Kentiopsis pyriformis

[WaianaeCrider]

Picked this up Friday at KF (for you O`ahu people).  Got it in the ground this morning.  Shade cloth in place.  In fact this whole terrace system is a mess of different pieces of shade cloth.  Can't wait till they come down in a year or so.

[D. Morrowii]

Neat looking maroonish stems. These will push a colorful leaf wont they? Maybe its just certain variations. Should be a great looking palm anyway.

I have a few of these started from seed I got from Bill here on the board. They germinated quickly but have been slow in the seedling stage. Theses are almost 4 months old. 

[Billeb]

Here’s my massive specimen. Gonna wait to throw it in the ground till next year. I got it last year as a strap leaf basically. You can already see the cool bronze color frond as it opens up. Gonna be epic in a short 10-15yrs. 
 

-dale

[96720]

How hardy are these compared to chambyronia 

[Jim in Los Altos]

2 hours ago, 96720 said:

How hardy are these compared to chambyronia 

Kentiopsis pyriformis is now Chambeyronia pyriformis. C. macrocarpa and C. pyriformis have similar cold hardiness. C. pyriformis is a fairly slow grower however. 

[Billeb]

13 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Kentiopsis pyriformis is now Chambeyronia pyriformis. C. macrocarpa and C. pyriformis have similar cold hardiness. C. pyriformis is a fairly slow grower however. 

Agreed. But it’s one of those palms that’s worth the wait I think. They are sloooow. 
 

-dale

[WaianaeCrider]

24 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Kentiopsis pyriformis is now Chambeyronia pyriformis. C. macrocarpa and C. pyriformis have similar cold hardiness. C. pyriformis is a fairly slow grower however. 

WOW!  Ya mean I gotta make a new sign and move the picture in my data base?  LOL  Mahalo for the info.  How about the other Kentiopsis did they get moved?

[Billeb]

1 hour ago, WaianaeCrider said:

WOW!  Ya mean I gotta make a new sign and move the picture in my data base?  LOL  Mahalo for the info.  How about the other Kentiopsis did they get moved?

Yes. I believe so. But mine will always be Kentiopsis Oliviformis and Kentiopsis Pyriformis. Nobody’s gonna tell me different 

-dale

[96720]

Is it slower than macrocarpa I get 2 fronds per year?

[DoomsDave]

Kentiopsis pyriformis start off slow, but speed up a bit as they grow.

Bob Burtscher has two specimens in Fullerton, near me, that are about 30 - 40 feet tall, planted in 1998 or thereabout, not sure about the size when planted. They are splendid! Trunks are about Archontophoenix sized (12" in diameter, more or less, about 18 - 24" at the base), with about 5 foot long crownshafts. The new leaves are 6 - 8 feet long and what can best be described as a brilliant bronze when they open, fading to green. They aren't upstaged at all by the bright red Chambey hookeri right near by.

(You kids go ahead and adopt all these new names, and lump everything together. They're still Kentiopsis to me . . . )

I got LOTS of seeds from Bob's plants, and they mostly grew, and I've got lots of liners, moving slowly along. I'd say they're as sturdy and reliable as C. hookeri and macrocarpa. My plant in the ground is now about 4 feet and picking up speed.

[96720]

Thanks for the info I bought 2 from Flouibunda and am curious about speed palms that grow slow are hard to recover if they get damaged!!

[DoomsDave]

12 minutes ago, 96720 said:

Thanks for the info I bought 2 from Flouibunda and am curious about speed palms that grow slow are hard to recover if they get damaged!!

Hmm. Be warned they might be dicey out in the desert; I'd give them a lot more shade.

[James B]

6 hours ago, 96720 said:

Is it slower than macrocarpa I get 2 fronds per year?

Yes I have found them to be noticeably slower than Macrocarpa or Hookeri but based on what others have said like all Chambeyroni speed up some once trunking.

Edited April 18, 2022 by James B

[96720]

I will plant it in the jungle it will never see the sun!!!

