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Here’s a Syagrus x costae (S. cearensis x coronato) in the front garden a couple of years after planting and today, nearly 20 years later. These typically produce massive inflorescence but mine hasn’t flowered yet. It resembles a thin trunked more plumose Queen palm.

Saw this in recent news: Decades-old palm trees in Rio de Janeiro flower for the first — and only — time https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/decades-old-palm-trees-in-rio-de-janeiro-flower-for-the-first-and-only-time/ar-AA1REF1F

How thick can be the stem of a trunking specimen? I understand there must be some variation but I am interested in the potential of the sp. I have one specimen, that it has an exceptionally robust stem compared to other three specimens in the same group. It is the one in foreground.

Oenocarpus distichus is getting big. Rocky 2 and Suubi stayed still long enough to provide some scale.

Pinanga coronata “Kuhlii” Kerriodoxa elegans. I use these to block the view of our power transformer. Some type of Rhapis but I don’t remember which one. Another unknown. Ptychosperma Something? Here’a a Pinanga dicksonii. I got knocked over in a summer storm but seems to be recovering well. Here is another one that hard to capture in photos. Hydriastele microcarpa

Have just purchased seedlings from @guillerman I would completely recommend purchasing from him. Order agreed and paid for on Saturday, dispatched on Monday, and arrived on Thursday. Plants were well packaged and arrived in perfect condition.

I really enjoyed reading all the replies and the survey is interesting too. Thanks BayAndroid for getting this going. At 68 I continue to start all kinds of plants from seed knowing some are more for the next owner of my farm to see mature. The journey is what matters. Lots of interesting people on this forum! Thanks to all who frequent PalmTalk but especially those who post!

Parajubaea torallyi underneath a Japanese Maple.

I guess it is possible . That trunk on yours is almost as large as my Tepejelote! Interesting to see if seeds are viable and if they carry the gene. My “big boy “ has the same size fruit as the others , it’s just a larger specimen. The fronds were almost twice the size of the others before it got a trunk. It isn’t quite as large as yours but noticeably more robust. I also have a Howea Foresteriana that grew in my courtyard , it grew more than twice as fast as my others and has a swollen foot that is huge . I dug it up from a Kentia farm where they used to process thousands of seeds. It was just seedling and it was noticeably different than all the other volunteers. It now has some seeds on it and I am planning on germinating those to see if the genetic anomaly follows . Sometimes it is just a “ one off “ occurrence. I sure love my “ Super Kentia” , take care of your “ super Radicalis” ! Harry Believe it or not , there is less than two years , maybe a year and a bit, difference from these two Kentia palms . Both dug up from the same place. The one on the right just took off immediately. The first year , right after planting the shorter one , they were close to the same size! This photo was some time ago ( a year or so?) it now has seeds hanging on it. Harry This is right after the base started to swell , even bigger now. Just an anomaly? Who knows. Harry

On this weeks show we have some show stoppers that’s for sure. As usual packaging is impeccable, you couldnt get them any better in great condition as if you just purchased them at the local jungle nursery. A nice Hapeline Benthamianum a very unusual aroid. And next is a anthurium velvet magnificum x complex black that has a look all to its own that is well suited to greenhouse growing. And another cute little dypsis forcifolia straight out of Madagascar the land of limas. Then of to the jungles of Asia with a healthy little licuala mirrinensis in such a tiny tube. Then it’s of to the philodendron cutting room for good old El Choco Red Rubijuvium a nice crawling philo. And finally we finish up in the jungles of Costa Rica with a brilliant Calyptrogyne ghiesbreghtiana a beautiful bifid form, that will be a challenge to get seeds from in the years to come. So that about it until next weeks show, like I say if you got em post em and post as many as you like they love it in palm land!

It’s been a busy day here and I haven’t had time to post any new photos until now. The first one is a 3 trunk C madagascariensis var. Mahajanga I have a few of these Brassiophoenix schumannii around the garden but they are hard to photograph. These 2 are in a planter against our garage and are a bit more accessible. Here’s a Licuala grandis and another hookeriana that’s a bit more protected Another favorite of mine Coccotrinax boschiana I have a few of these Chambeyronia macrocarpa “Hookeri” all about this size. These are easy growers here.

