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It's been exactly 4 years since my Copernicia berteroana last flowered. Looks like this year will be the year to start some more seeds. Seems to be a scarcely seen palm in peoples gardens for whatever reason. Maybe a 4 year flowering cycle has something to do with it?🤔😄 aztropic Mesa, Arizona

I just couldn’t pass up on some of the plants on offer at the pacsoa show this weekend. Just a couple more for the collection! satakentia liukiuensis kentiopsis oliviformis Dypsis ambositrae Geonoma atrovirens licuala sallehana Calyptrocalyx flabellata pinanga sarawakensis loxococcus rupicola calyptronoma occidentalisDypsis sp Bill Beattie Basselina glabrata Dypsis orange crush calmus muelleri polyandrococus caudescens Calyptrocalyx yummutumecalyptrocalyx flabellata cocothrinax guargruana Mapu for the wife you know how it is fellas you gotta get the wife a gift when you spend up! Zamia pictaDypsis hetromorphusDypsis avisonii Dypsis DrannsfieldiiDioon Rio verdeDioon holmgreniiSchippia concolor All set to go in the garden for a bit more of that tropical look chamearops humillis cocothrinax eckmanii licuala fractiflexavietcha montgomerianadypsis procera

It was a flamethrower when it came into this world and it’s going out as a flamethrower as well.

Has anyone seen anything like this before? I can’t help but wonder which Rhopalostylis variety it might be. My first thought was Chatham Islands, but I’m starting to doubt that. It could possibly be a Great Barrier Island form instead. Or even a naturally occurring hybrid with archontophoenix cunninghamiana? It’s surrounded by them.. Anyway what caught my attention is the very open crown and the extremely dark crownshaft color. I was also looking through some older Rhopalostylis photos and I think Geoff Stein used to have a few similar plants in cultivation. Curious to hear what others think on the variety — what are your bets?

In my area up here in the Bay Area, king palms are all over the neighborhood. My own personal experience with them is that they are the easiest and fastest growing palms in the garden, sun or shade. I have groves of them as well as ones growing singularly. Seeds pop up by the thousands just as much in the winter as summer. Some of those volunteers are aver twenty feet tall. I have all the other Archontophoenix species doing well too. The first ones I planted in 2001 sailed through the 2007 freeze (26°F) with barely a scratch. Just some light bronzing on horizontal fronds and they replaced those leaves by summer’s end.

There’s a stack of palms up for grabs, at the pacsoa show this year. So for all those palm nuts out there head on up to Brisbane botanical gardens for a palm or two!

Clinostigma samoense Clinostigma with Astrocaryum, Pritcharia, and Attalea in the foreground. Tim

Even if my garden is young, for some palms The circle is complete

@guillerman looks like you’ve got a really REALLY nice Rhop. baueri purple crownshaft just like mine!

I was just curious if anyone has had success with growing these in California. I've seen a photo of a nice looking one in Ensenada, Mexico before, so wondering if anyone has had one in California. I am growing a couple in the imperial valley of California and the one below has made it through two winters and one summer without any damage, but also with minimal growth. Also pictured are Dictyosperma album and Hypophorbe langenicaulis handing the desert heat for their third year now without issue!

I happened to be on a flight from Honolulu to Hilo yesterday, but on approach to Hilo at 2:45 pm, the pilot made an odd left turn. Then another more severe left turn and I could feel the plane climbing rather than descending. I knew something was wrong, and wondered if we were returning to Oahu. The pilot announced we were being diverted to Kona, much to the dismay of passengers. Planes don't do well flying into ash clouds, thus the inconvenience. Luckily a dear friend, BGL, came to pick me up and take me back across the island. The park was closed, visitors ordered out, and the highway approaching the park was closed. This is an exciting place! Edit: I should add, the repeated eruptions are contained within the humongous main crater up in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and notwithstanding the flying tephra, no homes or towns are in peril.