[WaianaeCrider]

46 minutes ago, 96720 said:

I will plant it in the jungle it will never see the sun!!!

I always wonder how long to wait to remove shade cloth.  Reading about many palms they say it can take full sun when mature.  LOL  When is mature?  When it trunks or just a few years?  Mine usually get about 2 years sometimes less.  If they can't hack it then it's time for something else.  Palms are tough once their roots spread out.  I have a Sabal minor which to the best of my knowledge grows in swammpy southern states and here it grows in full sun w/an average of 25" a year from the skys.

[Billeb]

59 minutes ago, WaianaeCrider said:

I always wonder how long to wait to remove shade cloth.  Reading about many palms they say it can take full sun when mature.  LOL  When is mature?  When it trunks or just a few years?  Mine usually get about 2 years sometimes less.  If they can't hack it then it's time for something else.  Palms are tough once their roots spread out.  I have a Sabal minor which to the best of my knowledge grows in swammpy southern states and here it grows in full sun w/an average of 25" a year from the skys.

I’ve never used shade clothes but thought about it. If I did, my plan of attack would be moving the shade off the tree in the morning and putting it back on in the heat of the sun. Then slowly put the shade cloth on later and later in the day. 
This process is exactly why I don’t use them. It would take a lot of effort and be a real PITA. The other way would be rip it off like a bandaid in the winter and hope it’s good by summer. 
I’ve got a Dypsis Pembana I threw in full sun as a 2G and it doesn’t look well. Screw it……it’ll turn around. 
 

-dale

[The Gerg]

Here’s my little guy.  Just a couple feet tall. I’m hoping it makes it for the long haul.

[Dusty CBAD]

Just randomly scored this today. I already have a one in the ground for one year from a medium sized 5g. I just couldn’t pass it up, these are one of my favorites.

[Billeb]

42 minutes ago, Dusty CBAD said:

Just randomly scored this today. I already have a one in the ground for one year from a medium sized 5g. I just couldn’t pass it up, these are one of my favorites.

Really dude??!?! Save some epic random deals for the rest of us. Jeez…. 
 

Congrats btw…

-dale

[Mandrew968]

One of the fastest new cal palms for me.

[Tracy]

5 hours ago, Mandrew968 said:

One of the fastest new cal palms for me.

Interesting.  Perhaps a difference between growing them in Florida versus California?  K oliviformis, now C oliviformis has been by far the fastest of the bunch for me.  Burretiokentia hapala seems faster than C chambeyronia as well as my K (now C) pyriformis.  The pyriformis was slower in my garden than C chambeyronia while it survived.  My neighbor's King palm dropped a frond on it's crown in winter, and it never recovered from the experience.  I lost it to crown rot.  Back to the comment though, many species behave very differently in Florida than California.

[James B]

37 minutes ago, Tracy said:

Interesting.  Perhaps a difference between growing them in Florida versus California?  K oliviformis, now C oliviformis has been by far the fastest of the bunch for me.  Burretiokentia hapala seems faster than C chambeyronia as well as my K (now C) pyriformis.  The pyriformis was slower in my garden than C chambeyronia while it survived.  My neighbor's King palm dropped a frond on it's crown in winter, and it never recovered from the experience.  I lost it to crown rot.  Back to the comment though, many species behave very differently in Florida than California.

I agree with Tracy that this is one of the slowest palms I’ve seen in my yard. Clearly appreciates the more subtropical environment Florida has to offer over California. Other forms of NC palms: Marcrocarpa, Hookeri, and Oliviformis sail by Pyriformis in my garden.

Mine too was putting out a sad one leaf a year before it succumbed to some form of fungus and I removed it. 

They are great looking palms when they have a couple feet of trunk on them but space gets more and more limited in my garden each year so the competition is getting stiffer to make the cut.

