Cycad cones and flushes

[Dr Sha]

The Zamia fronds almost done.

[Cikas]

My Encephalartos kisambo “Kanga” first flush since I got it.

[Meangreen94z]

My Dioon Edule “Queretaro Blue “ just completed a flush. Pardon the blurriness.

[SprGarden]

On 5/29/2019 at 9:06 PM, 5150cycad said:

Pretty sure this one is not Manikensis. The leaves don’t look right. Looks like one of the larger leaf green species.  Once the new leaves harden off post some pictures and it will be much easier to id. Looks happy whatever it is. 

The leaves are starting to harden off.  Can you ID now?

Also pictured, dioon spinulosum started to flush yesterday.

 

 

[Merlyn]

My Dioon Spinulosum flushed 2 last fall and is getting moving on 3 new fronds now!  The sun coming through the leaf tips looked really cool in this photo.

And as a bonus flush, a neglected Dioon Edule of unknown type went from nothing to 8 new fronds in 3 days!  It looks like a brownish emergent, maybe a touch of pink.  I'm guessing it's a Rio Verde type, any ideas at this stage?  It was a $30 nursery rescue from Greens, where they had it just sitting in a field of Revoluta in a mostly empty pot.

[Tracy]

With three flushes happening simultaneously, this thing is pushing a lot of leaves right now.  The main caudex has two flushes going while a basal offset is also flushing.  Very cool for a vigorous growing hybrid:  Encephalartos arenarius x woodii pictured below.

[Palm crazy]

This winter flattens every leaf on this cycad so after cutting them all off in April its now starting to flush.  

[5150cycad]

Brown emergent leaves on one of my horridus. Very unique color compared to all my other horridus in my garden. 

[Palm Tree Jim]

Very cool Bryan.

 

[Cikas]

My small Dioon edule flush.

[Tracy]

6 hours ago, 5150cycad said:

Brown emergent leaves on one of my horridus. Very unique color compared to all my other horridus in my garden. 

While I get some color initially on my Encephalartos horridus flush, nothing as deep as that and this far into the flush.  That is cool.  I've notice some things opening with more color this spring than they normally do.  My Eugene complex are more golden in their early part of the flush than I remember them being in past years for example.  Also seeing more color in my palms which show some color on new leaves opening.  Was this year any different on this E horridus, or is this a typical colorful flush?  Have you noticed any differences in any of your Eugene complex colors too or is it just poor memory or imagination on my part?

[JubaeaMan138]

Had to pot these guys up today getting way to big for there 5 gallon pots rooting through tonthe ground . One is edule rio verde and one is queretaro blue 

[JubaeaMan138]

[NOT A TA]

Dioon Edule Spinulosum about 15 years old now and I've moved it 3 times since I first planted in ground. Last move was probably it's last since it's getting bigger and requires a heavier root ball each passing year while I'm getting older & weaker hahaha. I had to dig a ramp for a hand truck to get it up out of the ground when I moved it last year since the plant & soil was probably well over 200 lbs.

[Tracy]

3 hours ago, NOT A TA said:

Dioon Edule Spinulosum about 15 years old now and I've moved it 3 times since I first planted in ground. Last move was probably it's last since it's getting bigger and requires a heavier root ball each passing year while I'm getting older & weaker hahaha. I had to dig a ramp for a hand truck to get it up out of the ground when I moved it last year since the plant & soil was probably well over 200 lbs.

Your Dioon spinulosum looks very happy where it is now.  Why all the moves? 

Someone has a thread on what type of light Dioon mejiae would like in Central Florida as I recall.  My experience with both D spinulosum and D mejiae is that they can appreciate similar sunlight exposure here in my climate.  Based on your experience with this D spinulosum in Florida, you might want to share your experience in that other post.

[5150cycad]

21 hours ago, Tracy said:

While I get some color initially on my Encephalartos horridus flush, nothing as deep as that and this far into the flush.  That is cool.  I've notice some things opening with more color this spring than they normally do.  My Eugene complex are more golden in their early part of the flush than I remember them being in past years for example.  Also seeing more color in my palms which show some color on new leaves opening.  Was this year any different on this E horridus, or is this a typical colorful flush?  Have you noticed any differences in any of your Eugene complex colors too or is it just poor memory or imagination on my part?

