Rhapis

[Laaz]

The good doc has some very nice clumps. They have been there for years.

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/50980-a-hardy-charleston-garden/#comment-776781

[Pal Meir]

@DCA_Palm_Fan It is hard to say which species of Rhapis the smaller one may belong to. For comparison I have attached two further photos of the smaller suckers of my female (β) Rh cochinchinensis/laosensis. — The reduced number of leaflets is normal after the dark season: the more light the more leaflets.

[Pal Meir]

@DCA_Palm_Fan Another example for reduction of leaflets from 6 to only 1:

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

2 hours ago, Pal Meir said:

@DCA_Palm_Fan Another example for reduction of leaflets from 6 to only 1:

Very interesting.   So is this something that is unique to each species?  Or something that is seen across the entire genus?  

 

Any thoughts about the growth rate differences I mentioned and could that be an indicator of a different species? 

[Pal Meir]

27 minutes ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Very interesting.   So is this something that is unique to each species?  Or something that is seen across the entire genus? 

Any thoughts about the growth rate differences I mentioned and could that be an indicator of a different species? 

A to the last Q: I don’t think so. E.g. the growth rate of suckers from suckers is bigger than the growth of the primary stem from seeds. Generally Rh excelsa and Rh humilis seem to grow quite fast because they are grown in most (or latter in all) cases from suckers.

A to 1st & 2nd Q: This is common to all Rhapis spp.

[Pal Meir]

Tiny offshoots: 

[Pal Meir]

… and 4 months later:

[Hillizard]

Here are the 5 Rhapis vidalii (Averyanov's Lady Palm) seeds I got via RPS: https://www.rarepalmseeds.com/rhapis-vidalii  Two seemed to have been damaged in transit. Three look like they could still be viable. I'm keeping them on sphagnum over heat after soaking in water for a day. Now the waiting begins...

[Pal Meir]

On 4/14/2019 at 11:20 PM, Hillizard said:

Here are the 5 Rhapis vidalii (Averyanov's Lady Palm) seeds I got via RPS: https://www.rarepalmseeds.com/rhapis-vidalii  Two seemed to have been damaged in transit. Three look like they could still be viable. I'm keeping them on sphagnum over heat after soaking in water for a day. Now the waiting begins...

Throw the two seeds covered with mould  away and keep the other three seeds clean; the greatest problem of Rhapis seeds is MOULD  ! Good luck!

 

[Hillizard]

3 hours ago, Pal Meir said:

Throw the two seeds covered with mould  away and keep the other three seeds clean; the greatest problem of Rhapis seeds is MOULD  ! Good luck!

 

Pal: I'm not sure that is mold.  It looks more like the crushed seeds' endosperm, which of course would be a prime medium for fungal culture!  I will defer to your experience germinating Rhapis palm seeds and discard those two. Thanks for your advice! I just sprayed the remaining seeds with some copper fungicide as an added precaution.

[Pal Meir]

11 hours ago, Hillizard said:

Pal: I'm not sure that is mold.  It looks more like the crushed seeds' endosperm, which of course would be a prime medium for fungal culture!  I will defer to your experience germinating Rhapis palm seeds and discard those two. Thanks for your advice! I just sprayed the remaining seeds with some copper fungicide as an added precaution.

If it is part of endosperm which got liquid it is still worse …

[Hillizard]

5 hours ago, Pal Meir said:

If it is part of endosperm which got liquid it is still worse …

Too bad palms in this genus are dioecious.  That means I need at least two seeds to germinate: one male and one female!

[Pal Meir]

55 minutes ago, Hillizard said:

Too bad palms in this genus are dioecious.  That means I need at least two seeds to germinate: one male and one female!

Or you get a plant with male & hermaphrodite flowers:

[Hillizard]

56 minutes ago, Pal Meir said:

Or you get a plant with male & hermaphrodite flowers:

If only I have such good fortune with my plants!

[Hillizard]

Today's update report on the 5 Rhapis vidalii (Averyanov's Lady Palm) seeds I got from RPS a couple of weeks ago. Three of them have already sprouted. Now if I can just keep them growing...

[PalmatierMeg]

1 hour ago, Hillizard said:

Today's update report on the 5 Rhapis vidalii (Averyanov's Lady Palm) seeds I got from RPS a couple of weeks ago. Three of them have already sprouted. Now if I can just keep them growing...

Congratulations. Keep us updated. I haven't had the courage to order this rare and expensive species.

[Pal Meir]

1 hour ago, Hillizard said:

Today's update report on the 5 Rhapis vidalii (Averyanov's Lady Palm) seeds I got from RPS a couple of weeks ago. Three of them have already sprouted. Now if I can just keep them growing...

