Floribunda nursery tour

[John hovancsek]

Yesterday was the hips (Hawaiian island palm society) tour. There were a lot of cameras so please add I only was able to take a few because I was working 

[palmfriend]

Holy.....!!!

Please keep it coming!!

 

Lars

 

[mike in kurtistown]

This thread disappeared too fast. John has posted some really great photos. I just got my photos (30 of them) captioned last night, now will add a few of them. First is Heterospathe califrons (the one in front is flowering at its base):

Next up is Basselinia vestita, a New Caledonia species:

Next, Dypsis marojejya, the "Madagascar foxtail", showing a beautiful new red leaf:

John's seventh picture is of a pair of Sclerosperma mannii, although there has been some discussion of whether this is the right ID. The Sclerosperma is from western tropical Africa. My pic shows fruit developing near the base of one of the plants:

Finally, a picture of the densely clumping Pinanga sp. "maroon crownshaft", from the Philippines.

I will have more pics later.

 

 

[pohonkelapa]

Amazing!

[CiprianS]

On 5/22/2022 at 9:06 AM, John hovancsek said:

Yesterday was the hips (Hawaiian island palm society) tour. There were a lot of cameras so please add I only was able to take a few because I was working 

 

What species is that palm with the huge petioles and leaflets from the left?

Edited May 24, 2022 by CiprianS

[tim_brissy_13]

4 minutes ago, CiprianS said:

What species is that palm with the huge petioles and leaflets from the left?

Tahina

[mike in kurtistown]

Here are some more pics from the tour. First up - many of us are familiar with Dypsis saintelucei and are growing in our gardens, but this big?

Another gigantic specimen of something quite popular, but we are accustomed to smaller versions of Hydriastele beguinii, Obi Island form:

In this pic, Jeff Marcus, proprietor of Floribunda and leading the tour, gives scale for a massive Dypsis leucomala. this species was formerly referred to as Dypsis "white petiole", but Dr. John Dransfield gave it a name a year or two ago.

One of the most well-known and spectacular of the Madagascar palms is Lemurophoenix halleuxii. This specimen is so massive that, if I heard correctly, fallen fronds can only be removed by deploying equipment.

Finally, on a more human scale, we have Jeff (with a can of human engine coolant in his hand) standing by a pair of exotically-colored Geonoma atrovirens:

Enough for now. More later.

 

 

[Rick Kelley]

You might also enjoy more photos of the tour Mary Lock posted over in the travel logs section. 

 

[mike in kurtistown]

I'll add a few more palm pictures from the Floribunda lecture and tour. First are the infructescences of Hyophorbe vaughnii, a palm from Mauritius in the Indian Ocean that is critically endangered in its habitat. (Mary Lock has a closeup in the Travel section.)

Then an attractive small clustering palm from Madagascar, Dypsis heterophylla:

Then, beautiful examples of the magnificent Johannesteijsmannia (Joey) magnifica, a native of southeast Asia:

Clinostigma haerestigma is a native of the Solomon Islands, and a smaller relative of the well-known Clinostigma warburgii (samoense). It is said to be extremely rare in its native habitat.

Finally, there is Astrocaryum vulgare (from northern South America). Most of the leaf mass in the upper part of the picture is from this palm, but also of great interest is the trunk of the palm, just to the right of Jeff. Talk about spines!!

Enough for now. I'll have one more group later on.

 

[The Gerg]

That is a bucket list destination for me.  Oh well, these virtual tours will have to hold me over for now. I do have a small order that just shipped out today though, so, I will just keep bringing Floribunda to me. 

[mike in kurtistown]

As promised, here are some more palm pics from the Floribunda class/tour:

First up is Cyphosperma tanga, a remarkable looking palm native to the Fiji Islands:

Then, there is Areca mandacannii a close relative of Areca catechu, the "betel nut", native to western New Guinea. The tree is hard to distinguish in the photo from things behind it, but notable in the photo are the huge fruits that turn orange when ripe. I was allowed to take three, and they are incredibly hard to clean, having a thick mat of tough hairs that I could only remove using a prying motion with a pair of pliers.

Next is Neoveitchia brunnea, native to Vanuatu, where it is extremely rare and listed as "threatened" on the ICUN red list. Locals have called this species the "Devil Palm" and local folklore is that evil spirits invade the palm and make its fruits poisonous. However, the younger generations in the region are said to be largely unaware of and uninterested in these old legends.

Next is Veillonia alba, native to New Caledonia. The correct name is now Cyphophoenix alba. The palm is noted for the red-brown felt on the crownshafts.

Finally, here is a group of Borassodendron machadonis, native to southeast Asia. One feature of this species is the knifelike sharpness of the edges of the petioles that can easily cut the hands of anyone handling it carelessly. Mary Lock's fourth photo in the Travel section of Palm Talk shows a closeup of the two masses of huge black fruits shown in the photo above.

That's all, folks.

 

[Jeff Searle]

Great palms as usual! Looking forward to seeing this garden soon!!! Thanks for sharing Mike!

Jeff

[xoRudy]

How to schedule a tour?

[Rick Kelley]

6 hours ago, xoRudy said:

How to schedule a tour?

Floribunda is a very busy nursery.  This was the first time the local palm society had gotten access since 2004.  It was a very rare treat.  Your best bet to see it in person is to sign up for the IPS biennial tour in October 2022.  Floribunda (and a number of other wonderful gardens) are on the itinerary.  If you go to the Floribunda web site, you will find several video tours to give you some idea of the many super rare species in this one-of-a-kind collection.

https://www.floribunda.xyz/video/

[Hilo Jason]

Great photos. Thank you Mike and John for posting.

[realarch]

Mahalo Mike, was off island and missed this thread completely. The specimens in Jeff and Suchin’s garden never cease to amaze in variety and appearance. 

Now, back to work in my garden.

Tim