Livistona benthamii

[tropicbreeze]

[Gtlevine]

I'm in 100% agreement with you, the best of the best as far as Livistona sp, I am planting my Benthamii next week. When I was in Florida I was really impressed with them at Fairchilds, the strange leaf boots and trunk color makes this attractive palm to look at long after the crown has grown above head.

Thanks for the photos,

Gary

[chris78]

Nice palm, are they an aquatic or semi aquatic palm??

[Rafael]

Very nice, in my opinion, but not the nicest! Maybe one of them...

[Walter John]

What a great array of pics. I have one of these lovelies I nearly planted yesterday, probably go in ground this weekend. Definitely one of the more graceful Livistonas.

[DoomsDave]

Oh, those are nice!

I've got one in the ground, and, well, it doesn't seem to like our winters very much.

Time will tell.

[Alberto]

Thank you very much for sharing this nice habitat photos!

I planted my L.benthami near the pond when I read that it like lots of water.

[Xenon]

Beautiful! Looks almost like

a trunking Rhapis..

-Jonathan

Edited April 14, 2010 by Xenon

[peachy]

L. benthamii is my 2nd favourite of the livistonas, but my favourite native one. It took me ages to find one and I am yet to get around to planting it but it seems happy enough in its big pot. My favourite is still L.rotundafolia...I still cant get over my love affair with them.

Peachy

[brodklop]

Great photos of L. benthamii in the wild.

Peachy I'm with you all the way. Rotundafolia would have to be my favourite also. Especially the green trunked varietys. Robinsonias are good to.

Victoriae then benthamii would have to be my favourite OZ ones.

I love the extended crown of L. rotundafolia

[Gtlevine]

Rotundifolia is a good call Peachy, I really love that one. I planted my Rotundifolia last year and it made it through the first winter here in So Cal, but it was a mild winter. I don't know long term how it will do. I believe I can grow the Benthamii here because it can take our long cool winters better than Rotundifolia. I also have Victoria River which does like my climate and is doing well. Those are my top three Livi's, hopefully I can get them all to grow here over the long haul.

Gary

[peachy]

I have never seen victoriae for sale here, and believe me I have looked. I always thought it wouldnt take my winters but if they survive for Gary then they should be okay here. I will have to get more pro-active with my hunting again. Brod I have only ever seen photos of Robinsonianas and always panted for one. Most of the places I have asked about them havent even heard of them. I think I emailed every palm seller in the country trying to find one. My biggest Rotundifolia, inground, went through the minus 5c freeze nearly 3 years ago without a mark on it, although it is on the south side of a high fence between 2 houses and with a good canopy over it. (and of course it was mulched to the gills too) Sorry Tropicbreeze I didnt mean to hijack your thread.

Peachy

[Tyrone]

Some great pictures there. Do you know if this species has a small seed? Some years back I collected some seed from similar looking plants growing at a Cairns shopping centre carpark but they had a tiny seed. All came up and they're growing fine through our winters no problem, but the seed may have been only 6-8mm across. It didn't match with any Livistona I knew with a seed that small except maybe this one. Have you seen the seed before? Does that sound right?

Best regards

Tyrone

[Tyrone]

I have never seen victoriae for sale here, and believe me I have looked. I always thought it wouldnt take my winters but if they survive for Gary then they should be okay here. I will have to get more pro-active with my hunting again. Brod I have only ever seen photos of Robinsonianas and always panted for one. Most of the places I have asked about them havent even heard of them. I think I emailed every palm seller in the country trying to find one. My biggest Rotundifolia, inground, went through the minus 5c freeze nearly 3 years ago without a mark on it, although it is on the south side of a high fence between 2 houses and with a good canopy over it. (and of course it was mulched to the gills too) Sorry Tropicbreeze I didnt mean to hijack your thread.

Peachy

I had victorae. It was blue and leathery. It died before it got to palmate leaves. Too much shade and water. The same happened to my L alfredii.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Jonathan]

Tyrone - I reckon you may have collected some L. drudei.

