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Many flowers over the years. First time I’ve seen seeds. Will see if they turn out viable. 20’ish years old from a 20 gallon. Dana Point, CA

An update at the end of July, 2026.

Thanks for looking

Another one

Been awhile since I’ve posted photos of the Dictyocaryum in the garden. Over the years it’s evident that they are a bit out of their element in my garden, but are still beautiful nonetheless. Out of the original four, two faded away, the remaining two are powering on, although one took a hit from the months long drought last year. It seems to be rebounding as of late.The difference is apparent in the photos. Finicky at this lower elevation tropical climate. Always keeps me guessing. Tim

A nice little 18 year old dypsis louvelli goes in the garden at the end of winter. I have been waiting a long time to plant this special one, one rare palm!

Formerly Peckerwood Garden and Yuccado Nursery. Located in Pine Island, Texas. Brahea dulcis Sabal uresana Brahea berlandieri, Sabal uresana,Nolina nelsonii Serenoa repens Dioon edule, Nolina nelsonii Sabal causiarum Agave ‘Miquihuana Silver’ Brahea berlandieri Brahea berlandieri Brahea moorei Brahea dulcis Agave victoriae-reginae Yucca linearifolia Sabal uresana Nannorhops ritchiana

I was looking at some rainforest in north qld the other day and spotted these palms. Lots of purple on these ones.

Here’s an update on how this palm looks roughly two years later. It’s been a relatively fast grower for me so far and is one of the most colorful palms in my collection.

I originally bought this copernicia alba from Ken Johnson. It had 3'+ of trunk in mid august 2011, with a tiny crown due to sitting in 90 gal pot for years. Ken said nobody wanted it and he recommended it to me. It was delivered with a few other specimen palms(C oliviformis). Over the years I notice that each year a bunch of spears(~10 or more) at the same height rose up and pushed the previous years leaves down towards the horizontal. The new leaves open pretty quickly when the palm is ready. They can be seen separated against the sky fromt he old ones in a cluster. It reminds me of a new flush of flowers. SO I use the term "flush" when a good number of leaves open is quick succession( a couple weeks). A couple days ago against a story sky but some sun peeking through at my back I took a pic to show the "flush". The only other palm I have that does this is P, rupicola. The rest take a week or more between the opening of spears. This palm was hit by Hurricane Milton and lost some was as leaflets were bent. It was one of the better performers of the well exposed palms in my yard. Here it is with the dead leaves from Milton still hanging on. You can see this years flush is separated from last years by angle to the horizontal. As you can see its in sandy soil and has a little clay underneath at 2'. Its not in a wet spot irrigation or soil wise, and it did suffer in this drought but looks ready to go after the recent rains. The leaves are now self shedding to a smooth trunk the latest 3' of trunk(out of view here). Does anyone else out there have an alba story or a newly planted alba?

A species that probably doesn’t get much attention on here - Gaussia maya. It’s been bulletproof for me on a north facing brick wall which probably helps with additional heat retention. Love the chunky base, will look great when the leaf bases start to fall off.

Macrozamia johnsonii I grew from seed is now coning. 1996-2026. These are large plants with 10ft+ leaves.

Lovely crownshaft of young Chrysalidiocarpus sp. mayotte. Almost looks like it should be in a pastry shop…

Arenga micrantha and Engleri, two species that grow very well here and are also resistant to light frost

Hey there everyone. Its been a while. Had a rough NYC winter this year. Lots of snow and cold wet weather. Windmill Palm took a little beating!! But still thriving! 16ft to top of crown, 12ft to top of trunk. Just gave her a prunning. Unfertlized seeds avaliable.. not sure if you can pollinate them? Good luck to all this winter!! Bobby

And here are some random updated photos of the garden. Too many to list names but just ask if you have any questions about IDs.

Time to weed the lava and misc AM light…

I have two satakentias from ken johnsons farm, planted out in early 2019 with 2-3' trunk. I also have a smaller one I grew from a 4" seedling in 2021 that was planted in early 2025 is now 6-7' overall. They are great palms and the trunks are pretty thick. I will quote ken " ythey are emergent palms so they like shade when young but with size they take the sun well. The trunk at the crownshaft is about 8-9" caliper, definitely more than my archies and all my other crownshafted palms except for the royals. They hate frost with a couple upper leaves burning a couple years ago. They do look a lot more colorful in sunlight after shedding a leaf. Here is one of mine, they trunks/crownshafts glow in the distance in sun. No sign of inflorescences yet. closeup of the same palm to see the crownshaft color a week or so after a new leaf was dropped Easily my prettiest crownshafted palm. I checked the trunk measurements, 8 1/2' clear trunk as of today.

