Cycad cones and flushes

[Josh-O]

5 hours ago, 5150cycad said:

This will be quite the hybrid josh. Both of those Hybrids are absolutely amazing. Can’t wait to see what the seedlings look like. When did u pollinate the cone? 

I pollinated it about 2 months ago. I hope some of the seed takes. This will be interesting to see how this one will turn out.

[Tracy]

On 4/23/2018, 9:23:37, 5150cycad said:

This will be quite the hybrid josh. Both of those Hybrids are absolutely amazing. Can’t wait to see what the seedlings look like. When did u pollinate the cone? 

You know the daddy... having donated his pollen, the cones are now wilting.  Now I'm waiting on the next flush.

[Dr Sha]

Cycas revoluta, first flush this year, second since I planted the pup, last year.

[Tracy]

The colorful Ceratozamia robusta flushing.  It was more vigorous in it's flushes before I put it in the ground.  This current flush is only 3 leaves, and I believe the last one was similar.  The last flush while still potted was around 7 leaves, so its still doing some adjustments.

[Tracy]

Encephalartos arenarius female cone.

[palmsnbananas]

Cycas Revoluta "Alba" - Golden Cycad!

[palmsnbananas]

Cycas Debaoensis!

Edited May 11, 2018 by palmsnbananas

[palmsnbananas]

AeAe Banana - not really a cycad but whatever!

[Tracy]

Sorry had to take this back to Cycads.  Encephalartos turneri, waiting for mine to flush again, but pulled up an archival photo of mine flushing a few years ago.  Love the fuzzy look of the emerging flush on this species!

[Palm Tree Jim]

43 minutes ago, Tracy said:

Sorry had to take this back to Cycads.  Encephalartos turneri, waiting for mine to flush again, but pulled up an archival photo of mine flushing a few years ago.  Love the fuzzy look of the emerging flush on this species!

Great photo.

[Tracy]

Encephalartos arenarius showing the new leaflets very green just before hardening off, while the older flush has a nice blue tint.  So green emergent and blue on hardening off.  Interestingly, this little one is in a very shaded area yet the color still comes through.

[Tracy]

Speaking of color, I love the golden brown emerging flush on Encephalartos longifolius.

[Tracy]

This Encephalartos trispinosis is still pushing out the flush and was looking great.  Today I was trimming back my Arenga engleri which is adjacent to the trispinosis and trying to stop the creep (its pushing new growth points too close to the cycad).   I was digging out one of the new trunks on the engleri, and accidentally dropped the shovel at one point.  The handle dropped on the soft new leaves and stripped almost all the leaflets off one of the new emerging leaves.  I was so mad at myself, and will have to live with the reminder until the next flush!  That is the down side to cycads.  When you do something stupid and damage a flush, your stuck with it for quite a while!

[MASOALA JASON]

C.revoluta x C.debaoensis just flushed out here in Austin, Texas. Has been in ground for 3 years and without any stem damage with 17 degrees this past winter

[5150cycad]

Picture perfect. The leaves look so perfect to where they almost look fake. A very happy plant for sure. Did it defoliate at those temperatures? I knew these hybrids were hardy but i didn’t know they were hardy to 17 degrees. Impressive 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Male revoluta x debaoensis coning in Dallas. This property saw 13f this winter. 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Male c. Revoluta saw 7-8f in prosper tx this winter.  

[MASOALA JASON]

Yes my C.revoluta x C.debaoensis has defoliated last 2/3 years but comes raging back each year. Great plant for Central Texas so far and from looks of it from Texas Cold Hardy Palms maybe also for North Texas 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Male Encephalartos ferox in the ground which we thought died this winter as the top got soft and the old leaf bases fell off.  Only protection was a thin 7g plastic nursery pot with drain holes and a rock on top to keep the wind from blowing it off. A data logger recorded a low of 8.6F five foot from this plant in January. 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Double post on accident

[Tracy]

12 hours ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

Male Encephalartos ferox in the ground which we thought died this winter as the top got soft and the old leaf bases fell off.  Only protection was a thin 7g plastic nursery pot with drain holes and a rock on top to keep the wind from blowing it off. A data logger recorded a low of 8.6F five foot from this plant in January. 

You really like to push the threshold!  Brrr, that is cold and I'm not even a cycad!