I collected a heap of seed from Rollingstone Beach, north of Townsville - the seed was only about 8mm diameter, the fruit black.

I was about to add a post here saying that the benthamii reminds me a lot of druidei (my favorite Livistona - see photo) when I read your post!

Cheers,

Jonathan

[Daryl]

Livistona concinna is also very similar at maturity.

Here are some L.benthamii growing in Darwin...try and walk through this lot!

Daryl

[peachy]

L. drudei is another one of the prettier (and very tough) native palms that I really like. Took me years to get one, then I got a whole handful. (all thriving too Jonathan) I would have said drudei looks more like decora than benthamii however !!

[Jonathan]

L. drudei is another one of the prettier (and very tough) native palms that I really like. Took me years to get one, then I got a whole handful. (all thriving too Jonathan) I would have said drudei looks more like decora than benthamii however !!

Glad to hear they're doing well Peachy - mine are growing reasonably fast as well, although not quite as fast as the Eungella Range australis the same age - they are like little rockets.

The drudei I saw at Rollingstone were much neater and more compact than decora, with a blue/green sort of shimmer about them, very nice looking palms, and very hard to capture in a photo.

Cheers,

Jonathan

[Tyrone]

Livistona concinna is also very similar at maturity.

Here are some L.benthamii growing in Darwin...try and walk through this lot!

Daryl

Imagine running from a crocodile through that. I think I'd rather be eaten by a crocodile.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Tyrone]

Tyrone - I reckon you may have collected some L. drudei.

I collected a heap of seed from Rollingstone Beach, north of Townsville - the seed was only about 8mm diameter, the fruit black.

I was about to add a post here saying that the benthamii reminds me a lot of druidei (my favorite Livistona - see photo) when I read your post!

Cheers,

Jonathan

Jonathan that looks like the palm and if the seed size was around 8mm and black, that's right on the money. Cool. I read somewhere that the seed size for L drudei was bigger so I discounted this one, but if that's drudei that's what I have here growing rather well.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Jonathan]

Tyrone - I reckon you may have collected some L. drudei.

I collected a heap of seed from Rollingstone Beach, north of Townsville - the seed was only about 8mm diameter, the fruit black.

I was about to add a post here saying that the benthamii reminds me a lot of druidei (my favorite Livistona - see photo) when I read your post!

Cheers,

Jonathan

Jonathan that looks like the palm and if the seed size was around 8mm and black, that's right on the money. Cool. I read somewhere that the seed size for L drudei was bigger so I discounted this one, but if that's drudei that's what I have here growing rather well.

Best regards

Tyrone

Yep, the seeds were quite small compared to australis, and the distribution is very limited, with Rollingstone being a stronghold.

I'd been trying to figure out where I could find this species, and then one night we stopped at the caravan park at Rollingstone Beach and it was full of them - remnants from when they cleared the site from the scrub. And they were dropping fruit on our tent basically....by the time I'd cleaned the seed my fingers were quite black!

I suspect it is a very endangered species, given its fragmented range, surrounded by farmland and towns.

So look after your little ones.

Cheers,

Jonathan

[Jonathan]

Sorry to hijack your thread Mr. Breeze!

That first shot of yours is a stunner...and the benthamii's are gorgeous.

Hope to get up your way for a drive in the next few years.

Cheers,

Jonathan

[Tyrone]

Tyrone - I reckon you may have collected some L. drudei.

I collected a heap of seed from Rollingstone Beach, north of Townsville - the seed was only about 8mm diameter, the fruit black.

I was about to add a post here saying that the benthamii reminds me a lot of druidei (my favorite Livistona - see photo) when I read your post!

Cheers,

Jonathan

Jonathan that looks like the palm and if the seed size was around 8mm and black, that's right on the money. Cool. I read somewhere that the seed size for L drudei was bigger so I discounted this one, but if that's drudei that's what I have here growing rather well.

Best regards

Tyrone

Yep, the seeds were quite small compared to australis, and the distribution is very limited, with Rollingstone being a stronghold.

