Veitchias, How Do You Tell Them Apart?

[Phil]

Larry Black, the Editor of the PSSC Journal, has a beautiful Veitchia arecina that is about 20 feet or more and has made viable fruit. He lives in Orange County, CA

Phil

[Daryl]

Which Veitchias would grow in Sydney Australia?

Regards

Stephen

Stephen, the very first Veitchia introduced into cultivation in the world was V.joannis that was planted at the Sydney Botanical Gardens, after being sent there by Dr. Seemann, who discovered the species. I believe this specimen was the type plant for both the genus Veitchia and the species. It would be interesting to see what records they have there in the herbarium.

It grew to be a very tall plant, one of the tallest in the collection at the gardens. It used to be near the two tall D.madagascariensis in the palm grove. It was still around until the early 1990s from memory, but has died since, either from old age (over 110 years) or from the flying fox plague. It used to fruit regularly.

As for cold hardy Veitchias, I have a plant obtained as V.winin that went through our record cold in '07 without a spot on it. The Pigafetta next to it was totally defoliated, and all of my other Veitchias had more than 70% leaf burn.

regards,

Daryl

[Xenon]

I wonder if someone has tried Vetchia down in the Rio Grande Valley...

Jonathan

[Got Palms]

Here are two i have had in the ground for a little over a year now, they both seem to be doing well. Sergio!

[John in Andalucia]

That's a perfect shot on the left, Sergio. Where are you exactly? I get nervous when I don't know where growers live.

Your Veitchia looks pristine, so tell me you live in Florida!

[Got Palms]

That's a perfect shot on the left, Sergio. Where are you exactly? I get nervous when I don't know where growers live.

Your Veitchia looks pristine, so tell me you live in Florida!

Sorry! John i am in a Los Angeles Ca a Suburb in the City of Whittier, A friend of mine has trouble growing these down south of here, a little cooler than my place , he gave these to me to try and see if they would do well, and to his surprise they have done very well i hope they continue doing well!

[Tyrone]

Which Veitchias would grow in Sydney Australia?

Regards

Stephen

Joannis, probably Winin and Merilli (which they now call adonidia but it still looks like veitchia) I think they are all still growing in the Sydney Botanical Gardens.

Peachy

Adonidia in Sydney. Are you sure.

[Daryl]

There is a plant in the Sydney botanical Gardens labeled as such Tyrone. It is a Veitchia, but ID unsure

Daryl

[hanapalms]

Veitchia palms are one of my favourites & I have 4 species growing here.

The larger species are quite tough & I have had a V winnin grow through winter where the minimum temperature was 2 deg C.

Call me crazy William but the palm pictured looks a little like a Bentickia nicobarica, but I may be wrong.

Hey Matt,

Actually, I went out to take a look at some older specimens of that first palm and you may be right, or at least I may be wrong on assuming it is a Veitchia. The older palms in the ground do not have that typical dark coloration on the leaf base edges that wrap around the stem (trunk). So what is it? I thought the only Bentinkia nicobarica I had had died, so I wasn't even considering that species. I'll look it up and see if it might be the one. Thanks.

Look at the leaf bases of these Veitchia specimens. The dark area are at the edge of the sheath that wraps around the trunk to form the crownshaft. Then look at the specimens below; the dark area is on the underlying sheath, while the edges are lighter in color.

Do you think the bottom two may be of a different genus? I actually took photos of six different Veitchia specimens; they all had the same pattern at the leaf base. The first photo in this thread is of a younger plant like the lower photos.

[Tyrone]

There is a plant in the Sydney botanical Gardens labeled as such Tyrone. It is a Veitchia, but ID unsure

Daryl

I know that Adonidia merillii used to be considered in the genus Veitchia, but they are whole lot more tropical than any of the real Veitchia's.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Daryl]

I agree with you on that Tyrone...when I saw the small plant in Sydney labelled as V.merrillii I didn't believe it, although it was a Veitchia and it did have arching leaves. It didn't look like an Adonidia, but then, it was growing in a cooler climate than most. Funnily, it was growing only a few metres from where the old V.joannis used to be.

Perhaps Stephen can get a couple of photos of it?

Daryl

[Tyrone]

I've failed miserably growing Adonidia here, but succeeded with the real Veitchia's I've tried. Then one day last year I found a large fruiting perfect Adonidia looking like it was growing in Townsville in the front yard of a South Perth luxury 3 story mansion against a north facing wall on the side of a north facing hill. I think I yelled when I realised what it was. I still can't believe it, but it would get full sun winter through to summer. Maybe that's the key here. Mine just faded away over a few years. This place had huge Wodyetia's as fat as anything all in fruit, a huge Bottle palm, a massive Cuban Royal taller than the building full of seed. It really didn't look like a Perth garden. It looked like something on the Gold Coast. So maybe in the 30's you just need a great microclimate to grow Adonidia.