That’s good news! I guess the seedlings will soon look like this, so you can get an impression what kind of pot may be useful:

[Hillizard]

2 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Congratulations. Keep us updated. I haven't had the courage to order this rare and expensive species.

You're so right about both points:  they are rare & expen$ive! I grow all my Rhapis species outdoors year-round (with various degrees of protection), so I was willing to try another one. I just hope there'll be a male and a female among these three so I can get more seeds to share someday.

[Hillizard]

2 hours ago, Pal Meir said:

That’s good news! I guess the seedlings will soon look like this, so you can get an impression what kind of pot may be useful:

Thanks for posting that image from your gallery.  Since R. vidalii seems to be a smaller palm, I think a smaller-sized treepot will work -- for any seedlings that survive the germination process.

[Hillizard]

On 4/27/2019 at 12:04 PM, Hillizard said:

Today's update report on the 5 Rhapis vidalii (Averyanov's Lady Palm) seeds I got from RPS a couple of weeks ago. Three of them have already sprouted. Now if I can just keep them growing...

Here's what these three seeds look like today (June 7,  2019).  Sorry the focus isn't great (plastic container is deep). Two of them look well on their way, but the third one may not make it. Even if I don't get a male and a female to survive, at least someday I should be able to take offsets to share from plants that do mature. https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/25124421/rhapis-vidalii-a-new-papyrus-like-palm-from-vietnam-international-

Article quote: "Older plants appear as miniature, pretty, almost toy-like palm with attractive milky white, long-lasting, pendulous fruits. There is no doubt that this newly discovered palm has outstanding horticultural potential, particularly for miniature rock gardens of Japanese style."

[Hillizard]

On 6/7/2019 at 12:31 PM, Hillizard said:

Here's what these three seeds look like today (June 7,  2019).  Sorry the focus isn't great (plastic container is deep). Two of them look well on their way, but the third one may not make it. Even if I don't get a male and a female to survive, at least someday I should be able to take offsets to share from plants that do mature. https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/25124421/rhapis-vidalii-a-new-papyrus-like-palm-from-vietnam-international-

Article quote: "Older plants appear as miniature, pretty, almost toy-like palm with attractive milky white, long-lasting, pendulous fruits. There is no doubt that this newly discovered palm has outstanding horticultural potential, particularly for miniature rock gardens of Japanese style."

 

Update on my Rhapis vidalii seed germination efforts. Of the five seeds I got from RPS, two germinated successfully. This is the more advanced one and it's now putting out its second leaf. It's growing in a pot, in a plastic bag, in my sunroom, in partial shade, where the daily temps vary between 60-100 degF this summer.

[Hillizard]

Here's a slightly blurry image I took today of the smaller of two seedlings that germinated from the 5 R. vidalii seeds I got via RPS.  After weeks of waiting patiently a second leaf is now making an appearance. I'm hopeful that with additional leaves this species will increase its growth rate like the the other Rhapis I have. Each seedling is in its own plastic bag in my sunroom and only gets direct sun early in the morning. Temperatures fluctuate daily in that room from highs in the triple digits during the day to lows in the fifties Fahrenheit overnight. 

[Pal Meir]

15 hours ago, Hillizard said:

Here's a slightly blurry image I took today of the smaller of two seedlings that germinated from the 5 R. vidalii seeds I got via RPS.  After weeks of waiting patiently a second leaf is now making an appearance. I'm hopeful that with additional leaves this species will increase its growth rate like the the other Rhapis I have. Each seedling is in its own plastic bag in my sunroom and only gets direct sun early in the morning. Temperatures fluctuate daily in that room from highs in the triple digits during the day to lows in the fifties Fahrenheit overnight. 

As your pot is relatively (or too) large be careful with (over-)watering. And don’t fertilize for a very long time ……

[Hillizard]

2 hours ago, Pal Meir said:

As your pot is relatively (or too) large be careful with (over-)watering. And don’t fertilize for a very long time ……

Thanks! Good advice that I will follow, especially about not fertilizing for the foreseeable future. Since each plant is in its own plastic bag, the potting medium doesn't dry out quickly. 

[Hillizard]

Update on my Rhapis vidalii seedlings. This is one of two that germinated from the 5 RPS seeds I got last year. It's growing slowly but seems to be picking up now that it's in a warmer room and gets 12 hours of light a day, from both overhead LEDs and its placement next to a south-facing window. The other seedling seems to be 'stalled' at the 2-leaf stage for now. It will probably be years before either one starts to produce offshoots that I could share.

[Pal Meir]

12 hours ago, Hillizard said:

Update on my Rhapis vidalii seedlings. This is one of two that germinated from the 5 RPS seeds I got last year. It's growing slowly but seems to be picking up now that it's in a warmer room and gets 12 hours of light a day, from both overhead LEDs and its placement next to a south-facing window. The other seedling seems to be 'stalled' at the 2-leaf stage for now. It will probably be years before either one starts to produce offshoots that I could share.

