The rare little queen - my new Acanthophoenix rubra

[Z4Devil]

Dear all -

it took about 19 years before it worked ... I had the chance to buy the A. rubra as a plant with a height of 60 cm. It arrived on Tuesday last week and is growing and growing. Meanwhile, the pinna what has been closed at arrival, is nearly open.

Of this impression you will get a new photo this evening.

Look at this beautiful palm. I am curious about it´s indoor growth.

The second little sister came together with her, an Acanathophoenix crinita; this is a seedling but it´s doing well, too.

Acanthophoenix rubra

Acanthophoenix crinita

Best regards, Verena

Edited September 1, 2009 by Z4Devil

[bubba]

Verena, Two very beautiful specimens! As I am sure you know, these Palms grow in habitat to about 15 meters. In your climate, it seems that they should get sun in Summer and be nurtured during cold times. Watch out for the spines!

[Z4Devil]

Hi, bubba -

yes, I know about the natural height of the A. rubra. On the other hand it may be not excluded that such a groth in Germany is more unlikely. But even though, we in Europe have to ensure your climate e. g. in California. The heaven knows when this will be ...

We will see what the future has in stock for my palms ... but I will do everything to make them grow and keep healthy.

All my palms are tropical rarities (for German purposes), that´s why I am familiar with the characteristics of their nurture. I hope it works, believe me.

Love, Verena

Edited September 1, 2009 by Z4Devil

[BS Man about Palms]

Congrats Verena!!

[Tyrone]

Nice.

I wish I could get my hands on ones like that here.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Z4Devil]

@ BS Man: thank you so much, my friend. (What is your real name again? Always forget it, so sorry)

@ Tyrone: there is an online shop in france that si shipping worldwide, also US. Look at www.seedsplants.com and look for Acanthophoenix, they offer 3 several species.

Best regards, Verena

Edited September 1, 2009 by Z4Devil

[Tyrone]

Thanks Verena for the info, but Australian quarantine won't allow the import of live plants without many months in a quarantine facility which is costly.

You've got some awesome palms there.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Z4Devil]

Tyrone, that is more than a pity ... Does Australian law forbid the import of live plants generally or is there an option to dogde, i. e. private shipment as a gift?

Verena

[BS Man about Palms]

Bill = BS Man= my initials= BS

[Z4Devil]

Aaaaaah, yes ... simple if they know that.

Bill, will never forget your pre-name, promised.

Love, Verena

[Z4Devil]

***Attention******Attention******Attention******Attention******Attention******At

tention***

Update of the Acanthophoenix: have ordered some minutes ago the extremly rare Acanthophoenix sp. Rousselii. I am happy, the confirmation has been e-mailed just know.

Look to this palm ... and marvel.

[Kostas]

Great palms you got there Verena,congratulations!!! I wish they grow well for you!

I have an Acanthophoenix rubra myself too and love it very much! It's about as tall as yours You can see pictures of it at my lattest update on my Pyrgos Garden thread if you want...but you must find it yourself as I don't have it labeled! Or maybe I can post a picture of it here latter in the day if you prefer...

Happy growing yours!

[LJG]

Just so people know I have ordered tropical plants from Le Jardin Naturel. Mostly seed, but some plants. I get what was offered. These plants come from Reunion, not France itself.

also US. Look at www.seedsplants.com and look for Acanthophoenix, they offer 3 several species.

[LJG]

Verena, what size in CM were the plants you ordered so I can get an idea.

[Z4Devil]

Great palms you got there Verena,congratulations!!! I wish they grow well for you!

I have an Acanthophoenix rubra myself too and love it very much! It's about as tall as yours You can see pictures of it at my lattest update on my Pyrgos Garden thread if you want...but you must find it yourself as I don't have it labeled! Or maybe I can post a picture of it here latter in the day if you prefer...

Happy growing yours!

Thank you very much, Kostas. You have an A. rubra, too? Great, than let´s keep updated together and share information and success. I will have a look to your recommended Garden after this posting. On the other hand, it would be helpfully to post the photo here.

