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The first ring on my California grown Chrysalidocarpus robustus. I don't recall seeing any other big specimens here in California. Thanks to visiting the Big Island I have seen some tall specimens which put my juvenile plant in perspective.

Pinanga caesia may suffer from overexposure on PT, but mine only recently started blooming so the novelty hasn't worn off yet. I still get startled when I walk by when a new inflorescence is about to open. The entire tree is Technicolor, but the blooms dial it up to 11.The deep red covering (bract?) only stays on for a few hours. After it falls away, the soft pink flower buds are exposed for less than a day. First thing the next morning the flowers open to a cloud of bees. After only a few hours all the flowers have fallen to the ground leaving just the bare violet rachilia that might go on to make fruit, if I'm lucky. I wonder what role the intense colors play. I assume the bees are attracted to some fragrance, not the color, but I really don't know. I could believe brightly colored fruit attracts birds for seed dispersal, but that is months down the road. No matter, it is an impressive, albeit brief, show. Palmpedia says this species is difficult in California. I hope people on the mainland are able to find a protected spot in their garden that can provide the right microclimate for this beautiful palm. If you are going to try zone pushing, might as well swing for the fences. I hear that this is one of the taller Pinangas,. I'll need to keep adding another baby every few years so I always have eye level blooms.

A nifty diminutive palm from New Guinea, Hydriastele rheophytica. Loves water hence, the name, and sparsely clumping. I remember Brad posting a photo of one in his garden not too long ago. Tim

Planted in 2015 as a 5 gallon

Young Nepenthes ‘briggsiana’ a cross between Nepenthes lowii and ventricosa.

That’s awesome Tracy. I think my winters are too cold for it here so I’ll be sticking with Prestonianus and Dacaryi as my big boy Chrysalidocarpus in my garden.

Welcome to PalmTalk! If those two palms were transplanted without big root balls, then they easily could show this much transplant stress. Right now, I think watering at least briefly once a day is not too much. I think those two palms may look rough for months, but then they may start to grow vigorously. Washingtonia are tough, and they transplant well. Do you have other Washingtonia in your neighborhood, understanding that Houston suffered a severe freeze in Feb. 2021? Good for you for renting a home and caring this much about your landlord's palms!

I have a lot of affection for this elegant palm. And the seeds are so pretty, too!

How big is it now? Mines about this size right now.

Looking so nice recently. Tim

Turns out nobody had a 15 or even a 5g so we got this little guy from Flora Grubb, at a typically dear FG price. But it’s in the ground! Hopefully it’s as fast growing as they say.

Juvenile Latania lontaroides. They do not stay red in humid Florida long:

Recently purchased this 7g “weepy form” of C. Onihalensis from Chip Jones Nursery. I’ve read a few posts from people having a hard time growing these in Florida, albeit, in areas a bit warmer than north Orlando. The specimen at Leu Gardens looks great. I also have a smaller “upright form” I’d like to plant out as well. Anyone have any successes with these in ground in Florida? And if so what soil/sun exposure has been the trick?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated:

I will have to do a check of old photos, but it was shortly after we added the outdoor shower in 2015. I can't recall if I ever potted it up after I bought it from George Sparkman as either a 3 or squat 5 gallon.

Thank you Merlyn. I agree about the questionable Macaw. I took pictures of the trunk, which is without spines. The leaf structure is also an issue per Palmpedia. The other palm in the front above the Cocothrinax is a mystery!

Agree with Ryan. Fruit has a delicious sweet sour taste and 2 seeds per fruit. Skin is thicker than a grapes, and rubbery to chew on, so just spit it out. Wish my tree produced bigger crops, but the fruits I get are still a treat nonetheless. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

I bought a lot of Sabal seeds they all grew and have the typical heel but this one has not and looks different!! Any ideas?

Have met his nephew and wife who are in Bochum in his apartment right now ... his last words were for his Lytos and me ... And now? Have loaded 3 larger and one really large L. weddelianum + 2 L. itapebiense (one mid-sized, 1 seedling) and a L. hoehnei into my car ... this was the last promise I gave him; to take care on his "babies", as long as I am alive. Heaven was crying on my way back, much of rain came down ... 😪

Happy Easter everyone! Jesus has risen! I hope everyone has a great day spending time with family and worshiping God!.

