Cycads that do well in Phoenix, Arizona - dioon edule

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There are a lot of cycads that do well here in the Phoenix, Arizona area beside the common sago palm, which, although it is beautiful, is, well, common. If you already have a sago palm or two, my recommendation is to plant a dioon edule cycad.

I've have two types of dioon edules here in The Tropical Paradise, the one you see here, which is dioon edule, var. edule, and also dioon edule var. palma sola.


Dioon edules have a pleasing blue-green color and an interesting recurve in the fronds. The difference between the two varieties is only visible with the new growth. Var. edule leaves begin with a bronzy color, whereas the var. palma sola leaves begin as bright green. That's a palma sola frond sticking in the picture at the far right, by the way. The leaves really are the same color, and look the same when mature. My personal experience is that the palma sola tolerates our full sun better, so that is the one I prefer, and I have more of them.

The cultural requirements for a dioon edule are the same as for an ordinary sago palm. Plant it on a slope, so that it is well-drained, and try to get at least a little bit of shade on it. Cycads are not cactuses, and putting them out in the middle of a desert landscape will make them struggle to live, and they will look terrible. And, while cycads are technically not palms at all, they look like them, and they look great planted near palms. The fronds on the left of the picture are of a Phoenix rupicola canariensis cross palm tree, which was developed by a grower here in Phoenix.

This dioon edule cycad I purchased at Pacific Palms here in Phoenix. I have never seen them for sale at Home Depot or any other common nurseries around town, although I am always on the lookout for them. The palma sola cycads I got from Shady Way nursery in Apache Junction, where they were grown locally. I've had these plants for many years so I don't know if these places still have any left. There are a lot of cycad collectors here in the Phoenix area, so if you're looking for one, I could probably point you in the right direction. Have your checkbook ready, a beauty like this is liable to cost you a fair amount!


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