Palm identification

[happypalms]

Is this palm a hyophorbe verschaffeltii I purchased it from rosebud farm Rich trapnell under the name of Watana sumawong hybrid any information greatly appreciated 

[Kim]

Regular H. verschaffeltia have a more horizontal and recurved leaf.  The underside of the leaf rib is usually yellow to orange in color. The leaf scars on the trunk shown in your photo  express a typical trunk, though I'd expect it to be more swollen (hence the common name of "Spindle Palm").  So this does look like a hybrid to me.  Beautiful palm! From what I can gather, this palm is described in the volume "Cultivated Palms of the World." 

Whatever it is, it's truly gorgeous!

[happypalms]

On 8/11/2023 at 7:38 AM, Kim said:

Regular H. verschaffeltia have a more horizontal and recurved leaf.  The underside of the leaf rib is usually yellow to orange in color. The leaf scars on the trunk shown in your photo  express a typical trunk, though I'd expect it to be more swollen (hence the common name of "Spindle Palm").  So this does look like a hybrid to me.  Beautiful palm! From what I can gather, this palm is described in the volume "Cultivated Palms of the World." 

Whatever it is, it's truly gorgeous!

Thanks Kim I always thought it was a hybrid I sent a photo to Chris and Arden at equatorial exotics in far North Queensland and even they asked me what variety it was pretty amazing to impress them you must look up there website some amazing plants they have a lot of my new collection is from them now all have to do is wait another 20 years for my garden to look even better with there palms in it 

[happypalms]

On 8/12/2023 at 8:29 AM, happypalms said:

Thanks Kim I always thought it was a hybrid I sent a photo to Chris and Arden at equatorial exotics in far North Queensland and even they asked me what variety it was pretty amazing to impress them you must look up there website some amazing plants they have a lot of my new collection is from them now all have to do is wait another 20 years for my garden to look even better with there palms in it 

Iam expecting it to flower anytime it’s around 20 years old so if all goes well there will be seeds available fingers crossed 

[happypalms]

Photo update of my hybrid wantana sumowongii the difference in growth rates is amazing and clear to see all five palms were planted exactly on the same day some locations obviously better than others 

[Tyrone]

Rich was selling a lot of bottle spindle crosses back then. I think he called them Silver Lady. I used to have a heap from him but sold them all before I left Perth. The only Hyophorbe I grow now is H indica as it’s too cold here for any of the others to grow well. 

[happypalms]

10 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Rich was selling a lot of bottle spindle crosses back then. I think he called them Silver Lady. I used to have a heap from him but sold them all before I left Perth. The only Hyophorbe I grow now is H indica as it’s too cold here for any of the others to grow well. 

Yes rich was the guru for palms in the early days I have about 30 in the ground I might have to dig one up and sell it I never knew it was called silver lady cheers 

[peachy]

On 8/23/2023 at 7:15 PM, happypalms said:

Yes rich was the guru for palms in the early days I have about 30 in the ground I might have to dig one up and sell it I never knew it was called silver lady cheers 

Spindles are popular here in regular gardens and sad to say yours looks nothing really like one.  I bought a Silver Lady from Utopia years ago. Cost a fortune too but it was growing into a gorgeous thing when I had to move house. Again sad to say that it looked nothing like yours either. I too really miss Rosebud Farm, so amazingly cheap for palms and cycads. Often I would order seedlings and they would arrive in boxes a metre long to accommodate their size.  He often had things that I had on order at specialist nurseries for years. 

Peachy

[Tyrone]

1 hour ago, peachy said:

Spindles are popular here in regular gardens and sad to say yours looks nothing really like one.  I bought a Silver Lady from Utopia years ago. Cost a fortune too but it was growing into a gorgeous thing when I had to move house. Again sad to say that it looked nothing like yours either. I too really miss Rosebud Farm, so amazingly cheap for palms and cycads. Often I would order seedlings and they would arrive in boxes a metre long to accommodate their size.  He often had things that I had on order at specialist nurseries for years. 

Peachy

Rosebud Farm was amazing. It was exciting to get their monthly price list and come September we would get together with palm loving friends, make orders and wait in anticipation for the goods to come often in multiple boxes. I lived 5 minutes from the airport, so the potting up was done at my place until late into the night. Rosebud was one of the few who would send bare rooted stuff to WA, and the best at it. I travelled to Rosebud Farm twice to see Rich and it was an awesome place. He is thoroughly missed and there hasn’t been anything like Rich’s Rosebud Farm since. He was such a nice guy too. They were really good days. 

[happypalms]

8 hours ago, peachy said:

Spindles are popular here in regular gardens and sad to say yours looks nothing really like one.  I bought a Silver Lady from Utopia years ago. Cost a fortune too but it was growing into a gorgeous thing when I had to move house. Again sad to say that it looked nothing like yours either. I too really miss Rosebud Farm, so amazingly cheap for palms and cycads. Often I would order seedlings and they would arrive in boxes a metre long to accommodate their size.  He often had things that I had on order at specialist nurseries for years. 