Happy Easter... Butch

Hey @Fal! My group of Archontophoenix by my pool is doing OK since the freeze, but I did intervene by using a burn barrel during our coldest night at 23degrees. All are pushing new spears luckily. I have a few other smaller Archontophoenix around the yard that were not protected, and they’re not looking as great right now with a few spear pulls. The cunninghamiana’s held more green in the leaflets competed to the other species I have including alexandrae, maxima, myolensis, tuckeri, and Purperea. There is a palm sale coming up at SJBGNP on May 2nd. I will be there with 1-3 gallon Archontophoenix for sale. With 4 awesome palm vendors in attendance, there may be over 100 different species available for purchase. I highly recommend checking it out. -Alex Steeg

That is a large specimen ! How long has that been in the ground there? Harry

Some form of Cocothrinax in front of a cluster of MacArthur palms. Please help me with ID's and corrections.

My friend claims this is an Areca catechu dwarf. I believe it is a simple Areca catechu:

Satakentia liukiuensis:

Florida Thatch Palm:

Bottle Palm that DoomsDave may recall:

Shot of the same palm from another direction:

A nice white cat opened just in time for easter! Lightly scented. This one is a reliable spring bloomer that has bloomed 4 years in a row for me. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Dendrobium anosum popped yesterday, and Bulbophyllum falcatum has 3 spikes in bloom

Raging waters in the valley I hike in. Following are some pictures of an old "swimming" spot just below a small dam build over 100 years ago to divert water into a pipe for the sugar cane growing lower in the valley. The water during the storm must have been 15 feet or higher. Not shown there was an area where people camped, cooked on a wood fire and relaxed. That area is now a field of small boulders. I'll get a picture next time I'm up there. I dug back in my files and found a photo from 2023 that shows the area back then. People use to jump off that big rock into a pool about 7' deep. Now there are two HUGE boulders where the pool use to be and perhaps a new pool below them.

Yummy. Flavor varies. It tastes like a sweet grape to me. You plop the whole thing in your mouth, eat the fruit then spit out the seed or seeds. The skin is edible but can be tough to chew. Also makes an incredible jam or jelly if you are into preserving and get a lot of fruit you can't eat. Some new and interesting varieties are appearing. Ryan

Late march 2026. Goodbye winter!!!

Some nice colour on this Butia odorata inflorescence.

yep when well watered and fed these get thick trunks. My largest is 14 years int he ground from a 3 gallon.

Here's a spring 2024 update, in the same photo order as the 11/3/2019 post. These are about 5.5 years from ~5' tall big 3 gallon plantings. The front yard one is still the smallest, but is around 15 feet tall: The East side of the house has the biggest, and at about 20' tall is very close to trunking. The backyard SE pair is towering over everything nearby, here is one of them crowding a 5' tall Chamaerops Humilis: And the SW center of the bed is my favorite placement out of the big ones:

How does one tell the difference between the 2 ? Any literature on the differences in a Botanical Key would be greatly appreciated . Best wishes Ed Brown

Bubba, at first I thought it might be Livistona, but honestly that’s just a guess. Other than that, I haven’t a clue. Tim

Shoe for perspective:

Someone thought this was a Macaw palm (Acrocomania aculeata) but the leaf structure is entirely different and their are no spines on the trunk.

Beyond his famous zone-pushing, Walt wrote about and photographed the many interesting lake and topographic microclimates of Highlands county. He definitely inspired my curiosity for what could be grown there; a curiosity that finally led to a trip there last December. RIP Walt!

True Butia Capitata are rare in the U.S. The easiest way to tell is by the trunk. B. Capitata have a much smaller diameter trunk than B. Oderata. Maybe try Palmpedia for more information. Years ago ( maybe still) all Butia in most local nurseries were called Butia Capitata or Pindo Palm. In more recent times it came to be that almost all were actually B. Oderata. Harry

The ‘ole’ Chrysalidocarpus paucifolius, aka ‘orange crush.’ Love the scale that growing in almost solid rock dictates. Tim

Licuala ‘mapu’ inflorescence. Tim

I saw that one also. I was about to grab it until I saw the price tag. It's only a few weeks until the next show so I am deciding whether or not to to go and grab a few palms or put the money towards buying a holiday home on the Gaza Strip. Peachy

Here are a few photos that I’ve posted before. Of the three I have, two are developing darker leaves and not quite as robust as the third, which continues to throw medium green leaves. They all have new leaves that are different shades of mauve. They are over 5’, (1.5m) tall. Just a killer small palm. Tim

Rhapis genus , Chuniophoenix , some of the many Dypsis palms . Harry

It's hard to get a good picture but here's mine now.