Show Some Spine....s

[realarch]

Time to show some spiny palms!

If you've got an inclination to be clumsy, these are not the palms you want to be around with a possible misstep.

Even if you don't care much for the needles, most spiny palms are just so beautiful. Here are a few with most of them

planted around the margins of the garden or in the open space behind.

Aiphanes horrida

Tim

[realarch]

Another beauty with spines on the 'stilt' roots. Great looking leaves.

Cryosophlia warscewiczii

[realarch]

This one isn't as deadly as some others, but you have to watch what you're doing working around it. It's still a baby, it's gonna be a monster.

Metroxylon amicarum

[realarch]

These are particularly nasty, but it has some tasty fruit. Still on the fence about keeping or cutting out. Need to make a decision soon as they are growing fast.

Salacca zalacca (salak bali)

[realarch]

You could probably use these needles for sewing......and surgical procedures. It's other attributes like the stilt roots and leaves make it worthwhile though. Beautiful palm.

That gecko has no problems navigating the spines, no I didn't impale it for photo impact.

Verschaffeltia splendida

Tim

[realarch]

Another monster in the making. These are in the open space behind the garden where the deadly fronds are free to drop wherever they want. I was looking at Pete's post and Pete, these are probably 4 years old and were a bit smaller two years ago than the ones you just posted. They still have no trunk and are probably 18" in diameter at the base.

If you look close, there is a shovel for scale.

Pigafetta elata

Oh wait....I hear something.........oh crap they're hungry again, gotta go feed em.

[SanDimas]

NatureGirl has seedlings for sale dated Aug27....

Gastrococcus/Acrocomia crispa

!OUCH!

SPINY LITTLE DEVIL

[Kim]

Your excellent photography makes those wicked things look absolutely beautiful! Lucky catch getting the gecko negotiating the spines. Your piggies are gorgeous, but I'll admire them in your garden, thankyouverymuch! Got Phoenicophorium?

[Cindy Adair]

Tim, those are wonderful palms and wonderful photos! I loved the gecko too.

Initially I had planned not to grow any spiny ones. Then I saw that we already had the very lethal Astrocaryum and the gentle Metroxylon whose sort of soft spines are out of reach now and the trunk is spineless.

However, then I saw the Verschaffeltias somewhere and ended up with 5. The former owner of our farm gave us an Aiphaines horrida that had escaped its pot in her old nursery section. And 3 little Phoenicophorums each with 2 tiny strap leaves begged to be planted. I figured one or two might not make it, but they are all still alive. Those Pigafettas in Thailand were impossible to resist trying to grow, too. Yours is perfect.

A little Nephrosperma somehow made its way onto our farm too.

However, I have so far resisted the Salaccas after seeing some fruiting ones in PR. Even a large S. magnifica I saw in Florida a few years ago didn't tempt me. Well, actually it was already sold and too large to take on a plane anyway. I'll bet my neighbor's palm loving cattle would even eat those spines! So see I have drawn the line somewhere and won't add any more for as long as I remember anyway!

[SanDimas]

By any chance those cows that ate your palms....

>>>>>>Ever heard of poison darts?<<<<<<<

You can always say Ive never come close to your cows.......

I have no clue

[Walter John]

Great thread Tim, there's something about "Spiny" palms that scream tropical in my opnion.

[Pedro 65]

Great pics Tim and I like the thread title name Look at your Super Chunk Pig, thats has really been working out since you last posted it eh.
Love the Verschaffeltia spines and aint that Lizard keen

Heres a few from here , along with little pig pic from y/day all other pics taken this morning.
Astrocaryum ferrugineum, spines over 1 ft pics 636 and 364

Aiphanes aculeata pics 365 and 367

Astrocaryum alatum pics 368 and 370

And I like to add, Thanks to Cindy, we will soon have more spiny palms.

Pete

[realarch]

Thanks Palmtalkers. Nice looking spines Pete, those Astrocaryum have some deadly spines.

Kim, I do have a Phoenicophorium, I keep forgetting about it. Those piggies are planted in the open space behind the property and left to their own devices.

I can more or less admire them from afar.

Tim