Cycad cones and flushes

[Gallop]

17 hours ago, yeye said:

Ceratozamia fuscovriridis and chamberlainii for the last two pics ?

I believe that is fuscoviridis, got it as true redback. I have a known fuscoviridis growing near by, I’ll compare the plants as they grow. I’m growing Totonacorum as well aka “true”redback. IMO there is still a lot to learn about Cz. The plant in last pic that looks like chamberlainii comes from an area where chamberlainii has never been seen or known, so I’m not positive what it is. I’ll grow it out and see what it becomes, I have several other chamberlainii in the garden to compare it with. 

[N8ALLRIGHT]

On 8/4/2022 at 11:14 AM, Funkthulhu said:

 

My Sago threw a flush this summer, 20 new fronds!  I've been growing this for nearly 20 years in a pot in Nebraska.  I now need a hand truck to move the thing. 

 

No inflorescence yet, any idea when a Sago declares sexual maturity?

Feel your pain! I'm in the tundra as well (Missouri) and we have 4 20+ year old sagos with no coning/ megasporophylls yet. Been flushing there a$$es off this summer, biggest has about 18in of trunk. They're a nightmare bringing in and out for summer. They're the main reason I mandated a walkout basement at our new house. 

[Tracy]

A couple of new flush leaves trying to sneak out behind the cone on the Ceratozamia robusta.  Meanwhile higher up the same plant, it's propping up a variety of Epiphyllum ready to flower.

[Peter]

First cone on my Ferox

[Funkthulhu]

A better shot, now that's the fronds have hardened off a bit...

Nearly as tall as me now!

 

[Tracy]

22 hours ago, Peter said:

First cone on my Ferox

The cone color is so spectacular on this species, that is really exciting to see a first cone.  My initial impression of those sporophyll faces is they look female, but I have been duped so many times, I'll just sit back and wait for the full size cone reveal when it gets there.  I've not tried growing this species until just recently.  This last winter I got a pup from Gisela that was a George experiment... so not quite fully E ferox.  Only a single flush in my garden thus far, so I'm a long way behind that first cone you have.

A pair of male cones popping up again on the Encephalartos natalensis x horridus.  These have established a consistent pattern of giving both a flush and cones annually.  This hybrid is both a vigorous grower and a reproductive powerhouse.  I'm getting a couple of pups on one of the two I'm growing but this one still remains solitary.

 

[Tracy]

My younger and smaller Cycas debaoensis still stretching out a flush of 4 new leaves.  Not quite as prolific in leaf production as my female yet, but it has a bit of growing to catch up with her.  Color still has not darkened yet on this flush as you can see compared to the two leaves on the older flush it retains.

[teddytn]

One leaf flush on a panzhihuaensis from @Jubaea_James760, thanks again man! 

[Jubaea_James760]

@teddytn, Sweet! It flushed a month before you bought it so whatever your doing it's really happy! 

[freakypalmguy]

thoursaii X cairnsiana

[DippyD]

E. nubi

[Merlyn]

Here is my largest Dioon Mejiae flushing a few weeks ago.  The pup flushed first, followed about a week later by the main trunk.  This one went through about 25-26F with minimal damage, all except for any fronds sticking out into the frost.  Those were torched, like the tip of the frond on the far right.  But just cold it didn't seem to care about!  There's a Spinulosum and E. Whitelockii photobombing from the right.

[Tracy]

Late season flushes on this little Encephalartos cupidus that has several subterranean caudices.  Some flushed earlier in the summer and a couple just got started.  I end up thinning the growth of older green leaves just so that the new flushes have space to come up without getting completely tangled and deformed.

[The Gerg]

Encephalartos ituriensis.

[JohnAndSancho]

Sago at my apartment. I'm so tempted to research separating pups and take one but I have zero space and this is right by the office with a camera.  Also survived Palmageddon 2021 so I know it's tough. 

[Peter]

Eugene flushing in the middle of a wicked heat wave

[Peter]

Arenarius horridus cross

[Peter]

Latifrons X

[Tracy]

I'm getting another flush on the pup of this Encephalartos arenarius (blue) x horridus.  This is one that I acquired as a different hybrid, but the brown male cone indicates that it has horridus in it's "bloodline".  I'm planning to use this cone's pollen on the double E horridus female cones I have. 

I had to throw in the now almost hardened off single leaf flush on the Zamia standleyi as the leaflets are so long and delicate in appearance.

[Gallop]

A few new flushes in the garden.

[amh]

Some Zamia roezlii putting out their first leaves.

[DippyD]

Few from today… 

[Tracy]

Have a late season flush on this one and noticed some little bugs on it.  They seem harmless moving from one of the smaller new leaves to this one when I disturbed them.  I couldn't quite tell exactly what they are but I think they are small spiders that just hatched.  Since they didn't seem to be causing any harm, I have just left them alone for the most part and will wait to see what they do in the coming hours and days.

[GeneAZ]

13 hours ago, Tracy said:

Have a late season flush on this one and noticed some little bugs on it.  They seem harmless moving from one of the smaller new leaves to this one when I disturbed them.  I couldn't quite tell exactly what they are but I think they are small spiders that just hatched.  Since they didn't seem to be causing any harm, I have just left them alone for the most part and will wait to see what they do in the coming hours and days.