I'd been trying to figure out where I could find this species, and then one night we stopped at the caravan park at Rollingstone Beach and it was full of them - remnants from when they cleared the site from the scrub. And they were dropping fruit on our tent basically....by the time I'd cleaned the seed my fingers were quite black!

I suspect it is a very endangered species, given its fragmented range, surrounded by farmland and towns.

So look after your little ones.

Cheers,

Jonathan

Cool. I've been calling these Livistona sp mystery and now I have an ID to such a great species. They would be just over two years old now and I don't think I've lost one yet.

Don't you love it when palm seeds just fall from the sky by the millions. When I was in Cairns last we went to Flecker BG and sat down to have a coffee. Well there were lots of birds flying around the area (I know what your thinking-no, nobody got bird crap on them) anyway they were dropping cleaned Ptychosperma seeds all over the table and on the ground near me. The birds wanted me to have this seed. They knew I was going to grow them, and they were doing me a favour knowing the great palm fanatic was in their presence, and the palms were likely grateful to these dispersing birds, who knew they were doing a great job dispersing their seed. So I took them home as I did not want to offend these gift giving birds. They are growing now many thousands of kilometres away, thanks to these wonderful birds.

Hey if nature makes it fall into your bag, nature wanted you to have it.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Tyrone]

Sorry to hijack your thread Mr. Breeze!

That first shot of yours is a stunner...and the benthamii's are gorgeous.

Hope to get up your way for a drive in the next few years.

Cheers,

Jonathan

So do I. I need to get to Darwin and the NT.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Walter John]

How good is the first pic in this thread ? Any chances of a bigger version Zig, that would make a great wallpaper desktop.

Edited April 16, 2010 by Greenleaf

[tropicbreeze]

I still think L. benthamii is the best. I've got a L. rotundifolia with a trunk of only about 1.5 metres so far. But I find that although L. rotundifolia can have the same "extended crown" as L. benthamii it comes no where near that graceful fountain effect of benthamii.

L. benthamii I'd say is semi-aquatic. They seem to like standing in water although they still grow in better drained soils. Out at Fogg Dam where most of my photos were taken a lot of them spend about 6 months in water and the other 6 months in wet mud. They're also common around permanent springs where they're in shallow water virtually all year. They are often in association with Carpentaria acuminata but grow further out into deeper water than the Carpies will.

The seed is small and black. From memory, I'd say 6 to 8 mm would be about right. I sprouted some a few years back and gave some seedlings away. Mine I forgot to water and they perished. Those that I gave away have put on a good bit of growth and are trunking.

My second favourite Livistona would have to be L. inermis which I'm hoping to have a few plants of some time. Lord only knows, I've spread so many thousands of seed of it around my place over the past few years. It can't all turn into mulch!

L. victoriae grows in more arid inland areas so should be tolerant of drought and cold. Although they grow out of rock faces and on rocky slopes, I've seen plenty of them growing at the foot of slopes standing in water during the wet season.

Funny you should mention crocs, Tyrone. At Fogg Dam they closed the dam wall walk because a large croc was 'loitering' there. When I did one of the other walks with a long elevated walkway going out over the water, part of it was just submerged. That would've been a far greater threat but the staff can't drive through there so don't get to see it. What's that saying, "See no evil ......"

By the way, one of the L. benthamii photos is one of my plants at home. The rest are in the wild, mostly around Fogg Dam, some from Howard Springs, Jimmy's Creek, Magela Creek and Indjuwandjuwa.

[Tyrone]

Their great pictures. So L benthamii has a small seed too. What is it's cold tolerance? Are they likely to grow down here. I'm growing L rotundifolia at the moment in a protected spot.

Are these used for landscapes much, or is that rare? What is the likelihood that a shopping centre carpark in Cairns would have this species in your opinion?

Best regards

Tyrone

[ariscott]

I feel rather guilty not growing our own native livistona... . The only livistona I have are L. rotundifolia... Well, I do have a H. ramsayi, if it makes a difference... I collected some livistona seeds from the termite mounds at Litchfield. They are small seeds too... do you know which one they are, Zig?? There are heaps around that area...

