Cycad cones and flushes

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Zamai vazquezii cones and flush. Working on hybrids between these and coonties to get a hardier fern like cycad.

[Tracy]

On 2/19/2017, 6:32:43, Tracy said:

It was labeled as a C mexicana, but flushes a deep reddish bronze, similar to my C robusta.  Perhaps its a hybrid?

I had to share an updated photo of this Ceratozamia flush, as I love the color. 

[yeye]

Perhaps mexicana crossed with kuesteriana

 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

A few boys doing their thing.  C. Hildae and cycas revoluta x debaoensis.  This looks to be a good year for coning.  

[Tracy]

30 minutes ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

C. Hildae

I only have one Ceratozamia hildae, which is male.  Seems as though ever since it started coning a few years back, that is where all its energy goes.  This year after coning I got a flush of only 2 new leaves, and it started a tiny little pup offset.  Yours looks like its holding several leaves with this cone.  What has your "typical" experience been with this species after coning?

[Tracy]

8 hours ago, yeye said:

Perhaps mexicana crossed with kuesteriana

 

After the flush has completed pushing, I'll post another photo.  Your suggestion sounds plausible, and the response is appreciated.  It still hasn't coned yet, so I don't know what sex and don't have cone photos to show to help identify.  Funny thing is that some other 1 leaf seedling Ceratozamia's I acquired in "bands" about the same time as this one, have all been coning for at least 3 to 4 years now.  I guess it's just a little slower to mature, despite the caudex being similar sized or even larger.

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

11 hours ago, Tracy said:

I only have one Ceratozamia hildae, which is male.  Seems as though ever since it started coning a few years back, that is where all its energy goes.  This year after coning I got a flush of only 2 new leaves, and it started a tiny little pup offset.  Yours looks like its holding several leaves with this cone.  What has your "typical" experience been with this species after coning?

I just pulled 64 seeds off of my female a month ago and it is coning again (not pictured).  It did however produce a 5 leaf flush between cones and this male flushes frequently.

[Tracy]

1 hour ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

I just pulled 64 seeds off of my female a month ago and it is coning again (not pictured).

So it sounds like even though they put a good deal of energy into coning frequently, you are still getting decent flushes, unlike my experience.  Perhaps I need to rethink light exposure, fertilizer, etc.

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

I fertilize heavily. I actually noticed a flush coming out with the cone on the female hildae today. 

[Tracy]

My oldest Cycas thouarsii in Carlsbad is a female.  It is still holding seeds from the previous coning as it cones again.  You can see it flushed sometime in between the two cones.  While I hate trimming off green healthy growth, my poor Agave was completely obscured under the oldest set of leaves it was retaining.  So I trimmed the Cycas to give the Agave more light.  I discovered a new sucker coming off the side of the caudex, about 4" above the soil line.

[annafl]

Wow, Tracy, that is one happy cycad!  Gorgeous lady!

 

[Tracy]

4 hours ago, annafl said:

that is one happy cycad!

It seems that most of my cycads did very well this winter in Carlsbad, despite record rains.  I was a little worried about some getting sufficient drainage, because I have such heavy clay soil there.  Fortunately, when I planted, I took out a lot of clay, and amended the soil heavily.  Some Encephalartos in the backyard look very green and lush.  Encephalartos transvenosus and something which came in as Encephalartos munchii seed, but was not munchii (possibly sp vumba??).  Whatever the second one is, I like the way it holds the leaves.  The last one is E kisambo.

[Tracy]

Just now, Tracy said:

The last one is E kisambo.

Oops, they got out of order.  First one was kisambo, second is transvenosus, and third is suspected to be "vumba".

[annafl]

18 hours ago, Tracy said:

It seems that most of my cycads did very well this winter in Carlsbad, despite record rains.  I was a little worried about some getting sufficient drainage, because I have such heavy clay soil there.  Fortunately, when I planted, I took out a lot of clay, and amended the soil heavily.  Some Encephalartos in the backyard look very green and lush.  Encephalartos transvenosus and something which came in as Encephalartos munchii seed, but was not munchii (possibly sp vumba??).  Whatever the second one is, I like the way it holds the leaves.  The last one is E kisambo.

They look amazing and very healthy.  I think cycads love lots of rain or water of any sort.  Here in Florida my soil has excellent drainage and I plant them up high in beds or berms, but I have a couple that are almost next to sprinklers and those are the ones that are the most robust!  My encephalartos ferox with the three cones for more than six months now is very close to a sprinkler head that gives it lots of water in addition to rain we get.  It's been there eleven years and is thriving.  I really do nothing for it.

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Cone Tyme with boys and girls everywhere.