[James B]

41 minutes ago, Tracy said:

Interesting.  Perhaps a difference between growing them in Florida versus California?  K oliviformis, now C oliviformis has been by far the fastest of the bunch for me.  Burretiokentia hapala seems faster than C chambeyronia as well as my K (now C) pyriformis.  The pyriformis was slower in my garden than C chambeyronia while it survived.  My neighbor's King palm dropped a frond on it's crown in winter, and it never recovered from the experience.  I lost it to crown rot.  Back to the comment though, many species behave very differently in Florida than California.

Tracy I agree Oliviformis is overall the fastest grower for me. We obviously have different climates as I am in a hot inland Mediterranean climate vs your cooler costal zone. In summer KO blows the other NC palms away but it is always the last to open it’s leaf coming out of winter. I have a massive new leaf on mine that still has not opened whereas all the Macrocarpa and Hookeri have opened their first leaves. Have you noticed a similar trend where it is the last to get started but by summer it starts really cranking?

[Kim]

I have 3 K. (C.) pyriformis I deep shade under a huge Spathodae campanulata (African Tulip tree). Time will tell if that was a good choice or not. Planted from 1-gal pots in January, 2019, I estimate they have tripled in height, still have a youthful appearance.  Not sure if that counts as slow; seems average to me. 
This was a very rough area, dense with weeds,  and remains subject to falling trees — I found a tree fall had pinned 2 fronds down and tweaked the #2 palm into a lean. Removed the log and propped up the palm with a big rock, and a week later you’d never guess anything had been amiss. 
Below, palm #2

Palms #2 and #3 next

Palm #1

[Tracy]

1 hour ago, James B said:

Have you noticed a similar trend where it is the last to get started but by summer it starts really cranking?

Most of my New Caledonia's grow year round with the biggest spurt of growth occurring in the mid to late Autumn. Ko, now Co inclusive.

[96720]

In dense shade does it effect the color of the new frond? I have a macrocarpa and the frond is kind of orange or do they change color with age?

[Billeb]

2 hours ago, 96720 said:

In dense shade does it effect the color of the new frond? I have a macrocarpa and the frond is kind of orange or do they change color with age?

My Macrocarpa Waterlemon is salmon colored. It gets 1/2 day sun from noon on. My Hookeri is dark maroon and it’s in Full sun. Go figure….
 

-dale 

[DoomsDave]

On 4/18/2022 at 3:08 PM, Billeb said:

I’ve never used shade clothes but thought about it. If I did, my plan of attack would be moving the shade off the tree in the morning and putting it back on in the heat of the sun. Then slowly put the shade cloth on later and later in the day. 
This process is exactly why I don’t use them. It would take a lot of effort and be a real PITA. The other way would be rip it off like a bandaid in the winter and hope it’s good by summer. 
I’ve got a Dypsis Pembana I threw in full sun as a 2G and it doesn’t look well. Screw it……it’ll turn around. 
 

-dale

You're really near the ocean, so too much sun isn't nearly the problem that it gets to be further inland.

For what it's worth, what I usually do if I'm in doubt about sun exposure is to take the plant, still in the pot, and put it where I want to plant it and watch closely. If it shows obvious signs of problems quickly, I acclimatize it while still in the pot, which is a helluva lot easier (most of the time).

[DoomsDave]

8 hours ago, Billeb said:

My Macrocarpa Waterlemon is salmon colored. It gets 1/2 day sun from noon on. My Hookeri is dark maroon and it’s in Full sun. Go figure….
 

-dale 

 

10 hours ago, 96720 said:

In dense shade does it effect the color of the new frond? I have a macrocarpa and the frond is kind of orange or do they change color with age?

That's an interesting question. I've got Chambey hookeri and macros all over the place, and I don't think the exposure makes that big of a difference. Some are just a bright red, or whatever color they are. The color does seem to last a bit longer in the shade, but some empirical evidence gathering is needed.

