Rhapidophyllum hystrix Seed Variability

[Bigfish]

I wanted to share a couple of pics I took today of some Rhapidophyllum hystrix seeds from different areas of the Southeast.  Of particular interest are the very large seeds, which actually come from a cultivated palm in Gainesville, FL.  Of the wild-collected seeds, the ones from Randolph County, GA are significantly larger and darker than the others, followed by Chambers County, AL. 

[DoomsDave]

That is interesting!

Seed size and shape is a major component species ID.

So what is a species? (Get out your botanists' brass knouckles . . . )

[Bigfish]

2 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

That is interesting!

Seed size and shape is a major component species ID.

So what is a species? (Get out your botanists' brass knouckles . . . )

There wasn't really anything that was any different from the actual palm itself (with the big seeds).  It was a single-trunk form though, so I'm going to sow all of these and grow them up and see if they have that trait also.  I doubt it though.  It's a nice idea to have a seed line of Rhapidophyllum that didn't cluster though...

 

It is an interesting outlier.  I'm curious if anyone else has seen seeds this large on a Rhapidophyllum.  They are easily three times the average seed size.

[Mandrew968]

Very cool information--thanks for bringing it to the table. Those elongated large seeds are very interesting... Do you think the solitary plant was that way from the beginning or it was trimmed to be a single? Thanks.

[Bigfish]

3 hours ago, Mandrew968 said:

Very cool information--thanks for bringing it to the table. Those elongated large seeds are very interesting... Do you think the solitary plant was that way from the beginning or it was trimmed to be a single? Thanks.

Hard to say.  There is no visible evidence of trimming pups, but scars could be buried.  It is a cultivated palm in a commercial lot that is professionally maintained.  

[Will]

I also recently got some seeds and they looks super round for some reason

 

 

[Bigfish]

36 minutes ago, Will said:

I also recently got some seeds and they looks super round for some reason

 

 

The outer shell has been removed from those.  Those are the actual seeds inside.  They do tend to be more round than the shell.

[Will]

2 hours ago, Bigfish said:

The outer shell has been removed from those.  Those are the actual seeds inside.  They do tend to be more round than the shell.

Those are actual the shell. Inside they have the same shape of a big Trachy seed

[Bigfish]

23 hours ago, Will said:

Those are actual the shell. Inside they have the same shape of a big Trachy seed

Well those are quite round then!  They frequently come to a point on one end, but you can see a few in the pictures above that are more rounded also.  Yours are a little dirty too, so harder to recognize the shell without zooming in and carefully examining.  Can you post a picture of the actual seeds?

[Will]

You were right, there was another shell which had to be removed.

[Bigfish]

1 hour ago, Will said:

You were right, there was another shell which had to be removed.

Those are last year’s harvest or older.  Brown is not a good color for those seeds, but not necessarily bad either.  They are usually a khaki/tan color.  I would suggest soaking them for at least a week, but changing the water every day.  Then sow them in a peat/perlite mix with bottom heat and be prepared to wait.  Or you could just stick them in a pot outside and check on them about this time next year.

[Will]

Got the seeds straight from a plant. Must have taken the old seeds...The other fruits were still green

[Bigfish]

9 hours ago, Will said:

Got the seeds straight from a plant. Must have taken the old seeds...The other fruits were still green

Yes, definitely old seeds from a previous year.  They could still be viable, however.  Rhapidophyllum seeds can last for years.  They have a reduced chance of being viable though, the longer they are exposed to the elements.

[Will]

Gonna soak them in warm water for a few days then. Thanks!