When in Brisbane a must see place for any plant nut is the botanical gardens. The garden is improving with time and you can definitely see the age in some of the plants there. The tahina has tucked itself in and give it five years and a bit and it will be the showcase of the gardens, as you walk out of the visitors centre you will be greeted by the tahina welcoming you to the world of plants.

Everywhere you look it’s more plants!

I agree with the others that you’ve got an R. baueri. Incidentally, Rhopalostylis and Archontophoenix DNA is not similar and, therefore, cannot hybridize with each other.

I was searching for something and this thread popped up. I decided to update this phot of the entryway, since it has changed a bit during the intervening period from March of 2018 to March of 2026. 8 years will do that... to gardens and people. This is the Leucadia house. I will have to get some updated photos of the garden in Carlsbad at another time.

Two new Dypsis procera certainly got my eye attention after I planted them today!

Bismarkia

It’s a photographers paradise for plants!

If you’re after a beautiful easy growing palm, look no further than the dasyantha. They seem to love whatever iam doing to them. A beautiful understory palm. I have a few in dappled light to deep shade to morning sun and they all seem to love growing in these conditions. They will drink as much water as you give them and a little tolerance to mild dry conditions if you miss a watering. I love them super easy to grow and not too bad on the eye, the poor man’s mapu is definitely worth growing. I even lucked up with a variegated variety from a seed batch I germinated.

Looks like Rhopalostylis baueri. Could be R baueri var cheesmanii which I’ve seen can have a purple tinge to the crownshaft but I’m not sure if that’s formally diagnostic.

These two caught my eye so much I had to buy them at the Annual PACSOA show, best bit is they are both flowering! Geonoma atrovirens licuala sallehana

I dont find archies(kings) difficult to grow at all and I am in a cool 10a right on the 9B border. I also dont plant any palm in cool soil, the developing roots will have to see more aggressive fungus behavior at lower temps. Microbes that assist in nutrient uptake are 20x less active at 55F than at 70F so many palms will not feed well and face favorable conditions for root fungus infection(wet with stagnant drainage, low oxygen, cool temp soils). There is a lot of experience growing various archontophoenix species here and we have the Aussie members who are quite familiar with them. My Archontophoenix alexandre and myolensis are from 25 to over 30' in 14 years and have been over 20' for 8 years. They have seen 30F cold snaps 2x and mostly defoliuated. They have also seen 3 hurricanes. They are pretty tough though I know they can die as small palms at 30F. I bunch mine together to improved coldhardiness a fruiting triple of alexandre and a myolensis, also currently fruiting

Hi there. I am honestly relieved that you are all doing well. Even if Okinawa's participation in this forum has dropped a bit lately, the Hawaiian forum members are always observed closely.👍 To enlighten you,... ...this is a brand new C.macrocarpa leave. Stay safe fellas, we count on you - best regards, Lars

Okay, it's in the grow room, Sabine just said, Phönix canariensis is doing well 🤗

Red Latania new frond

It sure didn’t like the cold! Hopefully have time to recover before next winter . They are pretty slow at that age. Harry

Another old frond removal today. This one is particularly special as it's the only solitary maroon leaf, red vestiaria I've ever been able to find. And believe me I've looked.

Couple updates and a couple fresh tweeties amongst the cycas

We wanted to share a true 'Pura Perfezione' moment from our balcony fortress on the 4th floor in Stachen, Lake Constance. My Howea forsteriana (Kentia) survived this very cold winter outside with solid professional protection! ❄️🛡️ We used multiple layers of heavy fleece combined with Sagex (Styrofoam) for thermal statics. The result: She is pushing a new spear right now! 🌿🔥 Today we are basking in a phenomenal (20.2 C / 68.4 F) in the shade, with a stable pressure of 1021 hPa. 🌬️💎