Rhapis seedlings are extremely slooow growers …

[Pal Meir]

For comparison two 2¾ yr old seedlings of Rhapis subtilis:

[Hillizard]

5 hours ago, Pal Meir said:

For comparison two 2¾ yr old seedlings of Rhapis subtilis:

Yes, cultivating many types of palms outside of their usual habitats can be an exercise in patience and enjoyment of the growth process.  Ideally I should have bought property and started growing many of these species when I was a teenager!!

[Hillizard]

On 1/24/2020 at 1:11 PM, Hillizard said:

Update on my Rhapis vidalii seedlings. This is one of two that germinated from the 5 RPS seeds I got last year. It's growing slowly but seems to be picking up now that it's in a warmer room and gets 12 hours of light a day, from both overhead LEDs and its placement next to a south-facing window. The other seedling seems to be 'stalled' at the 2-leaf stage for now. It will probably be years before either one starts to produce offshoots that I could share.

Update: Of the two Rhapis vidalii (Averyanov's Lady Palm) seedlings that have survived (from the original 5 RPS seeds), this one is now pinnate (see below). The other one remains in 'suspended animation' with two small leaves and absolutely no growth/change for more than half a year. I remain hopeful it will resume development some day. I keep both of them under high humidity for now.

[Hillizard]

Update on my Rhapis vidalii seedling. It was the only one of the 5 (expensive!) RPS seeds from Vietnam that germinated and survived. Very fast growth over 2+ years. It's now putting out side shoots. Seems to be able to easily handle seasonal temp. fluctuations from 40 deg F. to 100 deg. F.  in my sunroom. Very refined looking palm.

[Neil C]

Stunning palm and super rare too!! You should pat yourself on the back for growing that from seed 👍

[Hillizard]

On 9/2/2022 at 12:26 AM, Neil C said:

Stunning palm and super rare too!! You should pat yourself on the back for growing that from seed 👍

Thanks Neil! At least I'll eventually be able to propagate it vegetatively from offshoots, since I don't have a male and a female plant. 😉

[Pal Meir]

On 8/28/2022 at 9:45 PM, Hillizard said:

Update on my Rhapis vidalii seedling. It was the only one of the 5 (expensive!) RPS seeds from Vietnam that germinated and survived. Very fast growth over 2+ years. It's now putting out side shoots. Seems to be able to easily handle seasonal temp. fluctuations from 40 deg F. to 100 deg. F.  in my sunroom. Very refined looking palm.

Congratulations! It looks great. —

Here an update of my Rhapis micrantha (*2004); it had some trouble during last winter, causing brown tips of the leaflets:

 

[Hillizard]

2 hours ago, Pal Meir said:

Congratulations! It looks great. —

Here an update of my Rhapis micrantha (*2004); it had some trouble during last winter, causing brown tips of the leaflets:

 

Very nice growth on your R. micrantha... I should put mine in a decorative pot too... since I doubt if I'll ever plant it outdoors!😉

[Hillizard]

Have a more developed offshoot now from my R. vidalii finally. This plant weathered the winter just fine, except for some brown leaf tips (either from the hard water here or dry air in my sunroom). The leaves split into 9 sections, which seems to be the max number, at least so far. Is a great house plant for me, though I can see putting it outdoor in shade each summer.

[Pal Meir]

1 hour ago, Hillizard said:

Have a more developed offshoot now from my R. vidalii finally. This plant weathered the winter just fine, except for some brown leaf tips (either from the hard water here or dry air in my sunroom). The leaves split into 9 sections, which seems to be the max number, at least so far. Is a great house plant for me, though I can see putting it outdoor in shade each summer.

Very nice growth! Hard water is no problem to Rhapis palms. They grow often on lime stone rich soils. The brown tips of the leaflets are not caused by dry air, but by wet soggy soil during the colder seasons. All Rhapis spp love VERY FAST draining corse soils, they don’t need any humus rich components.

[Hillizard]

2 hours ago, Pal Meir said:

Very nice growth! Hard water is no problem to Rhapis palms. They grow often on lime stone rich soils. The brown tips of the leaflets are not caused by dry air, but by wet soggy soil during the colder seasons. All Rhapis spp love VERY FAST draining corse soils, they don’t need any humus rich components.

Uh oh. I probably overwatered this palm during the past winter! When I repot it I'll use a mix that's lower in humus. Thanks for the suggestion!!

[Pal Meir]

My Rhapis laosensis var. laosensis had an unbidden guest:

[GreenMamaFL]

Here’s my variegated one 🥰

[Pal Meir]

Rhapis micrantha 20 yr since germination: 🥳