Palms for the five senses

[Trópico]

Ok. So we like palms for the way they look, the rustling sound of their leaves against the wind, or the softness of their crownshafts as with the Teddy Bear palm. Oh, and who can forget the delicacy of a good tembleque or the infinitely refreshing properties of very cold coconut water.

But what about something for the good old nose? The pinaceae family with fragrant (or pungent) needles, flowers are used for perfumes, etc. But what about palms? Are there any species out there that offer something for the sense of smell? Either pleasant or ... eewww!??? There is coconut scented sex wax but... is that it?

[MattyB]

I'm growing a Coccothrinax fragrans.  It's supposed to have fragrant flowers.....I'm sure I won't know for a long while though.

[Dypsisdean]

At the last palm meeting here I heard an interesting story. I was told that Chamaerops was the only plant in the world that the foliage became scented when the plant was flowering. I have no idea if it is true. Anybody else know?

BTW---I assume Chamaedorea fragrans was named that for a reason. And I also heard that Arenga engleri is fragrant. Cycas revoluta is also scented.

[Daryl]

Arenga engleri has nice fragrant flowers. Also I have some Ptychosperma that are surprisingly fragrant..took me a while to pinpoint this fragrance that was wafting around the garden.

Daryl.

[amazon exotics]

Areca Triandra smells like lemons when in bloom. ???

[DoomsDave]

Chamadorea fragrans also has sweetly fragrant blossoms, though it's the devil to locate.

dave

[Guest]

My young Peruvian Cham fragrans indoors is yet to show its flowers, but growing steady... I'll take an updated picture of it tomorrow.

Along my whole life I've developed the taste for coconut water, and also using a spoon inside to eat the young copra in formation, a very mild sweet delicacy. Dwarf unripe cold fruits are delicious and we always keep some here in the fridge and drink from them with the meals, instead of sodas. Depending on the fert (especially Potassium concentration), the season, exposion to sunshine, soil, age. etc, the liquid tastes different, and also some tall species produce water that has a very peculiar flavor...

As long as senses go, I don't think the palm family can provide a great variety in fragrances for the garden, I think other dicot plants are in fact much more specialized in this field...

[Robert Lee Riffle]

I know I'll regret doing so; but I just gotta ax: "sex wax?!?"  Nothing, I suppose, like sealing wax ....

In my experience Rhapis excelsa flowers are fragrant.  And I can't remember ANY Chamaedorea species in bloom that was NOT fragrant.

I haven't experienced them but Rhapidophyllum flowers are supposed to be QUITE distinctive in odor, if not repellant.  And I know that ripening Serenoa fruits are odious.

[Dypsisdean]

Bob,

You're safe. Sex Wax is a brand name for a surf wax. As you may already know, surfers wax their boards on top so they don't slip on the otherwise slick surface. When you are paddling out, your nose is very close to the surface of the board, so a scented wax is nice.

[Robert Lee Riffle]

Good lord!  That I never would'da guessed!

Sort of a coco-de-mer thang, eh?

I hafta occasionally say to myself, "What a wunnerful world!"

[Trópico]

It is said that fragrances are good to help bring back memories, but I surely don't wanna remember the smell of some Serenoa repens seeds that I harvested off the parking lot at work. They didn't sprout for me but oh boy Robert you couldn't have said it better when you said odious. These were fresh but smelled rotten!

And maybe it was the Sex Wax which sent a subliminal message on those long paddles and I started having a thing for palms!

[DoomsDave]

Hmm.

Anyone have any further thoughts on fragrant palms?

[Kailua_Krish]

Dick and Ed keep saying that Trithrinax are very fragrant.

-Krishna

[peachy]

My Arenga pinnata has scented flowers. Eau de Chat, but the Areca triandra and Chammie fragrans have pleasant scents.

Peachy,

[rozpalm]

I realize I have to be careful when I respond to posts now with all these old posts you're digging up daily. You got me on the Gary Levine post! That RLR avatar is a blast from the past. Anyhow, I have found that Chamaedorea cataractarum's are fragrant when they flower. They smell a lot like Arenga engleri.

[DoomsDave]

I realize I have to be careful when I respond to posts now with all these old posts you're digging up daily. You got me on the Gary Levine post! That RLR avatar is a blast from the past. Anyhow, I have found that Chamaedorea cataractarum's are fragrant when they flower. They smell a lot like Arenga engleri.

Hmm.

Sorry to be tricky, just trying to update old stuff, just for fun . . .

Hmm. I've got both A. engies and C. cats, in bloom, no smell, but I'll sniff again.

[DoomsDave]

My Arenga pinnata has scented flowers. Eau de Chat, but the Areca triandra and Chammie fragrans have pleasant scents.

Peachy,

You mean Eau de Chat Pissoir?

[paulgila]

[ariscott]

Borassodendron machadonis male flowers have nice fragrance... Can't remember how it is exactly... but I remember it was pleasant...

Regards, Ari

[peachy]

My Arenga pinnata has scented flowers. Eau de Chat, but the Areca triandra and Chammie fragrans have pleasant scents.

Peachy,

You mean Eau de Chat Pissoir?

Is such vulgarity really called for ?

[Walter John]

What about a Just Joey

[Miccles]

I've heard the Chuniophoenix hainanensis is meant to smell like rotting corpses when flowering......

(Hope not)...

[JASON M]

At the last palm meeting here I heard an interesting story. I was told that Chamaerops was the only plant in the world that the foliage became scented when the plant was flowering. I have no idea if it is true. Anybody else know?

BTW---I assume Chamaedorea fragrans was named that for a reason. And I also heard that Arenga engleri is fragrant. Cycas revoluta is also scented.

My Cycas smells like air...