I guess I should feel lucky that I live somewhere that I don't have to deal with that type of cold.  The pup on my Encephalartos arenarius woodii is going off with a flush at the same time as the main caudex which is still holding a ton of leaves.  The main caudex didn't flush last year, as it put all the energy into pushing out 3 male cones, so seeing the main caudex flushing too is nice!  The pup is now approaching a soccer ball size (football outside the US). 

[Palm Tree Jim]

1 hour ago, Tracy said:

You really like to push the threshold!  Brrr, that is cold and I'm not even a cycad!

I guess I should feel lucky that I live somewhere that I don't have to deal with that type of cold.  The pup on my Encephalartos arenarius woodii is going off with a flush at the same time as the main caudex which is still holding a ton of leaves.  The main caudex didn't flush last year, as it put all the energy into pushing out 3 male cones, so seeing the main caudex flushing too is nice!  The pup is now approaching a soccer ball size (football outside the US). 

Great hybrid!

[GeneAZ]

[5150cycad]

34 minutes ago, GeneAZ said:

That Cycad in the third picture is incredible. How long has that one been in a pot? It is massive!!

[GeneAZ]

13 hours ago, 5150cycad said:

That Cycad in the third picture is incredible. How long has that one been in a pot? It is massive!!

About 15 years in that pot, with various soil revisions.  It was originally a 12-inch sphere. That pot is 56 inches diameter and you can see the lower arms overflow the pot.  I just cut off 300 lower leaves and cleaned up the caudex somewhat.  It's over two feet of vertical trunk, and about that wide.  Here it is last year before trim.

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

I'm pretty sure you meant 26" not 56".  How often does it cone for you?

[GeneAZ]

1 hour ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

I'm pretty sure you meant 26" not 56".  How often does it cone for you?

Well, I just  went out and measured it with a tape measure, and the caudex at its widest point slightly above the container has a circumference of 84 inches, or 7 feet.  "Diameter" was wrong for me to use.

It coned once after I got it, and although it has a trispinosus look, Loran said it is a horridus -- albeit a giant form.  It's the bluest plant on the property and is impervious to any temperature I've experienced in 32 years at this address,  including 124F and 23F.

 

[Kaname-kun]

Cycas thourarsii flushing and coning. These plants grew from 18 inches to over 8 feet in less than two years in South Florida.

[JubaeaMan138]

Ok this is a common encephalartos natalensis but this flush is it's best so far 17 total in this flush 

[JubaeaMan138]

Hoping this plant reveals its gender pretty soon

[5150cycad]

On 6/10/2018, 3:32:26, GeneAZ said:

Well, I just  went out and measured it with a tape measure, and the caudex at its widest point slightly above the container has a circumference of 84 inches, or 7 feet.  "Diameter" was wrong for me to use.

It coned once after I got it, and although it has a trispinosus look, Loran said it is a horridus -- albeit a giant form.  It's the bluest plant on the property and is impervious to any temperature I've experienced in 32 years at this address,  including 124F and 23F.

 

Doesn’t get much bluer than that. I have seen quite a few horridus that look a lot more like trispinosus, however usually the cone is the deciding factor. Thanks for the pictures. I can’t believe the weight of the caudex hasn’t crushed that pot. It must weigh a ton. 

[Palm Tree Jim]

On 6/9/2018, 7:39:35, GeneAZ said:

Time for a bigger pot on that tri.......

[5150cycad]

Altensteinii x Lebomboensis

[5150cycad]

Natalensis x Horridus 

[5150cycad]

Encephalartos Trispinosus

[5150cycad]

Encephalartos Longifolius (blue)

[5150cycad]

Encephalartos Princeps 

[Palm Tree Jim]

All looking good Bryan!

[5150cycad]

44 minutes ago, Palm Tree Jim said:

All looking good Bryan!

Thanks Jim. Half the Cycads in my yard are flushing right now, if not more. ‘Tis the season. 

[Tracy]

15 hours ago, 5150cycad said:

Half the Cycads in my yard are flushing right now, if not more. ‘Tis the season. 

I think the exceptions, which are not flushing, are the notable ones.  It most definitely is the season in our geographic zone.  This is an unknown Zamia or Ceratozamia.  Spines are unarmed and it never carries more than a couple of leaves at a  time.  This is the first flush since it coned late last year.  I thought I would add delicate and colorful after all the Encephalartos posts.