M amicarum seems to be building some momentum…

After over a year of waiting, some Butia lallemantii is showing activity!

I will say this Geonomas are really starting to impress me in the cool tolerance range. Quite rare palms in this part of the world, but after getting my hands on a few different varieties they are proving to be very cool tolerant, not to bad for palms that are prized ornamentals. Cool tolerance is one thing they need to be to survive in my winter and grow well. Another issue is water they drink like a drowning fish. So if they are to live in the ground it’s going to have to be some pretty good soil amendment landscaping duties. And these are tube stock seedlings not advanced palms, so iam impressed with how well they take 2 degrees celcius Geonoma pycnostachys Geonoma look longivaginata sub sp vallensGeonoma atrovirens Geonoma bondaria

Dave I would place in the shade and only use organic fertiliser like fishmeal or seaweed until they re established

I just happened upon this article published this past April, documenting the rediscovery of a species of Ravenea not definitively documented since its original description in 1927. The species is Ravenea latisecta, and there have been a few possible sightings in the ensuing 99 years, although apparently virtually all of these were misidentified, most turning out to be R. robustior or R. madagascariensis,. According to the article, there are no documented specimens in cultivation. So this is apparently quite a find and gives some hope for other species that have been "hiding" while presumed extinct. You can download the article from ResearchGate here.

Mid summer is the time for Becarriophoenix to rock!

Best contribution I can make to this thread. Got a few sprouts growing nicely but I’m aware this is the easy part. Time will tell whether I can keep them happy long term here but I’ve been inspired by some success in cool climates. Not sure whether to fear my frosts or occasional extreme heat for this species. Probably both!

Dypsis mirabilis with strings of pop beads. Tim

Veitchia

Kerriodoxa elegans, Johannesteijsmannia altifrons, Geonoma atrovirens, iguanura wallichiana var major, Areca vestria red form, sabinara magnifica, reinhardtia gracilis, chamaedoreas are must have, variegated rhapis. Then there are Zamias, Cerotazamias they all compliment palms and there are many of them to collect. Good luck once the palm bug bites you it’s a whole new world of plants!

Pinanga sp.’Thai mottled dwarf’, or at least sold as such.

Life has been busy and I haven’t had much time to be on PalmTalk or work on new plantings in the garden. It’s just mowing and weed wacking like crazy over here. But I did just find some time and inspiration to get a few new plantings in the ground so I wanted to document them here. I’ll post some updated pictures of the garden as well, after the new plantings. First up is Chrysalidocarpus Mijoroana: Next up is somewhat of a mystery. My old garden had a Chrysalidocarpus Pembanus hybrid (most likely crossed with Madagascariensis). I tried many times to get seed to sprout and only ever got 2 to germinate. So this is an F2 Chrysalidocarpus Pembanus hybrid, most likely crossed again with something in my old garden: And then I was able to plant some smaller Dypsis in the jungle area. Dypsis Beentjei: Dypsis Maranoseta:

I have had received some interest in this elegant Malagasy species that I have been growing, and I'll take a little time to present some pictures and comments. Seeds from RPS were sown in July 2008. Good germination, four plants were planted out in April 2014. Here is a pic of the quartet taken a few days ago: I took another pic (in rare full sun) from a different angle with a lawn chair for scale: The pinnate portions of dead leaves tend to break off, leaving numerous very thick leaf bases that exceed in toughness any other genus I can think of at the moment. Here is the largest one. Smaller palms next to the left are Dypsis (still Dypsis) rivularis. For a while, plants of the two species were of identical height. Two larger palms in the distance are Clinostigma exorrhizums. Inflors are two or more feet long, very straight and vertical, emerging from those tough leaf bases. Three of mine have produced them - I'm not sure which sex they are. Here are two that fell off after dying. This species is among my favorites. They do trunk after sufficient time, as I have seen in published photos. But I am in no hurry for that.

