Memories from the discovery

[Anne-Tahina Metz]

Tahina spectabilis

 

Hi all !  

I was very surprised when Kim reached me to let me know about this fundraiser ! I am so glad and happy about this initiative ! It brought me back to so many memories from the discovery.

It was such an exciting thing to be part of ! Of course I was just a kid and didn’t measure the importance of it but now I realise how exceptional it is to have a tree named after me.

I remember the whole thing from the picnic, to my Dad coming home one day telling us that Bruno had posted it on PalmTalk and everyone was going ballistic over it !

I remember all the times we went to the site to see the inflorescence and how it evolved. We went to pick up the seeds and, in our garage, counted them and packed them to be shipped.
My dad really wanted me to be as involved as I could in this discovery and I will never thank him enough for that.

I remember Dr Dransfield’s visit, I remember seeing the excitement in his eyes when he first say the palm tree, it was like Christmas morning for him.

If you have any question, please feel free to ask them, I will do my best to answer them  

 

I thank all the PalmTalk community for it’s generosity and for not forgetting about the Tahina. You guys are amazing !! 

 

lots of love 

 

Tahina Metz

 

see attachent a picture of me climbing a Tahina back in 2008

[Cindy Adair]

Wow! It is so wonderful to hear from you.

Thank you so much for the very important part you and your family have played to help conserve this special palm!

I love the photo! One day I would love to see it growing in Puerto Rico for future generations to cherish.

We feel lucky to partner with Kew Botanic Garden‘s Madagascar Centre to aid the villagers with conservation of your namesake tree.

[Dypsisdean]

How special it is to be able to talk to someone who has a palm named after them, and was there during the discovery as well. I was so glad when I heard that Kim was able to contact you, and that you can be reminded of what an important part your family and Burno played in helping to preserve this magnificent palm.

No one knows how long it would have remained undiscovered if not for you guys. And no one knows how many undiscovered endangered palms in the remote areas of places like Madagascar that have vanished while remaining unknown to people who cared - never to be appreciated and preserved.

So, thanks to Bruno, you, and your family, and with help from everyone who donated - it looks as if this may be one we can save.

I managed to contact Bruno before this Project was started. But if you are still in contact, please let him know how this Project has progressed. And since you are in a closer time zone and speak French - it will be a much better experience for him.

And I won't let you forget your promise to send photos when you receive your new Tahina sweatshirt.

[PALM MOD]

How special it is to be able to talk to someone who has a palm named after them, and was there during the discovery as well. I was so glad when I heard that Kim was able to contact you, and that you can be reminded of what an important part your family and Burno played in helping to preserve this magnificent palm.

No one knows how long it would have remained undiscovered if not for you guys. And no one knows how many undiscovered endangered palms in the remote areas of places like Madagascar that have vanished while remaining unknown to people who cared - never to be appreciated and preserved.

So, thanks to Bruno, you, and your family, and with help from everyone who donated - it looks as if this may be one we can save.

I managed to contact Bruno before this Project was started. But if you are still in contact, please let him know how this Project has progressed. And since you are in a closer time zone and speak French - it will be a much better experience for him.

And I won't let you forget your promise to send photos when you receive your new Tahina sweatshirt.

PalmTalkers - still not to late to donate - https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/store/category/1-tahina-donation-packages/

[Kim]

Anne-Tahina, thank you so much for posting this wonderful photo along with your memories! Yes, we were going ballistic about this "new" palm, for sure! It was such an incredible discovery and I remember it all so well. I feel very fortunate to have made contact with you and your mother. I hope she will also share a photo or two here, along with some reminiscences.

Who knows how many more palms lie quietly in their forests in anonymity in Madagascar? As the forests recede to civilization, some palms may disappear without ever having been known to science, but how special that this palm bearing your name has been found and can be protected.

[bgl]

Anne-Tahina, thank you so very much for posting this great photo of you climbing a Tahina spectabilis, and thank you for your post above with your memories of this very special event. Those of us who were active here on PalmTalk at the time will never forget the excitement after Bruno posted the photos (taken by your Dad) and then gradually, with the help of Dr. Dransfield, realizing that this was indeed a most unique and extraordinary discovery. I was thrilled to hear that Kim established communication with you and your mother and it's exciting that the fund raiser is going so well. I have a total of eight Tahina spectabilis in my two acre garden (adjacent to Kim's garden) here in Leilani Estates on the windward side of the Big Island of Hawaii and six of them are visible in the photo. They are all doing well and it is most definitely the most special palm for me. I would love to see it in habitat but I understand the logistics of getting there are challenging, at best (and yes, I know what travel in Madagascar can be like!  ).

Again, thank you for your part in this amazing discovery!

Aloha,

Bo-Göran Lundkvist

[Anne-Tahina Metz]

Hi all,

thank you @Kim for making the extra effort to reach me, I guess it was easy to find me on Facebook ? Not so many Anne-Tahina Metz out there (thanks mom and dad for the unusual name haha). 
again, I am so glad people are still caring for that palm and that cause. 
I have absolutely no idea how many individuals are still out there, undiscovered and how many are destroyed by the enlargement of cities. 
 

That is an amazing collection of Tahina you got going there @bgl  They are huge and really huge !! 
 

@PALM MOD I can’t wait to recieve the sweatshirt and post a picture with it. It would have been funny to be able to take a picture of Tahina wearing a Tahina while climbing a Tahina

i forgot to mention it on my first message but the picture I posted is my mom’s property (c) 

[Natamada]

Hi all !

@bgl wouhahou, your Tahinas are really doing so well, already so big, they must like it there !

As Anne-Tahina said, it's great that this spectacular palm tree is growing  so well elsewhere and that it is so well cared about ! Thank you so much to all the community !

I shall translate the story I had written telling the story of this extraordinary discovery that lasted for 2 years as we were lucky to witness the whole flowering process one year or a few months after Bruno had launched the whole event on this forum, with everyone suggesting which palm it could be, and us sending our gardener to the site for him to collect that part of the palm to check how it was, us going there nearly every week-end to see how the inflorescence was growing, taking pictures etc.... I must have the biggest collection of photos of this event.... it was really an amazing time !

The T-shirts and sweaters are really very nice !

Palmlover regards 

Nathalie

 

[Alberto]

Yes it was a very special discovery. I was also excited about it. Despite living in a cold subtropical climate, I ordered 10 seeds. I was able, with lots of pampering, cultivate the young seedlings that germinated in the winter. From this batch there are still 4 growing in several parts of Brazil like in de Jardim Botânico Plantarum in Nova Odessa, São Paulo, BR and in the palm collection of Mr. Giacomozzi in Corupá, SC , Brazil.....

[Rachael_Holahan]

Thanks for sharing your amazing memories and experiences about discovering the Tahina palm tree. It's a truly incredible story, and it's so heartwarming to hear that you were part of this discovery when you were young. The passion and commitment of your family and the PalmTalk community in protecting this special species are really inspiring. If you have more stories or insights to share about the Tahina palm or anything related, we're all ears. It shows how strong communities and conservation can make a big difference.