Licuala peltata var. ‘sumawongii’ Progress

[PalmsInBaltimore]

Last summer I bought a haul of Licuala peltata sumawongii and Pinanga coronata ’kuhlii’ seeds to try and germinate, and I’m posting an update half a year later. 
 

Out of the 50 or so L. peltata seeds, so far only one successfully germinated without succumbing to mold. I’m fine with it. The L. peltata started popping within a month of being put in coir or moss or LECA, while the P. coronata have done nothing for six months, which I find surprising. I expected the opposite. Anyway, here are some pics of the single palm (lol) I have so far from this. 
 

Here’s the seed with its emerging radicle on August 25, 2024, about one month after being in LECA. I moved it to moss for a while before potting it up in a seed tray:

September 13, 2024 the first sign of a plumule, barely visible in this picture:

September 15:

September 28. It’s an extremely slow grower:

And finally, the most current, February 8, 2025:

 

hoping to repot into a deeper tube once the second leaf emerges, which at the rate this thing is growing will be another month or two at least 

[happypalms]

There an easy one to grow so you don’t need to fuss over them. Slow at first then they get a move on. But a tough palm for a licuala just add water.

[PalmatierMeg]

You may not see a lot of results until weather warms up this spring. Not the best plan to try germination in the dead of winter. I've potted up Sabal seeds, then waited 5-6 months until FL heat was on before germination success. Palm seeds germinate according to their own protocol

[PalmsInBaltimore]

I got the seeds and started them last summer, but yes they are on their own schedule. The Pinanga coronata seeds especially.

I also am hoping for things to pick up when the weather gets warmer. The unsprouted seeds and the Licuala peltata seedling are in a heated terrarium tank (the kind used for keeping tropical frogs and reptiles) but heating elements can only make it so warm in there when the ambient room temperature is 65-68 degrees F in the winter. The terrarium temperature gradient is currently 70-80 degrees F with 70-90% humidity, but in the summer it's more like 80-90F in there. 

I would add that when I cut open a couple of the P. coronata, they looked good on the inside, but all of the L. peltata seeds I sampled by bisecting them looked unviable. Dried, shriveled dark center as opposed to a translucent milky white kernel....so I don't know how viable some of the seeds are. Either way, I'm pretty pleased even with the one seedling for now. I don't know what I would do if all 100 seeds had germinated by now. I live in Baltimore so like you said it's not an ideal time of year here for these species

[piping plovers]

  On 2/9/2025 at 5:35 PM, PalmsInBaltimore said:

Licuala peltata sumawongii

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Yay!   You will enjoy this palm. They are so beautiful and I find them to be fast growing in pots. I thought they would be more fussy about humidity growing indoors but have been pleasantly surprised.