#1 - First Female Diannensis Cone on this plant

#2 - Male Diannensis, Coned many times before 

#3 - Dioon Edule Flush.  It is not a rio verde, anyone know which variety it is from this pic?

#4 - First time Cycas Panzhihuensis Male Cone

#5 - First time Male Cycas Revoluta x Debaoensis Hybrid F1

#6 - Same as #5, different plant

#7 Final Ceratozamia Hildae make cone.

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

My pics were jumbled. Pic #1 is really description #6 sorry.

[Tracy]

On 4/10/2017, 8:05:00, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

Cone Tyme with boys and girls everywhere.

Nice activity with all those cones.  Have you thought about what you might want to do with the C revoluta x debaoensis pollen?

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Pollinate the RxD females and make F2 seed.  My pure debaoensis isn't throwing a male cone or I would go back and make a (RxD) x D to get a more attractive plant.

[Tracy]

20 hours ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

My pure debaoensis isn't throwing a male cone or I would go back and make a (RxD) x D to get a more attractive plant.

I was discussing cycad hybrids with George Sparkman and he mentioned that when he backcrosses a hybrid with one of the two parents, that he often loses a significant amount of the hybrid vigor.  I would have to agree that the (revoluta x debaoensis) x debaoensis would likely be a more interesting plant, but to keep the hybrid vigor going strong, perhaps crossing your (r x d) with micholitzii might give you the look you want to achieve?

[greysrigging]

Nice Cycad growing in my lady friends front yard, Darwin ( NT )

Perhaps someone could name the species as i know zip about cycads......

[Pando]

3 hours ago, greysrigging said:

Nice Cycad growing in my lady friends front yard, Darwin ( NT )

Perhaps someone could name the species as i know zip about cycads......

That looks like the common "Sago Palm", Cycas revoluta

[Tracy]

3 hours ago, greysrigging said:

Perhaps someone could name the species

 

15 minutes ago, Pando said:

Cycas revoluta

Agree!

[greysrigging]

Cycads native to the Top End of Australia. Photos and information on this site

http://www.pacsoa.org.au/branches/nt.html

A friends property 30klm south of Darwin

 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

A few overhead shots of a ferox and lehmanii. 

[Tracy]

1 hour ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

overhead shots of a ferox and lehmanii

Like that perspective on the ferox, and looks like a nice color on your lehmannii.

[edbrown_III]

5 hours ago, greysrigging said:

Cycads native to the Top End of Australia. Photos and information on this site

http://www.pacsoa.org.au/branches/nt.html

A friends property 30klm south of Darwin

 

sure is pretty what cycas species to yu think it is ? perhaps C. armstrongii 

 

[greysrigging]

Armstrongii is the common species in the Darwin region.....

[Tracy]

A pair of Encephalartos princeps in my yard flushing.  Kind of disappointing to see the larger plant pushing only 3 leaves like the smaller one, but at least they are both pushing them!

[Tracy]

Zamia standleyi cone and plant.  I'm presuming this is a male cone in that there is a second cone emerging and female plants normally only have one cone in this species.  First time for it to cone, so I wasn't sure.  While this has beautiful leaves, it is pretty sparse in the way that it carries them, with typically only a couple of nice ones at a time.

[Josh-O]

On 4/17/2017, 4:28:56, Tracy said:

A pair of Encephalartos princeps in my yard flushing.  Kind of disappointing to see the larger plant pushing only 3 leaves like the smaller one, but at least they are both pushing them!

When it gets bigger will it flush a bunch more at the same time?

[Tracy]

7 hours ago, Josh-O said:

When it gets bigger will it flush a bunch more at the same time?

Yes.  The previous flush on the larger of the two E princeps flushed 7 leaves last time, so I was expecting it to be on its way.  Even a flush of 7 new leaves is representative of a juvenile plant, well below typical.  I have seen a "light" flush on plants before, but the next flush can come sooner and resume the increasing pattern.  I'll bet if you do a search on E princeps in this string you will find some nice big flushes on larger plants in the previous 28 pages!

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Panzh male in full glory. 

Pic 2- dainty debaoensis female. 

[Palm Tree Jim]

I should get busy and take some pictures to post here.....many early flushes this season so far.

[Brian]

I love this tread and really shoud be posting more offen.

Zamia inermis male plant

 

 

[Brian]

Zamia inermis female cone. 

 

 

[Brian]

Another Zamia inermis female in the ground. 

 

[Brian]

Here's a male Cycas micholitzii with a few open cones,

 

[Brian]

Here is a bit of leaf detail from the same male Cycas micholitzii

 

[Brian]

New single leaf flush on Zamia cremnophila

 

[Brian]

Here is a Zamia with a pretty cool bronze flush.