Regards, Ari

[brodklop]

After benthamii Drudei would have to be next on the OZ livistonias favourites list for me.

Johnathan, those Drudei you collected from Rollingstone are doing well.

Daryl that is not the sort of place you would want to run through in the dark. Wait-a-while eat your heart out.

Tyrone, benthams are hardier that rotundifolias but you need to keep the water up to get the best results.

Zig, Keep posting the top end stuff. Its great.

Regards

Brod

[Tyrone]

Tyrone, benthams are hardier that rotundifolias but you need to keep the water up to get the best results.

Zig, Keep posting the top end stuff. Its great.

Regards

Brod

So I suppose I still could have L benthamii's. However I'm thinking that a Cairns carpark would more likely plant a Queensland native before a NT palm. And they did really look like Jonathan's picture north of Townsville, so I'm tending to think I have L drudei. Which is great.

Best regards

Tyrone

[ariscott]

Let me know if you want more Top End livistona, Tyrone... if I am on my driving trip again, I can always collect seeds... as long as Zig can tell me which is which....

Regards, Ari

[Jonathan]

Tyrone, benthams are hardier that rotundifolias but you need to keep the water up to get the best results.

Zig, Keep posting the top end stuff. Its great.

Regards

Brod

So I suppose I still could have L benthamii's. However I'm thinking that a Cairns carpark would more likely plant a Queensland native before a NT palm. And they did really look like Jonathan's picture north of Townsville, so I'm tending to think I have L drudei. Which is great.

Best regards

Tyrone

We'll compare in 4 or 5 years (if we remember!) and see how they look.

I love Livistona!

Cheers,

Jonathan

[peachy]

Tyrone, benthams are hardier that rotundifolias but you need to keep the water up to get the best results.

Zig, Keep posting the top end stuff. Its great.

Regards

Brod

So I suppose I still could have L benthamii's. However I'm thinking that a Cairns carpark would more likely plant a Queensland native before a NT palm. And they did really look like Jonathan's picture north of Townsville, so I'm tending to think I have L drudei. Which is great.

Best regards

Tyrone

Ty, most of the landscaping up here is done by council workers who wouldnt know their arse from their elbow. The new tennis centre behind my house almost, much lauded and brayed about, was getting a special native garden. A few grevilleas, a jacaranda or two, 3 or 4 washingtonias, to me, do not a native garden make. So could you have a drudei ? You might be lucky if they were common enough for the council to have them in their nursery. A benthamii ? Well if the council bought them in bulk on the cheap then its very possible also. Never aspire to giving councils and developers a higher motive than they are capable of reaching.\

Peachy

[ariscott]

Yeah.... the native planting up here consist of acalypha & cordylines...

[tropicbreeze]

Hey Hey Tyrone, maybe you'll have to wait until they finally grow up before you'll know what they are. Unless you get back to that car park and take some photos.

Ari, I haven't been in to the "Termite Mounds" at Litchfield but driven past many times. You'll probably find that the palms there are Livistona humilis. And they don't just do native landscape here with " acalypha & cordylines", they use a lot of Carpies as well.

[peachy]

Thats what Ari's place really needs, 2 or 3 hundred nicely grown Carpies, to pretty up the gardens.

Peachy

[tropicbreeze]

She can have 200 - 300 out of my place, wouldn't really notice them gone.

[ariscott]

You wish.... peachy!!! I just mowed the last 3 that Scott hid from me....

Regards, Ari

[peachy]

I still have the same old carpy that stays the same year in year out. It actually grew a new leaf this year. I just dont know why it does nothing. Its fed, sheltered, watered and fussed over. Just one of those ungrateful species I suppose. Meanwhile, I have just dug up about 300 queen palm seedlings and have about another 200 to go. Hmm.....they might look nice up at Ari's place too......!!!

Peachy

[Miccles]

I think we need to chip in and establish a secret Carpy grove in the back corner of Ari's property.... it needs to be carefully hidden under army camouflage netting though.....

I'm sure Scott will be in on it.

Regards

Michael