Best regards

Tyrone

[epicure3]

Here are some of my Veitchias. One is seeding and one is about to flower. I have a total of 9 including a 2 triples and 2 doubles.

[epicure3]

.

[epicure3]

.

[Tyrone]

They're looking good John. How would you describe their growth rate compared to other palms you're growing?

Best regards

Tyrone

[epicure3]

They're looking good John. How would you describe their growth rate compared to other palms you're growing?

Best regards

Tyrone

Tied for 2nd with my Gaussia Maya. The fastest I have is the Foxtail-Veitchia cross.

[Tyrone]

Agree with you there with the Foxtail-Veitchia cross. Mine are by far the fastest things in my garden. I didn't know about Guassia maya though being that quick. I only have one in a pot. I would say that my Veitchia joannis are only slightly behind my Hophorbe indica southern forms for speed, which are just a little behind the Foxy Ladies. Then my Carpies would come next. Actually No. My rednecks and princess palms would come next, then Carpies.

Best regards

Tyrone

[ariscott]

Here... Carpies will beat ANYTHING!!! even Foxy lady...

Regards, Ari

[hanapalms]

Here... Carpies will beat ANYTHING!!! even Foxy lady...

Regards, Ari

I have two Carpie macrocarpa in the garden; yes they are extremely fast:

These two have been in the ground just about two years. They were about 16 inches tall in gal pots; they're more than eight feet tall now.

[ariscott]

Carpies are Carpentaria... what is it for you?

Regards, Ari

[peachy]

Adonidia merillii were on a list of cold hardy palms that I was given. For me they have out performed V joannis by leagues in the cold weather here. I am finding them to be a good palm for my area. My carpie has grown a little bit this year. They are disappearing from local nurseries now as they havent lived up to expectations for most people around here. Ari, I think he is another poor confused american who call a Poxy a carpie. Poxies thrive at my place, good steady growers too.

Peachy

[ariscott]

But Carpie is always a carpentaria even before they invented Carpoxylon...

Regards, Ari

[Wanderanwills]

Which Veitchias would grow in Sydney Australia?

Regards

Stephen

Stephen, the very first Veitchia introduced into cultivation in the world was V.joannis that was planted at the Sydney Botanical Gardens, after being sent there by Dr. Seemann, who discovered the species. I believe this specimen was the type plant for both the genus Veitchia and the species. It would be interesting to see what records they have there in the herbarium.

It grew to be a very tall plant, one of the tallest in the collection at the gardens. It used to be near the two tall D.madagascariensis in the palm grove. It was still around until the early 1990s from memory, but has died since, either from old age (over 110 years) or from the flying fox plague. It used to fruit regularly.

As for cold hardy Veitchias, I have a plant obtained as V.winin that went through our record cold in '07 without a spot on it. The Pigafetta next to it was totally defoliated, and all of my other Veitchias had more than 70% leaf burn.

regards,

Daryl

Hi Daryl,

You have got me on a mission now. I have looked up the database and yes, there was a V.joannis in bed 26, and yes it was collected by Dr Berthold Seemann but we do not have any Herbarium specimens. The plant died in 1992 from the flying foxes. Seemann wrote Flora Vitiensis (Flora of Fiji) and to my surprise the book is worth $28,500 http://nationalmailing.com.au/AndrewIsles/offers.cfm?UR=27161&search_stage=details&records_to_display=5&page_id=29 .

The other Veitchias in the gardens are according to the database are:

Veitchia arecina Bed 26

Veitchia merrillii Bed 27

Veitchia sp. Bed 101

I will check to see if they are still alive.

Will get back to you.

Regards

Stephen

[Tyrone]

But Carpie is always a carpentaria even before they invented Carpoxylon...

Regards, Ari

I've got a few Carpie seedlings Ari, do you want me to send some up to you??????

[ariscott]

I can get them by the bucketload, literally... Tyrone!! LOL. I am sure Zig will share too...

Regards, Ari

[hanapalms]

Carpies are Carpentaria... what is it for you?

Regards, Ari

Ooops, Carpies are some sort of fish, yeah? I have Carpoxylon macrocarpa; they are growing amazingly fast, especially next to the Neoveitchia, although the Syagrus amara is keeping right up with them.

I do not have a single Carpentaria in my garden. Yet.

Edited June 18, 2010 by hanapalms

[Tyrone]

I call Carpoxylons, Carpoxy's. We have a strange language us palm people. A mixture of Latin, Malagasy, and other native dialects.

Best regards

Tyrone

[hanapalms]

I call Carpoxylons, Carpoxy's. We have a strange language us palm people. A mixture of Latin, Malagasy, and other native dialects.

Best regards

Tyrone

Those are dialects? I thought they were all foreign languages.