Lehmannii and whitelockii

Here’s Jayne Mansfield my big Roystonea oleracea. Makes my heart sing to look at that lovely thing. And my big regia in the background.

Iam lucky enough to live near the habitat of linospadix monostachya. They make a fantastic garden palm, predictable size and growing patterns. They flourish with good water, cool tolerant wet deep shade understory is there perfect habitat. Somewhat similar growth habit to lytocarum weddlianum and similar growing conditions being a little dry tolerant once established. They look amazing in habitat by the hundreds covering the forest floor under the canopy.

Spring is only another 5weeks away, now is the danger time for any of the new plantings, so far so good with only one palm taking a bit of burn.

Some blueberries on the dreadlocks. Also my breakfast raspberry substitute fresh off the guava tree. Yellow.

Hydriastele splendida living up to its name. Tim

A few R. Sapida in SF

Bonjour, je vous partage mon expérience de pollinisation puis semis de mon cycas panzhihuaensis. J'ai récupéré deux fleurs mâle dans d'un cycas panzhihuaensis, j'ai eu de la chance. Comme vous pourrez le contacter sur les photos, tapoter puis déposer 15 jours sur la fleur femelle. Récolté le 24 novembre 2025. Conservé dans un carton sur un lit de riz. Semé le 17 janvier 2026. Elles ont toutes commencées à craquer en mars 2026. Première racine le 19 avril 2026. Puis elles ce sont suivies. 29 sur 107 pour le moment. 14 jeté. La 28 ème à germer 67 jours après la première et la 29 ème à germer 88 jours après la première. Je suis dans l'attente pour la soixantaine qui reste. Semé en frigo chauffant, sur pierre ponce 2/4, température constante 25/30 degrés.

I’ve got some Veitchia arecina, the oldest being about 12 years old and is way overhead. However, it’s never flowered. Then I have another one that is about eight years old and has decided to flower like crazy. It’s pretty cool because the flowers are right at eye level.

Yup, as others have pointed out, these are about as adaptable as they come. Here’s one I plant many years ago; still trunkless, but with fronds nearly head- high.

