Can (Veitchia) seedlings "double up"?

[Jan Jo]

Hey! 

I'm trying my hand at germination this season, don't have that much experience, so would appreciate any comments.. 

A few of my Veitchia Arecina seeds have germinated, but one seed (planted in a small pot along with another seed) seems to have germinated with two "heads"... In the photos I attach, you can only really see one (green) but the other appears to be growing too.. They are growing slower than the other germinating seeds for sure.. 

Is this normal? Or is it an embryo malfunction? 

Cheers, 

J

Edited August 25, 2020 by Jan Jo

[kinzyjr]

I've seen Jubaea chilensis and Phoenix theophrasti seeds produce "twins" and saw a set of trunking coconut palm twins at a garden visit.  Yes, it can happen from seed.  It can also happen sometimes if the growing point gets damaged.

[NatureGirl]

Are u sure that’s a Veitchia seed? It looks really small.

[Jan Jo]

10 minutes ago, NatureGirl said:

Are u sure that’s a Veitchia seed? It looks really small.

Definitely Veitchia, I promise, it's a big seed (actually visible to the left)

[Jan Jo]

1 hour ago, kinzyjr said:

I've seen Jubaea chilensis and Phoenix theophrasti seeds produce "twins" and saw a set of trunking coconut palm twins at a garden visit.  Yes, it can happen from seed.  It can also happen sometimes if the growing point gets damaged.

That's interesting! I wonder whether both twins will survive or whether the smaller one will die off.. We'll see! 

[kinzyjr]

1 minute ago, Jan Jo said:

That's interesting! I wonder whether both twins will survive or whether the smaller one will die off.. We'll see! 

One of the Jubaea twins recently passed while the other is in active growth.  Both Phoenix theophrasti twins are alive and growing.

[Jan Jo]

2 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

One of the Jubaea twins recently passed while the other is in active growth.  Both Phoenix theophrasti twins are alive and growing.

Sorry to hear that. Phoenix Theophrasti Twins sounds manageable... Jubaea Twins sounds... scary?! 

[kinzyjr]

1 minute ago, Jan Jo said:

Sorry to hear that. Phoenix Theophrasti Twins sounds manageable... Jubaea Twins sounds... scary?! 

When you have 100 Jubaea seeds, losing one out of two in the same pot isn't as painful   But yeah, twin palms that large would be an amazing sight!

[Jan Jo]

My two-headed Veitchia Arecina seedling is still alive and kicking, although growing slower and more compact than its "normal" brothers and sisters... Hope both heads survive, I think it would look cool when it grows up...