cfpacs Central Florida Palm & Cycad Society - Fall 2024 Meeting

[CFPACS]

The final details are being hammered out for the Fall meeting and tour.  For now, tentatively save the dates for the last weekend in October (Friday 25th, Saturday 26th, Sunday 27th).  Stay tuned!

[CFPACS]

Plan on having the tour of Montgomery Botanical Center on Saturday, October 26th, 2024.  We're planning on the tour including a presentation by Dr. Michael Calonje: https://www.montgomerybotanical.org/about/staff/m-calonje/

For this segment of our trip, please plan on bringing a lunch to eat.  If you're one of the folks who likes to get a hotel for these long trips, the address for Montgomery is below for reference:

Montgomery Botanical Center
11901 Old Cutler Rd
Coral Gables, FL 33156

An email should go out to our members in the next couple of weeks with a more detailed itinerary.  At that point, the itinerary will also be posted here.  Get those RSVP responses ready  

[CFPACS]

Please note the itinerary for the CFPACS Fall 2024 Meeting below:

Hotel Stay:

For those interested in staying at a hotel for the weekend, CFPACS has reserved a block of rooms for the dates of the trip at the Hampton Inn by Hilton Miami-Coconut Grove/Coral Gables. You can register using the link or by phone anytime before September 25^th, 2024 using the information below:

• Address: 2800 SW 28TH TER, MIAMI, FL 33133-3713
• Phone: (305)448-2800
• Link: https://tinyurl.com/fpshampton2024
• Group Code: FPS
• Group Rate: $169.00/night

Friday, October 25^th, 2024:

For those who are arriving earlier in the day, you're invited to visit Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden on your own or as part of a small group.  This is an unscheduled activity, so there are no set times.  The hours and admission information for the garden are available at the link below:

• Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden: https://fairchildgarden.org/
• Address: 10901 OLD CUTLER RD, CORAL GABLES FL 33156-4233

Saturday, October 26^th, 2024:

For the first official visit, please meet at the entrance of Montgomery Botanical Center at 10:00 AM for a short presentation by cycad expert Michael Calonje and then a tour of the garden.  The palmetum features a 50-year-old Lodoicea maldivica (Double Coconut) and over 5,000 total specimens representing 358 taxa.  The cycad ecologic collection has been doubled to include over 13 acres.  Please bring an umbrella and lunch as the tour will last until approximately 2:00 PM and we cannot leave and re-enter.

• Montgomery Botanical Center: https://www.montgomerybotanical.org/
• Address: 11901 OLD CUTLER RD, CORAL GABLES, FL 33156-4242
• Lodoicea maldivica at Montgomery: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/65758-double-coconut-article-from-2018-fascinating/?do=findComment&comment=958806

Sunday, October 27^th, 2024:

The last stop on our tour is at the garden of @waykoolplantz in Hollywood, FL.  Featuring Tahina spectabilis, and an array of palms and tropical plants expertly arranged into one of the most beautiful private gardens in all of Florida.  Lunch will be provided by the society at the site.  Please bring a chair for your comfort.

• Location: Hollywood, FL (Please RSVP for address)
• Time: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
• Tahina spectabilis - Fall 2020 Visit: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/65888-tahina-rogues-gallery/

Additional Considerations:

• Please consider bringing an umbrella and mosquito repellent to all sites.
• There will not be a CFPACS sale or auction at the meet-ups.  Attendees are certainly free to buy/sell/trade amongst themselves.
• Fall 2020 Meeting Link: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/65030-central-florida-palm-cycad-society-fall-meeting-fri-10022020-to-sun-10042020/

Please RSVP by PM here or by email to cfpacs.membership@gmail.com.  We look forward to seeing you there!

[Central Floridave]

I haven't been to those spots for a long time.  What year did CFPACS help plant some royal palms there?    I helped with the digging.  

I hope I can make that weekend.  

[D. Morrowii]

I’ve never been to Fairchild or Montgomery so I’m really looking forward to this. 

[kinzyjr]

@Central Floridave + @D. Morrowii

I'll add both of you as RSVPs to ensure we get enough food for the site on Sunday.  Just keep in mind that the Fairchild visit is kind of an "ad-hoc" visit where the folks who can go are going on their own.  In my case, I won't arrive until Saturday morning at Montgomery, so look forward to seeing you both if you can make it.