So are these species growing like weeds and invading hill sides and filling fields with millions of out of control volunteers messing up farms and the ecology??????? That is the most ridiculous load of garbage I’ve ever seen. What is the reason they want to ban these palms. Without a reason how do they justify imposing a ban. Is it just a situation of, “Well it’s not native - ban it”. That means all the botanic gardens will just have to shut down, or become grassy areas that just sell coffee and cake. It’s not like NZ is some sort of untouched by humans pristine ecological area. Don’t get me wrong NZ is a beautiful place that I really want to visit and see it’s natural beauty but the reality is it has already been massively modified and degraded by human activity. So NZ is essentially into making arbitrary rules that have no scientific basis or basis on reason. You should have freedom to grow what you want unless it of course has a strong reason not to be grown.

One of my favorite palms after seeing it at Fairchild Gardens and then on an IPS trip in 2015. Not easy to find in Puerto Rico but due to the generosity of Mike Harris (Caribbean Palms) he parted with two seedlings a few years back. My experience with my own seed started C. baileyanas led me to get the C. fallaensis in the ground right away, full sun. Sorry about the weeds! Too much on my plate to clean up this one today.

They seem to be pretty popular with the cool climate growers and just about everyone who grows palms would have one or two around their house. So easy to grow and propagate there fast becoming the modern day chamaedorea elegans. Very tough dry tolerant cool tolerant and fast to grow, is one reason they are popular, from medium amounts of sun to deep shade there a palm that fits into any garden or container!

I've seen the ones at Fairchild and they are simply amazing! I imagine yours feel right at home there in RP, being so close to Cuba! Look at how gorgeous that little palm is, wow! Even at that size they are beautiful. I'm afraid of burning this one with fertilizer. I've used this fertilizer on all of my palms, but for whatever reason, both Copernicias experienced severe burn from it. Prunifera survived, but my young baileyana did not. This is my prunifera after a single dose of this. All of it died, and the spear even pulled. It showed signs of new growth after almost a year. Those will look spectacular as they mature. Hopefully safe from any future landscaper with a chainsaw... Congrats on the purchase!

We know the feeling: you're at the garden center or discount store and you spot an exotic plant. Sometimes the plant is in relatively good condition, sometimes not. Sometimes the price is too high, and sometimes it's a bargain. Some of the plants are described, others are not... Sabine discovered this plant today, undescribed but for 2 USD.

Hey everyone a friend that lives nearby just snapped these photos of the Santa Ana coconut. Looks amazing and getting so much trunk

Greetings, Attached is my updated price and availability sheet for palms in the Orlando, FL area. 1 - 7 gallon sizes available, all grown from seed here at my backyard nursery. I am located near Wekiwa Springs in Longwood, just north of the city. Please contact me to set up an appointment for pickup. Pickup only at this time. Cash, Card, Zelle, PayPal, Venmo accepted. Let me know if you have any questions or if you want any additional photos. Thanks for your interest! -Alex

I planted a little one in full sun earlier this year and it is really doing well. Mine is the trunking variety as the trunkless ones just take too much space on the ground.

@musaflorida you could check with @Fishinsteeg234 for Archontophoenix in the Orlando area. He sells them in the Longwood area, this is his May thread:

I'll say that at my age, I have had the privilege to see most of our palms go from 1-2 ft to full maturity. Also, the perspective that much of what I plant from today onward, will not provide me shade before I leave this rock. However, there is serenity in knowing what I leave behind may be enjoyed by others.

These quickly populated my garden after bringing home a squat pot of 8 mature , seeding specimens over 25 years ago. I now have several seeding Radicalis in my gardens around the house . All of mine are trunking type that get very tall in time . Little red berries everywhere, even on very young ones ! Some of them growing in full SoCal inland sun. Harry

Pirostegia ígnea (Bignonia venusta) in full bloom , planted in the ground at my garden. Someone else's Pirostegia, not too far away from me. Enjoy.

More from my Latania collection

Just checking in on the hand pollinated Chuniophoenix nana, and it looks like we have lift off! 🌱

Beautiful fuzzy crownshaft palm 100 for $10 1000 for $20 US only...$9 shipping....includes mandatory USDA inspection out of Honolulu HI

I feel sure the real reason for the bans is a view that native = good, non-native = bad. But even native trees like Pohutakawa are considered weeds by some if they stray out of their natural distribution of the past few thousand years. I'm just grateful to have a fascination for plants which has brought me lifelong pleasure and try to ignore the joyless extremists.

Why on earth would something like Trachycarpus geminisectus be banned? I assume their logic goes something like T fortunei grows like a weed so therefore let’s ban all Trachycarpus.

No, this palm is in a private garden in south Florida. It's quite rare in cultivation.

Looks amazing. The neighbors need to try coconuts too!

I went on my first trip to Rome and was surprised just how palmy Italy is. Dates, Chinese fan palms, California and Mexican fan palms were very common in the landscape. As well as the more native Mediterranean fan palms. Some trachycarpus as well! I was also surprised to discover how common Kentia palms were as houseplants since their cultivation in Dutch nurseries has made them much more popular and affordable houseplants in Europe.