@ Len: yes, Le Jardin Naturel offers professional handling and good communication. :greenthumb

The size of my ordered Acanthophoenix sp. Rousselii is of about 60 cm, that of the A. rubra (bought at www.palms.de ), too.

I am curios about your idea.

Love, Verena

[edric]

Nice looking trees Verena, Ed

[Z4Devil]

Thanks, Ed.

And tomorrow you all will see the new leave that has been beared nearly completely. Looks wonderful.

Best regards, Verena

[DoomsDave]

Guten Gluck, Verena!

My German's bad, but I hope your palm grows, and keep us apprized at good or bad.

I must warn you, they're a tough grow away from their native soil.

But, prove us wrong, dear!

[Z4Devil]

I love the American German, Dave. A lot of GI´s I have seen in Rammstein speaks the same lovely accent.

I know about the height of the Acanthophoenix in the tropical nature, Dave. But it is extremly difficult to make such growth in the climate of Germany; some areas of Europe are palm-friendly ... such as Italy, Spain, Greece. The more colder winters in Germany with a lot of snow would avoid this.

But ... it cannot be excluded that some palms are going to be very flexible over the years ... we will see.

Any succes will be reported here, promised. My favorite palms are always those not everyone owns. The more rare they are the more better and of interest for me.

In a near future I will move to our house with a 1.000 m² garden ... and then, all palms will befitting their rank, the most in a winter garden.

Love, Verena

[Kostas]

Hi Verena!

That would be great! How much did your grow its new leaf since you purchased it? Mine didnt grow too much its new leaf since i got it,only a few cm in a month but it has opened its spear as you can see...The below photos are about a month or maybe more since i got it. It was infested with mealy bugs when i got it and took it a week to clear with good air circulation and higher light levels(full sun all morning). After that,it was planted in my garden...

Here it is!

And here it is with its surroundings...

The new leaf may seem stunted but from what i saw with close inspection,it must not be,its just that it opened it early and the rest of the leaf is on its way out and unfolding...

[Z4Devil]

Good morning, Kostas and best regards to Greece. Very nice palm you have. Looks like a little sister of mine.

To be honest, my Acanthophoenix rubra is a hard-working little "girl". It was shipped on Tuesday last week, has been potted into a new pot (the old was too small) and is now doing well. The newest leave was closed when I got her ... now, it is wide open and nearly opened completely. It has 6 leaves now; if it´s going on that way; I guess about 10 leaves are possible at the end of the year. A really impressive sight. This is what I meant with the new photo I will upload this evening today.

Love, Verena

Edited September 2, 2009 by Z4Devil

[Kostas]

Good morning to you too Verena!

Thank you! It seems like 1-2 leafs behind yours in size,its biggest leaf has 14rows of leaflets so,counting yours too,i think its about that much behind....

Mine had 6 leafs too when i got it but two of the smaller leafs were lost during the acclimation and possibly due to the heavy mealy bug infestation it had too...It has been stable from then on though and hope it will grow well once it grows some roots as mine too was in a very small pot and had few roots. The photos i posted are a couple of weeks old...I will see it again in two weeks and hope it has grown more

Looking forward to seeing photos of yours with its new leaf open!

[Z4Devil]

Kostas, great news.

It seems our both palms are similar.

The current photo of my palm will follow this evening after work, promised.

Love, Verena

[Tyrone]

Verena, show us a pic of your A sp Rousselii when you get it. I had seed of that one once but none came up.

I do have two little A rubra's at 3rd leaf stage that I germinated last summer doing well. I've got A crinita seed waiting to germinate now along with some more A rubra's but so far none up.

To answer your question about Australian quarantine, they are quite strict. Live plants must go through a quarantine facility for about 6 months and it's very expensive. Trying to dodge the requirements could end up very expensive if you're prosecuted. Sending a live plant as a gift will get the airport sniffer dogs picking up your parcel and getting it confiscated. That's just to get into Australia. To get it into Western Australia is even slightly harder.