[CFPACS]

Our room block has been extended until Friday, October 4^th, 2024.  For those that would still like to stay close to Montgomery, this is a great opportunity to do so at a reduced rate.  See the information sent to us below:

==============================================
From: Sales Coordinator <grovesalescoordinator@hospitalityamerica.com>
Date: September 24, 2024 at 1:07:41 PM EDT

Please inform any attendees who have not yet booked their accommodations to do so by Friday, October 4th. Should anyone need any assistance reserving their room, please have them contact the sales department directly via our email or by phone at 305-448-2800.

Best Regards,
Sales Coordinator  
Hampton by Hilton
Miami Coconut Grove/Coral Gables
Ranked Top 10 Hotels on TripAdvisor
2800 SW 28th Terrace
Miami, Florida  33133

Hotel: 305.448.2800

www.hamptoninncoconutgrove.com 
==============================================

[Barry]

I will be attending, coming over on Friday. Hope to have time to visit Fairchild or some shopping in Homestead on Friday. Looking forward to both days of this event! Also meeting fellow members.

[kinzyjr]

Looking forward to this one!  Going to be a spectacular tour.

[D. Morrowii]

Should be awesome!

[CFPACS]

Everyone that sent in an RSVP should have received an email with the address for the private garden on Sunday.  If you did not receive the site address, please send an email to cfpacs.membership@gmail.com to receive this information.  We look forward to seeing everyone in attendance!

[Barry]

Looking forward to this event and meeting everyone!

[kinzyjr]

It was a pleasure to see @Barry, @PalmJuan, @Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax), @waykoolplantz, and @D. Morrowii at the event. 

Some photos from Montgomery Botanical Center:

Photo Set I - The Start and Finish

Dr. Griffith

Dr. Michael Calonje

A bit of history

The tour starts

Dr. Griffith presents

A presentation on Borassus:

Cycad Explorers:

Dr. Calonje leads the way:

CFPACS presents Montgomery with a check:

A gift to our members from Montgomery - seeds!  The Gaussia maya label belongs in the jar missing its label.

 

Photo Set II - The House

Dining Room

Just relax... (next two photos)

Nell, Col. Montgomery's wife

 

Photo Set III - The Nursery and a Ficus

 

 

 

[kinzyjr]

Photo Set IV - Some of the Cycads on the Tour

The wall of cycads

More on the tour (10 photos)

A cycad with a pendulous cone

[kinzyjr]

Photo Set V - Some of the Palms on the Tour

Psuedophoenix ekmanii

The Lakeview (2 photos)

Corypha - but I forgot which species

The crew in Attlea-ville

Borassus

Hyphaene

Roystonea (2 photos)

Last, but not least... Lodoicea maldivica (2 photos)

[kinzyjr]

Some photos from The Garden of @waykoolplantz:

Photo Set I - The Group Tour

Folks walking around the garden and finishing with a filling lunch, courtesy of CFPACS (15 photos)

[kinzyjr]

Photo Set II - The Pond

Probably the most recognizable feature of this garden is the pond area.  The nine photos below are of the pond area from different perspectives.

[kinzyjr]

Photo Set III - Odds and Ends

No South Florida Garden is complete without a volunteer coconut palm

Livistona species aren't a zone stretch in this USDA Zone 11a area, but they look great, especially the large one.

Veitchia under canopy and in full sun:

Spindle and friends:

The winding paths are incredible:

Some beds have variegated plants and/or are densely planted.

Looks like a Clinostigma...

Licuala

A mystery Dypsis? (Chrysalidocarpus?)  It branches and has thin trunks...

Boababs... one had flowers.

Plenty of seeds, and the host provided freezer bags for interested parties. 

Another recognizable feature - the giant Ficus:

The coveted Cyrtostachys renda:

The dogs want as much attention as the palms:

 

If anyone else has photos to share, please feel free to post them here.

[D. Morrowii]

Those are some remarkable gardens! We had a very nice time seeing so many different and beautiful palm species over the weekend. Many thanks to our gracious hosts and CFPACS for putting this together.

A few shots 

Pelogodoxa henryana 

Calyptronoma rivalis (I think?)

 

[kinzyjr]

Great pictures, @D. Morrowii!  I got this one via text from @waykoolplantz:

[CFPACS]

A short recap of the meeting is available here: 

https://cfpacs.com/org/wp-content/uploads/publications/2024/recap_2024_03.pdf

[D. Morrowii]

Nice recap! Thank you!