Crownshaft-like Big Queen

[Jim in Los Altos]

I planted this queen palm early on in this hobby. Has anyone seen one like this that sheds its leaves cleanly before turning brown including their boots just like a crownshafted palm? All my other Syagrus, regardless of species, need trimming and many leaf boots remain.

[Cape Garrett]

You are one of the lucky ones.  If they only all shed there leaves like that.  Never saw one do that.

[Ben in Norcal]

Is that Tetrapanax papyrifer in those shots, Jim?  Any trouble with invasiveness?

[willo68]

Dont know if this counts but i have one( my largest one) that when we get some wind usually a leaf or 2 will fold down and i just give a little pull and it comes right off. All my other queens i have to climb and cut when brown.

[Jim in Los Altos]

21 minutes ago, Ben in Norcal said:

Is that Tetrapanax papyrifer in those shots, Jim?  Any trouble with invasiveness?

Yes, Ben. It's about the coolest invasive plant I know however. These pop up in all parts of my yard occasionally but are really easy to control.  

[Ben in Norcal]

27 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Yes, Ben. It's about the coolest invasive plant I know however. These pop up in all parts of my yard occasionally but are really easy to control.  

I've got a tiny one in a pot - looking forward to getting it in the ground!  Maybe next year?

I assume yours hold their leaves alright through our winter?

[Jim in Los Altos]

1 hour ago, Ben in Norcal said:

I've got a tiny one in a pot - looking forward to getting it in the ground!  Maybe next year?

I assume yours hold their leaves alright through our winter?

Other than new leaves in winter being smaller, the plants hold most of their leaves but some yellowing occurs too. 

[enigma99]

I have seen only one around here... Looks exactly the same as yours. I wonder if your seeds will turn out to be similar as the parent? I think Ben was looking for some extra Queens 

Edited June 16, 2016 by enigma99

[Pando]

4 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Has anyone seen one like this that sheds its leaves cleanly before turning brown including their boots just like a crownshafted palm? All my other Syagrus, regardless of species, need trimming and many leaf boots remain.

Looks great Jim!

I think I have one here. No boots, and usually it drops the leaves clean. I occasionally trim it, but the boot comes off a short time later with a gentle tug.

It also displays purple after shedding the leaf, it's sometimes quite striking.

 

 

 

[Jim in Los Altos]

2 hours ago, Pando said:

Looks great Jim!

I think I have one here. No boots, and usually it drops the leaves clean. I occasionally trim it, but the boot comes off a short time later with a gentle tug.

It also displays purple after shedding the leaf, it's sometimes quite striking.

 

 

 

Yeah, very similar. Queens are so variable that I guess some are bound to exhibit this trait. I have another big queen that is retaining leaf boots almost all the way to the ground and they can't be tugged off. 

[enigma99]

57 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Yeah, very similar. Queens are so variable that I guess some are bound to exhibit this trait. I have another big queen that is retaining leaf boots almost all the way to the ground and they can't be tugged off. 

I think if all queens were like yours they would be a lot more desireable. Not only would they look better but it would be a lot cheaper to maintain. 

I have seen a lot of variations around here. One around here doesn't look all that plumose. Leafs droop similar to a kentia. Really attractive. Others are clearly hybrids of some kind. I'm curious if yours would pass on the traits. You could make a lot off your self cleaning queens  

Edited June 16, 2016 by enigma99

[Tropicdoc]

a self-cleaning queen- nice. A non-plumose queen- even better. That would look a little like a coconut. Maybe that palm you are seeing is not a queen, maybe a hybrid or a Syagrus pseudococos or amara? Would love to see pics of that palm.

[quaman58]

I have a couple older ones by our pool that were there prior to buying the house. They're probably 20 years old at this point. They also have the very compact leaf bases which fall off quickly. I just assumed it was an age thing, but I'll pay a bit more attention from now on. It's a cool look.

[Danilopez89]

I've seen plenty cool queens! If we could only choose the certain traits we wanted in them, that would be great. Because some look like shit.

[Jim in Los Altos]

Man, this queen is starting to act like a royal. Less than an hour ago a fully green frond broke loose at the trunk and came down crushing some minor plants beneath. I'd guess its weight at 30 lbs. and its length at more than 20 feet. No sound or any other warning just before it fell.