So for this genus, seed is my only option, which has much less restrictions. One day I'll get all 3. So far I've got 2 to go.

I'm looking forward to seeing your new arrival.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Z4Devil]

Verena, show us a pic of your A sp Rousselii when you get it. I had seed of that one once but none came up.

Tyrone, will do that, promised. I am quite excited and cannot await it´s delivery. JN takes about 10 - 15 days for delivery all over the world; guess, that the shipment to Germany as a kind of neighbour of France is doing faster. I anticipate 5 days max.

I do have two little A rubra's at 3rd leaf stage that I germinated last summer doing well. I've got A crinita seed waiting to germinate now along with some more A rubra's but so far none up.

From seeds? Phantastic. It is always a joy to hear of such successfully experiments.

I have about 20 seeds of the A. rubra in germination - still wait for any sign, nothing happens until now. As far as I know the A. rubra needs up to 2 (!) years for germination. What we need, is patience, at least we in Germany. My seeds in their substratum are on a heating mat to push the process of germination. No other chance to make it different, it is not warm enough ...

To answer your question about Australian quarantine, they are quite strict. Live plants must go through a quarantine facility for about 6 months and it's very expensive. Trying to dodge the requirements could end up very expensive if you're prosecuted. Sending a live plant as a gift will get the airport sniffer dogs picking up your parcel and getting it confiscated. That's just to get into Australia. To get it into Western Australia is even slightly harder.

Oooops ... very strange ... didn´t know that Australia handles that so strictly. I would go mad if I only could buy seeds of rare palms beeing not growing in the own country.

I'm looking forward to seeing your new arrival.

Me, too, Tyrone. And it is an additional reason to post here.

Love, Verena

[Tyrone]

Verena I didn't know they took up to 2 years to come up. Maybe I was giving up on mine too soon then. I use artificial heat to keep them at about 30-32C during the day and about 20C at night.

Thanks for the info.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Z4Devil]

Yes, Tyrone ... this is a fact, sadly. The A. rubra seeds need very much time to germinate; the temperatures you ensure my seeds have, too.

2 years are a long time ... and they seem to whisper: "Take it or leave it".

Me myself can wait ... I have time and patience. *bg*

If I notice any changes of my seeds I will keep you updated here.

Love, Verena

[Z4Devil]

I promised the new photos of the opened new leave, here they are; simply to compare especially with the 2nd photo in the first posting.

This leave changed within just 6 days.

This little lady is a beauty and I am happy.

Best regards, Verena

Edited September 2, 2009 by Z4Devil

[Z4Devil]

For those who are interested in the species Acanthophoenix I have found 2 online shops where you can buy live plants of all 3 subspecies

1. Go to Thierry in Réunion

Le Jardin Naturel

Great communication and profesional handling.

Type in the "find-field": Acanthophoenix and you have the choice among all 3 subspecies up to 60 cm

2. Visit Alain in France, he also offers all Acanthophoenix as a seedling; have ordered 2 A. rubra and 2 A. sp. Rousselii seedlings:)

Alains´s ultimate Acanthophoenix offers

Summary like Thierry.

Both are higly recommended, believe me.

Best regards, Verena

[Kostas]

Looking beautyfull Verena!

[Z4Devil]

Doesn´t it, Kostas? I love it from the very first and do believe it grows a little bit faster than it should.

Love, Verena

[Kostas]

Yeap it does! I hope it continues to grow fast for you!

I will update on mine when i get to see it in 2 weeks...

[Z4Devil]

Dear all -

this postings are for you but especially dedicated to Tyrone, my Australian friend.

First of all ... the larger-sized A. rubra I had to put under quarantine - it was infected by mealybugs. Now it is on a good way and a very thankfully palm, it´s new leaves are more than a demonstration.

Photos of my larger A. rubra after pest control - I hope you can see how much it has been growing:

[Z4Devil]

As mentioned some postings before I have ordered further Acanthophoenix in the shops of Thierry and Alain. Thierry sent a larger A. rousselii to me ... special trick and great idea what are not allowed to be public. The only thing that counts is that he has dealed successfully with the German tariff regulations. *bg*

The palm is of a phantastic health - but photos make sense only when the leafs have been grown again.