This particular horridus flushes this color every year. All of my other horridus flush the regular blue/purple color. With regards to my Eugene’s, they tend to flush the same color each year. Although I don’t have that many Eugene’s/Nubis in my collection to compare. Maybe it’s time to add some to the collection. 

[Tracy]

2 hours ago, 5150cycad said:

This particular horridus flushes this color every year. All of my other horridus flush the regular blue/purple color. With regards to my Eugene’s, they tend to flush the same color each year. Although I don’t have that many Eugene’s/Nubis in my collection to compare. Maybe it’s time to add some to the collection. 

[Palm Tree Jim]

3 hours ago, 5150cycad said:

This particular horridus flushes this color every year. All of my other horridus flush the regular blue/purple color. With regards to my Eugene’s, they tend to flush the same color each year. Although I don’t have that many Eugene’s/Nubis in my collection to compare. Maybe it’s time to add some to the collection. 

I would have to agree Bryan with adding the nubi complex to your collection.

 

[Palm Tree Jim]

A teaser Bryan.

[5150cycad]

1 hour ago, Palm Tree Jim said:

A teaser Bryan.

Very nice Jim. Perfectly grown. Definitely some motivation to add some of the Eugene  /nubi complex to the collection. 

[Tracy]

Yup very nice E nubimontanus Jim.  It looks like you have at least one pup in the front, maybe more?  Mine is smaller, but is already popping out new pups on the side.

On 6/19/2019 at 5:23 PM, Palm Tree Jim said:

A teaser Bryan.

Speaking of mad puppers, I have an Encephalartos dyerianus which has put all it's energy into multiple growth points from its start as a small seedling in a band.  I counted the flushes emerging last night and there are 8 distinct growth points emerging from the soil now.  Some are still completely subterranean while others are showing a little caudex above ground now.   I recently thinned a few older leaves to allow room for all the new emerging flushes to get skyward.

[Palm Tree Jim]

Tracy, that nubi has 4 pups on it that I can see with flushes. In the picture, they are on the backside.

Your dyer is great looking. I have some cycads that like to pup and in the past I have cut the flushes as well to give the main plant a cleaner look. 

 

 

[Tracy]

16 minutes ago, Palm Tree Jim said:

I have some cycads that like to pup and in the past I have cut the flushes as well to give the main plant a cleaner look.

Sometimes you just have to live with them and other plants seem to really hold out.  I know E horridus is a pretty vigorous pup producer, but this girl still hasn't put any out, which I'm fine with.  A solitary caudex has a much more formal look to it.

[Palm Tree Jim]

Caffer.

 

[Tracy]

1 hour ago, Palm Tree Jim said:

Caffer.

If that's a current photo Jim, yours is running about a month behind mine on flushing and about the same size it appears.  My Encephalartos inopinus pups are all just now flushing, but not the main caudex which is puckered up but not pushing anything through yet.  Has yours already flushed, just starting to or looking close to flushing?  Lots of things are running late this year.

[Palm Tree Jim]

15 hours ago, Tracy said:

If that's a current photo Jim, yours is running about a month behind mine on flushing and about the same size it appears.  My Encephalartos inopinus pups are all just now flushing, but not the main caudex which is puckered up but not pushing anything through yet.  Has yours already flushed, just starting to or looking close to flushing?  Lots of things are running late this year.

Yes, this is a current photo Tracy. Last year, this cycad did not flush for me. The caffer is one of my smaller cycads and since the caudex is buried, not really sure just how big it is. Overall, it would seem that 50% of my cycads starting flushing over a month ago. The other half are just starting or not flushing yet. My inopinus and latifrons are still no shows to date but I do see some swelling on the caudex. Most of my nubi complex collection has flushed with the exception of the middleburgs, as they are currently showing new growth. Whitelockii's are currently flushing with some hybrids as well.

I'm not a scientist but it would seem that our winter weather along with the very brief heat wave was enough to alter the timing in my garden. 

[Tracy]

5 hours ago, Palm Tree Jim said:

I'm not a scientist but it would seem that our winter weather along with the very brief heat wave was enough to alter the timing in my garden.