I live about 30 miles due east of Kilauea summit. Of course, I live directly ON Kilauea, just the lower slopes. The spectacular fountaining two days ago was episode 43. These have been happening roughly every two weeks for the last 15 months, but each one only last a few hours. It is difficult to catch them unless you happen to already be in the park when it starts. Despite being so close, I have not seen the 300-400 m high fountains in person. Surprisingly, all these eruptions have had essentially no impact on me. All the action is within the caldera. I did get a dusting of Pele's hair (fiber glass) from episode 41 or 42 several weeks ago. I had to disconnect my roof's rain gutters from my catchment tank until rain washed it off. Otherwise, I might as well be in Ohio. I have been more worried about big earthquakes, but so far I only felt one minor M4.5 a couple months ago. Fingers crossed. Here is what the recent eruption looked like on weather radar. Doppler radar sees the steam and ash cloud rising over 3,000 m, not the actual lava fountains. Today the island is covered in red and orange as a massive storm slowly passes over.

Chuniophoenix nana!

Compact and robust Butia today in Galena Park by the Houston Ship Channel

Here's an interesting planting of Livistona decora at the same nursery. The drought is severe here as well - no rain in 2026 yet...

Copernicias seem to like the desert a lot better than the beach out here.

Looks like my 2 good Washingtonias might just make a steady recovery, almost certain the first one will but iffy about the second one as it has white at the bottom of the spears but won’t pull. Replaced the dead windmills in new spots with better holes this time. Good luck to everyone else, apparently we will be seeing the 30s again later this week hopefully not below freezing though.

My minimum temperature was 13F this year, accompanied by freezing rain. My results were as follows. Chamaerops humilis (unprotected): No damage, actively growing. Chamaedorea microspadix (unprotected): Burning where ice accumulated, but actively growing. No damage to leaves that did not ice over. Chamaedorea radicalis (unprotected): Burning where ice accumulated, but actively growing. No damage to leaves that did not ice over. Sabal minor (unprotected): No damage. Sabal miamiensis (unprotected): No damage. Sabal miamiensis Leu garden hybrid (unprotected): No damage. Sabal uresana highlands form (unprotected): No damage and actively growing. Sabal uresana green/silver form (tarp wrapped around the spear base): No damage and actively growing. Brahea dulcis (covered by a tarp): Minor discoloration, but actively growing. Cycas revoluta (unprotected): Exposed leaves are burned, normal for temperatures below 14F.

Our bigger Chamaedorea elegans has been living on my 4th-floor balcony since March 2025. She just survived her first full winter outside in Arbon/Stachen! ❄️🛡️ While she shows some winter wear, the statics are undeniable: She is pushing a fresh, green spear right now! (See my close-up photo). 🌿🔥 Maintaining this indoor-palm outside for a whole year is a true testament to the unique microclimate of our fortress. The 4th-floor thermal statics are pulverizing the botanical limits! 🌬️💎

What are they doing to that poor kentia, as an Australian I must stand up for one of finer palms living abroad in such cold conditions, please send my condolences to the palm!

Potting up a few more sprouts and spikes today, and a big thank you @tim_brissy_13 for the special little sprouts of lanonia, Pinanga and raphis varieties, it shall not be forgotten let us say, such a gift gets locked into the memory bank! And a few home germinated ones just to keep myself busy on the potting bench!

Yellow latania

a little bit of Italy in Australia, here they are everywhere

First of the season for me. Latifrons longer leaf individual.

Well I suppose it’s a good sign. Spear and new leaf appear to have moved about an inch

I'd better go and tell all of mine that they are breaking the rules here in my 9b climate...and in all the cool, high altitude, wet mountain valleys I've seen them in in habitat! Be wary of blanket statements.

A few intresting varieties of palms caught my eye, as watered away! Dypsis rosea Rhapis nanzanishiki Dypsis tsaravoasira synecanthus warscewiczianus I

A few more, here’s a close up of a frond I showed in the last post for growth comparison. then this one The visible trunk form a distance 😍

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

I was walking the dog at Suwanee Creek Park this morning. She stopped multiple times and at one spot I found this.

Similar to King Pyhrrus saying, another such survival and the plant will be ruined.

You will be pleased to know I purchased the flowering Geonoma atrovirens, so you don’t have to be ashamed anymore!