Alain of France sent 4 Acanthophoenix seedlings to my office location: 2 seedldings of A. rubra and 2 of A. rousselii. They are an adorable little gang, I love them.

To show the differnce between A. rubra and A. rousselii you just have to look at the color of their trunks and you know why A. rubra is called red and A. rousselii white betel nut palm.

A. rubra:

Love, Verena

tbc in the next posting (number of photos is limited)

[Z4Devil]

It goes on with my new (and arrived today) A. rousselii:

[Z4Devil]

And the whole nursery together in accordance

[Alicehunter2000]

Thanks for sharing your palms with us.....I was unfamiliar with these species. I wish I could grow them in the ground here......many times I pass on these threads because I know that I will never be able to grow them in the ground to a large size.....but your potted specimens are quite nice even at that size.....but it still begs the question of every container rancher.....What do you do when they get big?

[Tyrone]

Verena they look great. These are pictures that you won't really find on the net. I've never seen an A sp Rouselli seedling before, and especially next to an A rubra seedling. They are definitely a different species. The seed is also much bigger than the other two. A crinita is the smallest.

Since you have these Reunion Island palms are you going to try the others? Hyophorbe indica, Latania lontaroides and Dictyosperma album?

Are you going to build a big conservatorium for them like a smaller version of the Palm House at Kew Gardens? This could get really addictive couldn't it.

Maybe a trip to Reunion is on the cards????

I suggest a 3 story high gas powered hothouse with a central staircase to get amongst the leaves.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Kostas]

Beautyfull palms Verena!

Your bigger one is a true beauty with its fully expanded new leaf! Mine grew 1 more dwarf leaf,maybe a little bigger than the previous one,most probably due to the heavy mealybug infection it had and due to shock from higher light levels in my garden than where it was growing...I look forward to a normal sized new leaf before winter maybe...

Funny yours had mealy bugs too...Fortunately they are strong palms and dont damage much regardless of the infection! Wish it fast recovery and growth!

P.s.:Betel nut????Are Acanthophoenix also called betel nut palms? Maybe you meant barbel palm or did you in fact saw a mention of betel nut palm as a common name for them too?

[Z4Devil]

[...]

but it still begs the question of every container rancher ... What do you do when they get big?

[...]

Yes, David, I know ... and - to be honest - there is some panic on this ... on the one hand every palm fan hope theat his plants are growing well and fast, but on the other exactly that could mean to give them away in a defined future.

I am not able to tell you what I will do if this happens. Generally I would affirm that I will keep my palms. The question of their location has to be clarified, no doubt.

Maybe (but his is not more than a speculation / hope) the climate changes will generate opportunities we would never think about at this time, who knows what the future has in store for us ...

Anyway, the problem cannot be solved at this time, we will have to wait.

[...]

These are pictures that you won't really find on the net. I've never seen an A sp Rouselli seedling before, and especially next to an A rubra seedling. They are definitely a different species. The seed is also much bigger than the other two. A crinita is the smallest.

[...]

Absolutely, Tyrone. Exactly this was my intention to share this photos with you all. Me myself did not see any photos of Acanthophoenix seedlings, even less of the rare species rousellii. The little crinita (bought in Germany) is doing well now, but have had the same mealybugs plague like the larger A. rubra. Photos will follow, it has its 3 leaf.

[...]

Since you have these Reunion Island palms are you going to try the others? Hyophorbe indica, Latania lontaroides and Dictyosperma album?

[...]

Not all of them, Tyrone. My problem is that the numbers of my palms are not compatible with the size of our home. In a near future we will move to the house of my husband, but not at this time. A lot of private reasons make it impossible at this time.

It accommodates enough room, the current apartment over 2 floors not.

I have to split my quotes into 2 postings, because quotes and emoticons are limited. To be continued