives in dry soils, resistant to wind, and particularly at ease in our not too harsh Mediterranean regions.

Brahea calcarea (nitida) belongs to the Arecaceae family. It is native to western and southern Mexico as well as Guatemala where it has become rare. It is found spontaneously growing on limestone hills and mountains, up to 1500m (4921ft 4in) altitude. An adult specimen can withstand short frosts of around -8°C (17.6 °F). This palm tree, which can reach a height of 10 to 14m (32ft 10in to 45ft 11in), is carried by a single false trunk (stipe), quite thick, sometimes reaching 30cm (11.8in) in diameter, covered with light brown fibres, bearing the remains of old dried leaves. Its foliage, arranged in a terminal crown, will not exceed 3.50m (11ft 6in) in width. The stipe, barely widened at the base, gives rise at its top to 25-30 slightly costapalmate leaves, i.e. palmate leaves arranged in a fan around a central axis. Each leaf is 70cm (27.6in) to 1.20m (3ft 11in) wide. When the plant is young, the colour of the leaves is a fairly bright green, then it turns to a very light green-grey with grey-blue reflections. This colour is due to the presence on their upper surface of a whitish waxy film. The lower surface is almond green. The leaf lamina is divided into 40 to 60 rigid segments and carried by a petiole reaching 1m (3ft 4in) to 1.50m (4ft 11in) in length, covered with brown fuzz on the upper side, silver-coloured on the lower side, but without spines.

The spectacular flowering takes place on specimens over 30 years old. It only occurs outdoors in summer, in warm climates, in the form of long inflorescences (up to 6 metres (19 feet 8 inches)), arched and dominating the crown of leaves. The flowers, very numerous, are white to ivory in colour, followed by the formation of countless small ovoid fruits, blackish and shiny, each containing a smooth and shiny brown seed. These fresh seeds germinate several months after sowing.

Perfectly placed isolated on a lawn or in a row along a wide alley, Brahea calcarea is an excellent palm tree for the seaside, and this species adapts very well to the hot and dry regions of the southeast of our country. It can also be grown elsewhere in a large container, which will be stored in a cool, bright and airy place during winter. Planted near an entrance or on either side of a gate, planted isolated near a swimming pool, it will be superb. Like Eucalyptus and large Mimosa trees, in the background of a flower bed, it forms a typical backdrop for gardens bordering the Mediterranean or the Atlantic coast of southern France. Fans of graphic plants can plant Nolina siberica, Agave ovatifolia, Dasylirion wheeleri, Yucca rigida, and other spectacular succulent plants well adapted to arid conditions alongside it.