Peachy

Hi peachy yes I have tried to find photographs of the so called silver lady hybrids so I have no idea to what they really look like as with all hybrids they can exhibit all different F1 traits it would be interesting to see F2 F3 traits but I don’t have a lifetime to spare to wait around and see the results I like the bottle palm much more than the spindle although the spindle spathe is truly amazing to see oh and rich was my palm guru he had amazing stuff much of my garden collection is from Rich I used to get mine delivered by a bus company at 2 in the morning rich had it all worked out the only one that comes close to rich is equatorial exotics but Jeff Marcus now that’s another story I wish he would send to Australia 🇦🇺 

[peachy]

There used to be a lot of Bottles in gardens here, up around the 2 metre mark but with the high house prices now, my area became fashionable so all the old houses got new windows,  then painted grey and the lovely gardens replaced with house extensions, garages,  white pebbles and a round cactus. I think there is only 2 or 3 big ones left to my knowledge.  I still see a few big spindles but every time places with them get sold, out come the chainsaws and grey paint again. Equatorial Exotics are good (if it's the one I think it is, run by Arden Dearden) (try saying that after a couple of refreshing gin and tonics) but they only sent things on the bus which meant a 75 minute drive each way across the city and coughing up a $100 freight charge and this was back then when a $100 bought a week's shopping, filled the car and one still had enough left for the lay-by installments.

[Cannonball]

I'm not sure how helpful this photo is being a night shot but its all i have at this moment. 

This was purchased as a Silver Lady some 12 or maybe 14 years ago. It's the largest girth I've seen on a Hyophorbe.

[happypalms]

11 hours ago, Cannonball said:

I'm not sure how helpful this photo is being a night shot but its all i have at this moment. 

This was purchased as a Silver Lady some 12 or maybe 14 years ago. It's the largest girth I've seen on a Hyophorbe.

Thanks for posting th3 picture looks very interesting. Does your one have the white crown shaft?

[Cannonball]

8 minutes ago, happypalms said:

Thanks for posting th3 picture looks very interesting. Does your one have the white crown shaft?

[Cannonball]

Perhaps this is a better photo

[happypalms]

1 minute ago, Cannonball said:

Perhaps this is a better photo

Much better I think we have the same palm bottle x spindle.Does your one set viable seeds? It’s nice to see another one in cultivation.

[Cannonball]

Hi Richard, I have two that are growing near each other and both have flowered consistently but no seed has ever set.

[happypalms]

5 minutes ago, Cannonball said:

Hi Richard, I have two that are growing near each other and both have flowered consistently but no seed has ever set.

Interesting fact. Never setting seeds I have seen bottle palms on the gold coast set seeds so hot enough. Oh well I might have to be happy with just a pretty flower on an interesting palm. So far my one hasn’t flowered.

[Cannonball]

Richard it's only observation so of no real note but I think that it has something to do with the salt air. I'm in Queensland and whenever I've seen Hyophorbe seeding well it seems to be that they are the plants in more coastal locations. Once again it's just an observation made in South East Queensland and probably of no consequence. 

Paul

[happypalms]

4 hours ago, Cannonball said:

Richard it's only observation so of no real note but I think that it has something to do with the salt air. I'm in Queensland and whenever I've seen Hyophorbe seeding well it seems to be that they are the plants in more coastal locations. Once again it's just an observation made in South East Queensland and probably of no consequence. 

Paul

Possibly I was in nursery in Toowoomba and the owner was telling me there was not many palms in Toowoomba because there was no salt air ( he was referring to golden canes ) so I thought ok you learn something new everyday. Or he had no idea at all but possibly he was correct so the salt air may have something to do with it.

[tim_brissy_13]

1 hour ago, happypalms said:

Possibly I was in nursery in Toowoomba and the owner was telling me there was not many palms in Toowoomba because there was no salt air ( he was referring to golden canes ) so I thought ok you learn something new everyday. Or he had no idea at all but possibly he was correct so the salt air may have something to do with it.

I’d think the benefit of moderated temperatures near the coast is far more likely than salt air being of any advantage. I’d suggest salt air is more detrimental than anything based on observation. Along the beach road in bayside Melbourne, most palms look terrible from the strong, salty winds. Just a few houses further in from the beach and things start to look much better. 

[happypalms]

2 hours ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

I’d think the benefit of moderated temperatures near the coast is far more likely than salt air being of any advantage. I’d suggest salt air is more detrimental than anything based on observation. Along the beach road in bayside Melbourne, most palms look terrible from the strong, salty winds. Just a few houses further in from the beach and things start to look much better. 

That’s my conclusion about salt air and palms. Most don’t like it a few will tolerate it. But for now most don’t like it. Temperature I think plays a big role most of my palms flower in warm weather rainfall is another factor for sure 

[Cannonball]

I'm afraid I'm not Au fait with Melbourne conditions but I suspect rather less warm and humid then Brisbane, perhaps that's to be considered.

 

This is another with what might possibly be Ambositrae, I'm not in anyway learned so it's just a guess.

[happypalms]

4 minutes ago, Cannonball said:

I'm afraid I'm not Au fait with Melbourne conditions but I suspect rather less warm and humid then Brisbane, perhaps that's to be considered.

 

This is another with what might possibly be Ambositrae, I'm not in anyway learned so it's just a guess.

Couple of interesting palms. All I know about ambositrae is I don’t have it. But was sold quite a few dypsis plumosa that where meant to be the real ambositrae back in the early palm boom. That has caused great debate in the palm community. 

[Cannonball]

2 minutes ago, happypalms said:

Couple of interesting palms. All I know about ambositrae is I don’t have it. But was sold quite a few dypsis plumosa that where meant to be the real ambositrae back in the early palm boom. That has caused great debate in the palm community. 

Richard, I have Plumosa about to flower again, they are a lovely palm ,but as you are aware, distinctly different from Ambositrae. 

[happypalms]

26 minutes ago, Cannonball said:

Richard, I have Plumosa about to flower again, they are a lovely palm ,but as you are aware, distinctly different from Ambositrae. 

Yes plenty of confusion about the real ambositrae. For now iam happy with the fake ambositrae aka fakey. But I did put in 80 seeds of my dypsis plumosa . So iam out to put more confusion on the palm market in a few years that will get em.