Yup.... I had this conversation with my cycad guru a few weeks ago.  I'm glad to see things popping out of it.  The only piece that doesn't match for me is the "brief heat wave".  I know it happened not to far from me, but we spent most of that time in the marine layer zone... blue skies and warm within sight to the east, but never "hot" here in my garden.

My Encephalartos inopinus with 6 little pups off a softball size main caudex.  Several of the pups are pushing flushes but the main caudex is still storing up energy before it has enough juice to pop a flush.

[Palm Tree Jim]

3 hours ago, Tracy said:

Yup.... I had this conversation with my cycad guru a few weeks ago.  I'm glad to see things popping out of it.  The only piece that doesn't match for me is the "brief heat wave".  I know it happened not to far from me, but we spent most of that time in the marine layer zone... blue skies and warm within sight to the east, but never "hot" here in my garden.

My Encephalartos inopinus with 6 little pups off a softball size main caudex.  Several of the pups are pushing flushes but the main caudex is still storing up energy before it has enough juice to pop a flush.

No pups on my inopinus!

Must be good genes.

[GDLWyverex]

I just noticed that my Cycas Diannanensis is flushing

Happy days

 

Richard

[Palm Tree Jim]

On 6/29/2019 at 11:31 AM, GDLWyverex said:

I just noticed that my Cycas Diannanensis is flushing

Happy days

 

Richard

Very nice!

[GeneAZ]

Couple of eugene's growing last month.

[Cikas]

Encephalartos kisambo “Kanga” and Dioon edule flush progression.

Encephalartos kisambo “Kanga”

Dioon edule

Also it seems that my bigger Dioon edule will also flush soon

 

 

 

[Dr Sha]

On 7/4/2019 at 5:16 PM, GeneAZ said:

Couple of eugene's growing last month.

They look amezing, and huge.

[5150cycad]

18 hours ago, GeneAZ said:

Couple of eugene's growing last month.

Wow!! Those Eugene’s are beautiful. 

[Tracy]

First cone on this Encephalartos trispinosis.  I'll be interested to see if it is male or female.  It is also pushing a partial flush with just a few leaves which I often see or a light flush immediately before my Encephalartos push out a cone.  It makes me also wonder if my Encephalartos turneri is getting ready to cone, because it is currently pushing out a light flush of 5 leaves.

[Tracy]

On 7/4/2019 at 4:16 PM, GeneAZ said:

Couple of eugene's growing last month.

The color of the one on the left looks like it is a recent flush which hasn't hardened off to the grey/green of the other one.  The new flush on mine starts out a golden color and then goes green before hardening off with the grey/green color.

[GDLWyverex]

On 6/30/2019 at 5:51 PM, Palm Tree Jim said:

Very nice!

A flush progress on C. Diannanensis

as well as on C. Debaoensis

 

 

Richard

[GeneAZ]

18 hours ago, Tracy said:

The color of the one on the left looks like it is a recent flush which hasn't hardened off to the grey/green of the other one.  The new flush on mine starts out a golden color and then goes green before hardening off with the grey/green color.

 

Exactly right.  It has hardened off now, but this clone doesn't get very blue.  It's more the typical glaucose coloring.  It does have a denser look than the other one.  Loran provided the first bluer plant to me and said it  was his best form.  It's all according to what you prefer.

[Tracy]

2 hours ago, GeneAZ said:

Exactly right.  It has hardened off now, but this clone doesn't get very blue.  It's more the typical glaucose coloring.  It does have a denser look than the other one.  Loran provided the first bluer plant to me and said it  was his best form.  It's all according to what you prefer.

I guess I would follow your lead:  I like both!  I don't know if it is something mine will grow out of or if it is a trait it will retain but it seems to push smaller flushes never holding a lot of leaves.  This is the new flush plus two older ones.  I've always thought of it as more of a grey/green unlike your blue form from Loran.

[GeneAZ]

I have four large clones of eugene that I've grown for decades.  I noticed that at the basketball-size  of caudex maturity, I started getting the larger flushes with two or three levels deep of leaves per whorl.  So far for me, only the Palala plants have leaves a blue as lehmanii -- but it's practically unobtainable.