What Rhapis species/variety is this?

[Alberto]

Here in Brazil Rhapis excelsa is a very common palm in nurseries. I have few clumps growing in the garden and also R.multifida grown from seeds. I was looking for a R.humilis but I heard it is rare here. Today I saw a different looking Rhapis in a nursery. The owner said it was a...´´Palmeira Rhapis. The palm look strange to me. The size and collor of the petioles: longer colms and green. The petioles are softer,longer,darker green and more leaflets per fan than on my Rhapis excelsa. The description of Harri Lorenzi´s palm book doesn´t entirely match with my palm,but a lot of characteristics are the same. Could this be a R. humilis?

Right:R.excelsa and left:my new strange Rhapis

[Alberto]

Fan

[Alberto]

Softer leaflets

[Alberto]

Green longer culms...

[edric]

Hi Alberto, check out this link, it may help you decide if it is an R. humilis or not, Ed

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57538/

[Alberto]

Description of R.humilis ( PACSOA) ´´Canes of R. humilis are also taller than canes of other Rhapis species, being up to 6 metres tall with each covered with fine closely clasping fibres. Leaves are of similar size to R. excelsa but are divided into more segments, up to twelve leaflets per leaf. Leaves are dull dark green, thin in section and have pointed tips that gently droop, imparting a very graceful look to this palm´´.

´´Up to twelve leave segments´´: The photo that I posted shows 13 segments....

Rhapis excelsa s description at PACSOA site says it has 5-12 segments per leaf.

What do not match is the thinner pointed segments of R.humilis compared to R.excelsa.....

Are there hybrids between this two species??? Female R.excelsa pollinated by a male (there are only male plants known) R.humilis???

[chris.oz]

Alberto,

I think your palm looks a lot like R. humilis. In my garden R. humilis grows 12ft tall, with canes in pots to 20 mm thick and in the ground to 40-50mm thick. For me the key identifiers are: The leaf, narrower than excelsa, more segments , leaf tip: tapers tightly to a small number of fine serrations.

R. humilis is the BEST Rhapis for gardens in warm temperate climates and unlike R. excelsa will take quite a bit of sun [ morning] .

Dont divide R. humilis into too few canes. It tends to stagnate. Can be a little touchy !

If you can get hold of this palm I very much recommennd it. Plant in a position protected from excessive wind for best appearance.

[Jeff Searle]

What I grew from seed, R. humilis has a much thinner leaf(leaf segments) closer in looks to R. multifida. That's providing that it was true to seed. My seed came from Rarepalmseed (Tobis).But, I know it looks nothing like R. excelsa.

Jeff

[chris.oz]

What I grew from seed, R. humilis has a much thinner leaf(leaf segments) closer in looks to R. multifida. That's providing that it was true to seed. My seed came from Rarepalmseed (Tobis).But, I know it looks nothing like R. excelsa.

Jeff

Interesting Jeff, because the R. multifida I have seen are very distinct from R. humilis because they have many more thinner leaflets.

Sounds to me like your seedlings might be multifida, but as we know the only real way to know is to compare with the original descriptions of the flowers etc.