Palm Form

[Kennybenjamin]

There are often threads on pt about palm colour but I don't know of any threads dedicated to a palms overall form.

Personally I do love the colours of palms but my primary factor in determining my favourite palm species is form not colour, its a bonus if they have both which many species / specimens do.

This thread is provided for people to show us some photos of some of their most shapely specimens, they may be colourful or not.

There are many species that I can think of that potentially could have good form but i'm looking for the individual specimens that definitely have it!!

Some palms which I hope will get a run here are:

Ravenea xerophylla

Copernicia sp

Carpoxylon macrospermum

Psuedophoenix eckmanii

Borassus

Bismark

Kentiopsis oliviformis

Dypsis carlsmithii

Areca catechu dwarf...etc etc etc...

These can be at various stages of development as well, they don't have to be fully mature specimens??

Unfortunately my garden is still to young to have many "in form" specimens but here are a few of the palms that I have seen in the last few years that display good form....

Basselinia (Alloschmidia) glabrata, great specimen in the garden of Jeff and Suchin Marcus (surprise surprise)..

Chambeyronia houailou, great specimen in the garden of Dean (Mr Mod)..

Dypsis cabadea x leptocheilos, great specimen on the Sunshine coast of Australia..

[Palmdude]

Cabada X Leptocheilos WOW! What a fantastic looking hybrid!

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I would have voted for both, since that's how I choose my palms. But your poll didn't give me the option, so I picked color. My fascination for blue and silver just won't let up, and I like my garden to be a contrast of green, blue, silver and other colors. The primary backbone of my garden is parajubaea, rhopies and brahea. The parajubaea all have silver or maroon leaf undersides.

[sashaeffer]

Wish there was a choice of rarity...but then, rarity of a palm could be debated as well.

[Jim in Los Altos]

I voted form. Color is important but, if that were my main desire in palms, it would limit the choices too much. I'm glad I have Bismarckia, Chambeyronia, Brahea super silver, etc. but my green palms rule the garden. Lately, I've been purchasing palms for my garden that haven't been tried up in my area yet.

[Kennybenjamin]

I would have voted for both, since that's how I choose my palms. But your poll didn't give me the option, so I picked color. My fascination for blue and silver just won't let up, and I like my garden to be a contrast of green, blue, silver and other colors. The primary backbone of my garden is parajubaea, rhopies and brahea. The parajubaea all have silver or maroon leaf undersides.

Axel, I'm pretty sure that if I gave the option for form and colour it would attract very close to 100% of the votes. But both traits are not always possible in the 1 palm, often they are though and those that have both will always be popular! I'm interested in what people deem more more important in the instances where you can have both?

And still interested in seeing specimens that people think display good form!

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Here are two of my favorite in my garden. The first one is one of my eight parajubaea cocoides specimens, it's the most beautiful of them right now. It's about as perfect looking as it can be!

Here is a brahea, most likely edulis but crossed with something else for a more upright form. It's the perfect looking upright fan palm.

Finally, my friend down the street has a beautiful torallyi that I like a lot:

[Kim]

Given the choice between two palms of nearly identical form, I will give the edge to color every time. Form is the next most important consideration, but color wins by a slight blush.

[comic097]

Great thread, Kennybenjamin, gotta admit I love my colour, but when voting i had to go for form. For me its what takes my eye, form wise, colour is just an added bonus

[NApalm]

This is a tough choice. I think i'm like most people and pick via a combination, but if i had to pick just one, for me it's colour.

[Kennybenjamin]

It looks like form is a more major consideration than I thought, I expected colour to get quite a few more votes than it has (so far)?

Here are some more palms showing good form...

Dictyosperma

Carpoxylon

Salcca magnifica

And Borassodendron... This palm might not look like it has form from a far but I thought it looked great in this pic!

[Cocoa Beach Jason]

If color was the most important characteristic, this forum would be called "croton-talk." My vote is form.

[NApalm]

If color was the most important characteristic, this forum would be called "croton-talk." My vote is form.

Haha

[Xenon]

Color commands attention...it's overwhelming and taxing on my eyes. Form is beautiful in a subtle relaxing way (not a fan of the all palm look). I've been more interested in dicots and conifers lately. As for palms with nice forms, Euterpe, Oncosperma, Gulubia, Lodoicea, Orania, Pigafetta, Mauritia, and some Licuala look pretty cool.

[gob1]

Hello Ben, my preference changes every week - one week it is colour, the next it is form. But importantly it must grow in Melbourne....