@Phoenikakias that is a large stem for a Radicalis . I have one that sprouted right next to my Pritchardia that just started to trunk earlier this year . It also has a fairly large stem , larger than the others. I forget how old it is but it started producing fruit pretty early on and has babies all around it that have grown . It looks like you have at least one volunteer as well. Harry

Giuseppe, seedlings from my seeds are initially rather slow growers but after a couple years or sooner in better conditions set off! Here is a group of seedlings (seeds from my plant) grown in a community pot and then planted as a group in a botanical garden in Athens. The curator had been initially worried that red color was a sign of stress, until I explained.

My Sabal mexicana with the sky

I’m just speechless at the stupidity of these decisions. I wonder exactly what plants they consider suitable for NZ. Also are they considering planting large areas of native NZ plants like NZ Kauri to replace what has been removed over the years of human habitation.

Unfortunately, the red in mine only lasted through the seedling stage. I planted it out in 2011. It exploded in growth, and is now over 30’ tall, and flowering. Very nice palms, although wickedly armored!

They're a pack of morons. The Auckland council needs to be thrown into the ban list instead.

New Plymouth is outside the ban area. The last bans were for sale and distribution but owners didn't have top get plants removed. I'm assuming it will be the same this time. Hundreds of other garden plants are in the firing line too.

I got my weddelliana from JM today. I got permission from the boss to splurge on a 15g since they are so slow 😁 Here it is in its approximate eventual location next spring. I have another tiny one from Jeff Marcus which I’ll plant alongside it…hopefully neither one croaks.

This is one of those must have species that I got going almost as soon as I bought my first farm in PR. I know I have an unfair advantage as it never gets colder than 65 degrees F or above 90 F and plenty of rain and shade. A couple of mine are seeding and after sowing in pots, sprouts are popping up. Takes 9-15 months. I plant all Licualas out when just a few leaves and just wait while nature cares for them. I never fertilize or water them. I have scattered the larger ones about, but the babies are going to be grouped together in the ground eventually. The markings stay beautiful no matter whether in full or part shade. I hope everyone on PT ends up with at least one of these!

Daylight robbery. Even considering that $AUS are rather less than USD. A stealth tax dressed up as environmentalism. I'm interested to hear how you do with the C. parvifrons as they are on my shopping list (stunning palm). I tried I. palmuncula seeds a year or two back but had no success.

It depends what time of day or what day they answer, There is a call centre they answer not a problem, it’s the departments of fisheries and agriculture that are particularly fussy about when they answer. It depends on the office there all different in each state, but the ladies in the office are great to deal with, but I will say politeness goes a long way there human like us all and a lot of people abuse them it’s not there fault a packet of seeds goes mouldy!

I was gifted one seedling and it is amazingly still growing, albeit slowly and still in a pot. The rainy mountains of Puerto Rico is about as different as can be from its usual desert location. I am still contemplating the best location to plant it out so will follow this topic with interest.

What about the Howea palms planted as street trees in New Plymouth ? https://tropicaltreasures.nz/30-palm-trees-for-your-new-zealand-garden/

They won't have the resources to trawl the entire country checking which species people have tucked away in their garden, so just ignore it. I've recently seen the feral Archontophoenix alexandrae in Hawaii and it's definitely a problem but given how long a lot of the species on your list have been in NZ, surely any invasive tendencies would be obvious by now.

Follow the link to donate: https://members.palms.org/2025-save-the-species/

They are not that slow here either. The one I posted above is about 20 years old from seed I germinated.

This Aiphanes aculeata came from seeds I gather from Jardim Botânico in Rio de Janeiro. It looked much better there than it does here. Kentiopsis oliviformis. These grow very well here. I got a few of them in the garden. Another one of my favorites C. Pempana Got to go. I’ll post a few more this afternoon. Thanks for looking!

Two beautiful dypsis saintlucei caught my eye today.

Here's a couple interesting pics. During the Rio biennial, we visited Herminio's Nursery near Rio. He had a large Oenocarpus disticha. I obtained some seeds. I have three planted out and one remaining in a pot. Only one of the planted out ones has shown any substantial growth - I suspect that Hawaii Island (east coast) may just not be hot enough for some Oenocarpuses. But here is Herminio's tree: Later on, we went to Harry Lorenzi's institute and garden, Plantarum. Here is his garden specimen, on a somewhat smaller scale than Herminio's: And here is my one that has consented to grow (orange bucket is 5-gal):