[BS Man about Palms]

4 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

 

That's an interesting question. I've got Chambey hookeri and macros all over the place, and I don't think the exposure makes that big of a difference. Some are just a bright red, or whatever color they are. The color does seem to last a bit longer in the shade, but some empirical evidence gathering is needed.

I would add the color seems particularly humidity related. Somewhere on here I posted a smaller macrocarpa that took a week or so to fully open. In that time, it went from a healthy SantaAna dry event to monsoonal drizzle.. Leaf was green at end and red at freshest opening.

[96720]

The part about humidity is interesting since I’m in the desert very dry it would make since not to have red fronds I might try putting out a mister to see if I can make it humid enough to change the color abit

[rizla023]

Finally got mine in the ground from floribunda. It’s a little tight, but still in a 24 inch or more space so I think it will be okay. 
Santa Ana, CA

Edited March 11 by rizla023

[Billeb]

Bumping this thread……my Pyriformis is looking better and better with every leaf. I noticed the new bronze leaf today. This guy was dug from @Dusty CBAD’s pad a year + ago as a nice 5G. 
Love the shape of this plant. Top 5 for me here in Southern California. 
 

Let’s see some updates or New to the Thread Pyriformis people. 
 

-dale 

[Harry’s Palms]

I planted a small one here earlier this year. It is in mostly shade ( for now) until it gets taller and can pierce through the canopy. It was one I brought home from @DoomsDave place . It hasn’t grown at all but remains mostly green . They are so slow at the early stage, I can just barely see a spear starting to emerge. Harry

[DoomsDave]

@Harry’s Palms @Billeb here’s my pyroformis in the ground; no trunk yet but it’s about 8-9 feet tall overall.

@Billeb was yours easy to dig out? That’s valuable information! It’s always nice to know things like that. 
 

@Harry’s Palms they speed up a bit with time; I suspect they become rockets when they start to trunk.

 

 

[Billeb]

1 minute ago, DoomsDave said:

 

@Billeb was yours easy to dig out? That’s valuable information! It’s always nice to know things like that. 

Dave, it was a 5G but only in the ground for a short while. I’ll ask @Dusty CBAD again to confirm. I honestly don’t know how it survived because I had a small 1G that I planted out and 2 weeks later I needed to move it….it died shortly thereafter. 
 

If you ask me….all the stars aligned with this plants’ dig. I’ll take it because it’s a favorite in the garden. Hard to beat Pyriformis. 
 

Yours looks great. Little bit of the stretched look due to sun exposure I’d assume. Mine will look the same. 
 

-dale 

[DoomsDave]

5 hours ago, Billeb said:

Dave, it was a 5G but only in the ground for a short while. I’ll ask @Dusty CBAD again to confirm. I honestly don’t know how it survived because I had a small 1G that I planted out and 2 weeks later I needed to move it….it died shortly thereafter. 
 

If you ask me….all the stars aligned with this plants’ dig. I’ll take it because it’s a favorite in the garden. Hard to beat Pyriformis. 
 

Yours looks great. Little bit of the stretched look due to sun exposure I’d assume. Mine will look the same. 
 

-dale 

Ah! Sounds like your fiver hadn’t rooted into the ground much so you were able to get the whole rootball fairly easily.

[Dusty CBAD]

Dale’s was planted in my yard for about 10 months. It was an average size 5g when planted out. Good root ball but not overflowing. It had opened at least 1 leaf, maybe 2 during the time it was planted. Dale dug it out easily.

I planted a larger 15g Pyriformis that I had randomly found in its place. They are on the slower side but seem tough and worry free.

I’ll post pics of mine when I get a chance to get a good pic in a day or two. 

 

[Hilo Jason]

Here’s the Pyriformis from my previous garden in Hilo:

 

And here are the 2 that I have planted in my new garden. These are fairly quick here in Hawaii but they don’t seem to open a colored leaf here. 
 

[flplantguy]

Is shade a factor? Mine is shaded now and deep red all over (jeff was generous with a good one?) but i am afraid to stick it in full sun yet and ruin it.