Brahea armata Mexican blue palm

Inflorescences and infructescences fountain out of the Brahea armata in the Inner Quad. Sairus Patel, 22 Aug 2021

Brahea armata, Inner Quad. Irene Beardsley, 20 Mar 2003

A young specimen of this fan palm with fine light-blue yard-long leaves, 6 feet tall in 2002, can be found in the inner southeast island of the Inner Quad. The finely-ridged leaves are mostly less than an inch wide and taper gradually to pointed tips. This specimen first bloomed in June, 2009. The leaf points are not dangerous to brush against; the epithet armata refers to two rows of ¼-inch-high sharp teeth densely packed on the yard-long leaf stalk. This palm is named for Tycho Brahe (1546–1601), the Danish astronomer who was descended from Ronald Bracewell’s ancestors (Planetary Influences on Electrical Engineering, Proc. IEEE, vol. 80, pp. 230–237, 1992).