Scored a variegated Raphis in Hilo, what kind?

[Patrick]

Hello all,

I found this variegated Raphis while tooling around Hilo and I swiped it up! I have no experience with these types of Raphis but have always been a "lurker" in this department. I was very glad to find this! It had some bugs but i know I can get that under control.

I hope somebody that knows about the Japanese classifications could ID this one. I am going to start doing internet research.

So,,,, pictures...

[Umbrae]

nice, I have a couple but long ago lost the name tags to them, one of my favorites, an old website called asiatica had them

[realarch]

Boy Patrick, I don't know the species name, but they are bullet proof. Full sun, shade, they thrive and grow fast in almost any condition.

Found one a few years ago as 'varieaged raphis' and that's about it.

Tim

[Neil C]

I was always lead to believe that full sun is a big no for a variegated rhapis. Mine hates the sun and burns on the white/yellow sections.

Regards Neil

[wimmie]

4 hours ago, Patrick said:

Hello all,

I found this variegated Raphis while tooling around Hilo and I swiped it up! I have no experience with these types of Raphis but have always been a "lurker" in this department. I was very glad to find this! It had some bugs but i know I can get that under control.

I hope somebody that knows about the Japanese classifications could ID this one. I am going to start doing internet research.

So,,,, pictures...

Pat, if you buy an unlabelled variegated Rhapis palm, it's almost impossible to tell what it is. You could look into Hollenberg's book The miniature palms of Japan. If you want to label your palm, I would go for Rhapis exelsa variegata.

Wim.

 

 

 

 

 

[Beespalms]

I have good experience with growing variegated rhapis commercially, and most variegated rhapis imported from Asia are not named varieties, and just rhapis 'variegata'

I would say you scored a higher end variety that might have at one time been named.  Unfortuently the science behind identifying the varieties is confusing, since a parent plant could produce off shoots of a different variety.  So after a few generations of pulling offshoots off of offshoots, you may have something different then what you starred with.  Some varieties produce consistent variegation on their pups while others do not.  So even if you knew the variety your palms was taken off of, it might not be true to the deffiniation of that variety anymore.

hope this helps

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

That is a beautiful palm!    If I were forced to guess it would be R. Excelsa Variegata.   Im looking for one just like that, (does not have to be variegated) preferably an R. Multifida.    

Perhaps posting this over in in this thread might be more helpful.  

 

Rhapis

[msporty]

First, I have no expertise, but I did the same search ages ago for my little collection and struggled to get definitive information. There are books, but they may not help your much either. If you want to become an aficionado it might be fun to buy.

 

Mine were sold as "zuikonishiki" and they are identical looking to yours. The bad news is that there is high variability among pups from a mother plant and this leads to difficulty in identifying many cultivars based on the offspring. Additionally, many of the variegated Rhapis excelsa plants sold are random "sports" that are later divided and sold.

 

Enjoy your pretty new palm. I will reiterate the need for shade and humidity to look their best. I use regular water, but I've heard people who use RO or distilled water to look their best. You can always buy "pinking shears" to cut off brown tips, though yours looks pretty perfect right now. I will try to upload a photo today.

[msporty]

Not the best photo, but I pulled them out of the shade so you can see them. They need a little TLC, but they live full time outdoors in the elements -- Santa Ana winds and all. 

[Mohsen]

This is mine in flower...

It hates sun ( I guess) and I keep it in living room...

[msporty]

Mohson -- WOW!!! That's a beautiful flower on an already stunning plant. I'm inspired to try one indoors seeing your photo. I assume the humidity is pretty good in Sydney? The leaflets look very healthy and happy!

[kurt decker]

Zukonoshiki is probably accurate. That's what it looks like. It is the most prolific of the long leaved varieties and has been the most commonly available for a long time. Nice score indeed.

[JT in Japan]

Here's some information shared a while back: http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/49711-lots-of-variegated-rhapis/

These variegated rhapis are pretty common in Japan, and you see them most often in pots outside of people's homes. Cheap as chips too.

JT

[Mohsen]

13 hours ago, msporty said:

Mohson -- WOW!!! That's a beautiful flower on an already stunning plant. I'm inspired to try one indoors seeing your photo. I assume the humidity is pretty good in Sydney? The leaflets look very healthy and happy!

Thanks Michael

i don't think they are very particular about humidity...only don't like direct sun ... @Pal Meir Pal should be able to correct if I'm wrong ?

[Pal Meir]

1 hour ago, Mohsen said:

Thanks Michael

i don't think they are very particular about humidity...only don't like direct sun ... @Pal Meir Pal should be able to correct if I'm wrong ?

What they don’t like: roots getting dry, soggy soil, wet feet, too much fertilizer, direct sun (esp. the albinos).

What they like: very fast draining mineral rich soil, soft O2 rich water.

PS: Almost all traditional Japanese nishiki Rhapis are R. excelsa (kañnoñchiku 観音竹).

[cagary]

Scored an identical looking one at Paradise Plants in Hilo. Its more of a furniture store with plants in back.

The people there are great, but when it comes to IDing the palms they sell, they are clueless.