A very tall one that the leaf fell off in the earlier picture

One of the contenders for slowest seedling is Chrysalidocarpus titan. Long known only by informal names like Dypsis sp bejouf(a), folks in Hawaii fell in love with this species largely because of the grove of two dozen trees planted at Bo Lundkvist’s Malama garden. Those trees are now huge and producing baskets of seeds. The only demerit I’d give it is for the exceptionally heavy fallen fronds. They must weigh around 40 pounds (20 kg), maybe more. You can only have grass under these. Any companion understory planting would be crushed. I started mine from seeds. Big mistake. Pay whatever a 10-gallon plant costs. Germination took 18 months. After they went in the ground, glacial growth rate the first five years. Finally, they got serious about growing. After ten years in the ground, still no trunk, but they open a perfectly respectably 3-4 new fronds a year. After seeing mature specimens in so many Hawaii gardens, I have very high hopes for these. Construction site 2016 2017 babies went in the ground and promptly burned. Today 1. titan 2. lastelliana 3. carlsmithii 4. cabadae. 5. Clinostigma samoense Another competitor for slowest ‘Dypsis’ goes to Chrysalidocarpys decipiens. Habitat photos on line suggest this palm grows in arid parts of Madagascar. Maybe the reason mine are growing so slowly is that they are in shade and typically get 140” of rain a year. SLOOOOW. After 13 years, they have only now started to trunk. Most individuals I’ve seen in local gardens have two trunks, but I have seen one example with six. Both of mine have twin trunks. 2014 Not obvious, but both trees have two trunks even at this stage. Today The same slow growth rate is seen in this mysterious palm that might be related to Chrysalidocarpus sp. blue decipiens. Who knows? I don’t think taxonomists have tackled this one. After a painfully slow childhood, this finally began to trunk last year. I really don’t see any resemblance to Chrysalidocarpus decipiens. This one has a single trunk. Leaflet arrangement not that similar. Different coloration. 2016 Today At the opposite end of the growth rate spectrum, this mystery palm went in the ground from a small one-gallon pot 13 years ago. Now it might be around 50-60 ft tall (15-18m) tall giving my Pigafetta some competition. This was obtained at a nursery liquidation sale with a very faint ‘Dypsis’ label written on the pot with white grease pencil. No species name was visible. It has a strong tristichous frond arrangement, but the crown has disappeared into the clouds, so that feature is not especially noticeable now. The base of the trunk is very swollen. Some Big Island growers seek out unusual ‘Dypsis’ variants or hybrids of unknown paternity. I suspect the explosive growth rate I’m getting might be due to hybrid vigor. Great if you are after instant canopy, but be prepared for telephone pole syndrome down the road. 2013 I have both Chrysalidocarpus saintelucei and Chrysalidocarpus basilongus in the garden. The white crownshafts are pretty consistent, except I’ve occasionally seen some red in saintelucei. These similar palms are easy to distinguish when growing near each other. C. basilongus is a bit more slender and has a very faint hint of blue. C. saintelucei has a more striking green trunk with white rings. Both produce abundant seeds that easily germinate, although saintelucei has a thoroughly discussed habit of breaking off its heavy infructescence before they mature. saintelucei 2013 today Crownshafts are usually mostly white, but occasionally I'm treated to a bit of color. basilongus Turning to clumpers, C. cabadae, C. lanceolata, and C. sp. Mayotte Island’ closely resemble each other after ten years or less in the ground. Maybe each will become more distinctive after they start blooming. C. lanceolata seems more distantly related judging by the slender base of trunks in contrast to the swollen bases of cabadae and Mayotte Island. cabadae Mayotte Island lanceolata Chrysalidocarpus baronii and C. psammophilus look about the same in my garden. Oddly, DNA sequence suggests they are not all that close. C. baronii is supposed to be closest to C. decipiens. I don't see it. Ignoring the taxonomy, each is an attractive, slender clumper, but no fireworks yet. Photos of baronii 'Black Stem' are very eye catching, but mine was only recently planted so can't say if it will live up to the hype. baronii psammophilus I only include Chrysalidocarpus lutenscens for completeness. The common ‘areca’ palm is vastly over planted in Hawaii, usually as a hedge to screen out unpleasant neighbors. There are so many more interesting clumping palms that could step in if only the public knew about them. I inherited two clumps from the previous owner. If only these were rare or a recent discovery, everyone would want it. And finally, the award for THE WORST Chrysalidocarpus in wet east Hawaii- drum roll: Chrysalidocarpus decaryi, the triangle palm. For some mysterious reason, this desert species is widely planted in east Hawaii. They look like crap for years until the crown inevitably snaps off leaving a dead trunk, which is a modest improvement. Why do people still plant this one? Photo from a neighbor's property. Hope this update gives you some ideas of what might be good additions for your garden depending on your climate. If you haven’t been following this thread, I’m at 700 ft growing in black volcanic cinder generously amended with compost. Rain varies a lot, but averages around 140” (3.5 m) annually. Fertilizer twice a year is slow release 22-7-14 with trace elements. Never gets hot or cold, 60-83 degrees F almost every day of the year.

They are almost prehistoric looking ! I have two that I planted a few years apart . They aren’t super fast growing here , but steady . Mine were about the size of your little potted specimen in the photo. I’ve watched them grow over the years and they are so different from the other palms . The fronds maintain the triangular shape by repeatedly opening on the same plane as previous ones . The purple tomentum and silvery color , plus the “strings” that hang down give the palm a very exotic appearance. Harry A perfect spot for a nap . The wee folk of the garden have claimed this one! This one is not near as lush as the one I planted in the front where there is a bit more shade. I found that the shade has benefitted this one . I also figured out , last year , in between rain events is the best time to pull leaf bases off! This area , out front , has a very diverse leaf type of palms planted close together . Roystonia O. , Chambeyronia M. , Caryota M. , Syagrus R. , and Archontophoenix A. . Throw in a few Howea for good measure! 😊 I do find it interesting that high humidity ( Hawaii ) , tropical is not their preferred environment. They seem to prefer a more temperate or sub tropical home.

Dypsis Plumosa

VThe garden is holding up to the usual winter weather not a problem 2 degrees celcius this morning, and iam sure the low lying areas in the valley most certainly would have seen a very white ice blanket on the ground possibly even a minus degree reading somewhere.

I haven’t been watering the garden, trying not too wet the foliage. In the morning would be the best time for waterings, but with plenty of rainfall the garden doesn’t need it.

Calyptrocalyx albertisianus popped a new leaf. Blue sky……a rarity lately. Tim