With all this talk of the Humid Subtropical Zone in the U.S....
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The quality of the lighting in that photo makes it impossible to judge. I can say that coconuts in Brisbane do just fine as illustrated below. I've never been to South Africa so cannot really comment from first-hand experience but looking at the temperatures for those locations I don't see why they would be any different.
The backlighting in the Brisbane Street Beach photo makes it hard to tell. But the bottom photo of Moreton Island has real nice specimen. I'm still searching for climate data for that place, but it should be similar to Fraser Island. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraser_Island#Climate
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asagi
Coconuts grow quickly once summer heat arrives and can do quite a dramatic green up in just a few months. You see this a lot especially in central Florida, some slight yellowing at the end of winter to pristine verdant green by mid summer. So it depends on the timing of photos.
For truly thriving pristine coconuts look at Sri Lanka or New Guinea. That stretch along the equator is the center of diversity (origin) for coconut. It's actually amazing how (relatively) adaptable they are given their deep tropical maritime origin.
I think Sri Lanka even has its own coconut cultivar — the 'King.'
Moreton Island climate data. This from the Cape Moreton Lighthouse with records back to 1887.
Milder than Brisbane as one would expect from an exposed coastal site
Max temps
Min temps
Rainfall
Pretty well the limits for healthy coconut growth on the East Coast of Australia is Northern NSW with about Coffs Harbour the southern limit. They wont grow in Sydney.
I know of a couple being successfully grown in Perth, but these required protection in the winters when young. Perth's sandy well draining soils are advantageous especially given the cool wet winter Med climate in Perth. I'm told there are some coconuts growing at Jurien Bay, north of Perth, and they are more viable in Geraldton ( 3 hours north of Perth )
On a personal note, I have a 50' tall specimen in my front yard.
This is what I consider subtropical in the eastern US
In other words you consider locations like Columbus Ohio and Indy and Pittsburgh as borderline temperate in climate yet Chicago is still continental in your book???.
I think I've said on another thread....somewhere......amongst this plethora of 'humid subtropical' threads.......
To me the term 'subtropical' describes some warmth and humidity all year round.
I don't really concern myself with what happens in the warmer summer and shoulder season months....its a given that they are generally hot/warm/humid/dry or whatever.
Its the other 5 months of the year so Nov-Mar in the Northern Hemispere, that I look at to fit the 'subtropical' description. And more specifically, the 3 winter months.
I've heard quite a few posters describe Washington DC as subtropical. And Raliegh, Atlanta.... ?, well from an Aussie perspective Atlanta is close, but the combined 3 month winter means is only 8.3c ( 47f ), and that doesn't sound or feel too 'subtropical' to me.
Raleigh, combined 3 winter month means - 6.6c ( 44f ).
DC, combined 3 winter months means - 4.3c ( 40f ).
Loath as I am to put a figure on winter means, I'm firmly in the 10c ( 50f ) area for describing a location as 'subtropical'. The word itself implies 'warmth' and sub 10c winter means are not particularly warm in my ( Aussie )opinion.
PS/- a quick look at Dallas-Fort Worth winter means - 9.9c ( 50f ). Makes the cut subtropical.
Notes; I take little if any notice of historical 1 in 30 or 1 in 50 year events re cold and to use vegetation re subtropicallity can be misleading. Sad to see all those palms fried by frost in the big freeze back in Feb.
I think I've said on another thread....somewhere......amongst this plethora of 'humid subtropical' threads.......
To me the term 'subtropical' describes some warmth and humidity all year round.
I don't really concern myself with what happens in the warmer summer and shoulder season months....its a given that they are generally hot/warm/humid/dry or whatever.
Its the other 5 months of the year so Nov-Mar in the Northern Hemispere, that I look at to fit the 'subtropical' description. And more specifically, the 3 winter months.
I've heard quite a few posters describe Washington DC as subtropical. And Raliegh, Atlanta.... ?, well from an Aussie perspective Atlanta is close, but the combined 3 month winter means is only 8.3c ( 47f ), and that doesn't sound or feel too 'subtropical' to me.
Raleigh, combined 3 winter month means - 6.6c ( 44f ).
DC, combined 3 winter months means - 4.3c ( 40f ).
Loath as I am to put a figure on winter means, I'm firmly in the 10c ( 50f ) area for describing a location as 'subtropical'. The word itself implies 'warmth' and sub 10c winter means are not particularly warm in my ( Aussie )opinion.
PS/- a quick look at Dallas-Fort Worth winter means - 9.9c ( 50f ). Makes the cut subtropical.
Notes; I take little if any notice of historical 1 in 30 or 1 in 50 year events re cold and to use vegetation re subtropicallity can be misleading. Sad to see all those palms fried by frost in the big freeze back in Feb.
That's kinda the issue here. For it to be a subtropical climate, mild winters as well as hot summers, as well as the seasons being unequal with summer being the longest month. And there clearly has to be seasons, because subtropical climates aren't tropical climates
There are places in the coast of Western Europe, especially islands, that might have more mild winters than some subtropical reasons, but since it doesn't really get warm, they are clearly oceanic climates, not subtropical
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