Looks like baby assassin bugs to me.  Never noticed them to do harm on cycads -- yet.

[Tracy]

14 hours ago, GeneAZ said:

Looks like baby assassin bugs to me.  Never noticed them to do harm on cycads -- yet.

Thanks for the id on the bugs.  I read about them and found photos which matches your id.  Seems like they are generally good in that they feed on other things which could be a problem in the garden.  When I left the house yesterday they seemed to be gone, but upon returning last night, they were huddled in their defensive position on the same Encephalartos leaf.

[Palmzilla]

Encephalartos arenarius x latifrons with a 1.5 yr old female cone 

[Tracy]

On 10/25/2022 at 11:26 AM, Palmzilla said:

Encephalartos arenarius x latifrons with a 1.5 yr old female cone 

That's a real beauty Braden. I am trying to recall what she was pollinated with, latifrons pollen if I remember correctly?  Hopefully you get some sinkers when the time comes. 

[Firepalm]

Beautiful plant Braden. Looks like you newish (I know it has been a few years now) garden is coming along nicely!

[Tracy]

Small and delicate Zamia angustifolia pushing out a new cone.  I'm not sure if it is male or female even though it has coned in the past.  I never looked closely enough and compared to photos of known specimen cones.  Any input at this point on the sex?

[tiburcio]

10 hours ago, Tracy said:

Small and delicate Zamia angustifolia pushing out a new cone.  I'm not sure if it is male or female even though it has coned in the past.  I never looked closely enough and compared to photos of known specimen cones.  Any input at this point on the sex?

seems femalish to me

[Tracy]

Encephalartos natalensis × arenarius cones at the pollen shedding stage.

[Tracy]

A no id Cycas flush and a Dioon edule "Palma Sol" form with female cone.  I have never even tried pollinating any of my Dioon or Ceratozamia.    Easier or harder than Encephalartos?

[Tracy]

Pollin rain is coming. 

[Tracy]

A very late season flush for an Encephalartos other than the the big finicky Central African species that seem to pop any time of the year.  This is an Encephalartos cupidus, not just one caudex but several smaller ones for some reason.  I think it has been slower to push larger flushes because it is having to split off energy to each caudex.  Anyway, you can see the lighter green colors of the two flushes happening.  At some point I think I will remove some of the offsets and try to determine which one is the the real main caudex.  Sort of like that old song by Todd Rundgren "Eastern Intrigue"  except I'll be asking the "real caudex" of the bunch to stand up...  or perhaps sit down.  At this point, they all look about the same to me, caudices that is.

[Merlyn]

And just in time for our first freeze...a new flush on a Laurentianus!  Sigh... 

This one used to be the largest of my Laurentianus, but it's out in the open and it keeps getting torched.  This spring it managed to put out the four good looking fronds, but I'm guessing it'll get defoliated this weekend.  The other two large Laurentianus started their flushes around late October, but neither are totally hardened off yet.  If they are *mostly* done then they frequently end up with distorted leaflets but not completely brown burnt ones. 

[Tracy]

14 hours ago, Merlyn said:

And just in time for our first freeze...a new flush on a Laurentianus!  Sigh... 

This one used to be the largest of my Laurentianus, but it's out in the open and it keeps getting torched.  This spring it managed to put out the four good looking fronds, but I'm guessing it'll get defoliated this weekend.  The other two large Laurentianus started their flushes around late October, but neither are totally hardened off yet.  If they are *mostly* done then they frequently end up with distorted leaflets but not completely brown burnt ones. 

My experience is that due to flushing intervals with this species,  you should get the next flushes during a better time of year as in next summer.  One of my Encephalartos ituriensis is mid flush so same vulnerability.   The long tall erect nature also increases the likelihood of wind damage on these.  There is a caudex on my Encephalartos cupidus flushing too, but being lower to the ground amid other foliage it seems far less vulnerable. 

Good luck with it and remember the cycad growers mantra:  Just one flush away from beauty again. 

[Sr. Califas]

[Tracy]

4 hours ago, Sr. Califas said:

Leaflets look trispinosis, while cone color if reddish brown as opposed to old looks more horridus.  Is it a narrower leaf form of Encephalartos horridus, a hybrid or an older cone turning brown on an Encephalartos trispinosis?  Nice whichever it is.

[Sr. Califas]

It is a pure horridus. I think there is an older picture of it in the "favorite cycad" post. The leaflets aren't very skinny. I think the twist and the convex shape make it hard to tell how thick they are. BTW, that slow poke started this cone back in June. First time coning in my possession. I didn't know the process was so long. 

[Tracy]

On 1/17/2023 at 6:05 PM, Sr. Califas said:

It is a pure horridus. I think there is an older picture of it in the "favorite cycad" post. The leaflets aren't very skinny. I think the twist and the convex shape make it hard to tell how thick they are. BTW, that slow poke started this cone back in June. First time coning in my possession. I didn't know the process was so long. 

It takes a while.  My female horridus was receptive in mid to late December. I saw her two cones just starting to emerge at the end of June after the prior cone completed falling apart.  It is about a year cycle with the females of this species.  Interesting to see the variations with each species.