Needle Palm gender reveal

[cm05]

My Rhapidophyllum hystrix is blooming for the first time, but after googling around I’m still clueless as to which gender it is. Does anyone happen to know?

I know they’re dioecious, so with this being the only Needle I have, the flowers (or whatever they are) aren’t of any use at this time unfortunately.

Here’s an overview of the palm from March:

It’s put out 3 fronds so far this year, with two offsets forming, not bad for a “slow growing” palm in zone 7. Not far behind my Trachycarpus fortunei and Trachycarpus takil, and it puts my Sabal minor to shame.

None of these hardy palms come close to my Phoenix roebelenii though, which has put out 8 or 9 fronds so far this year.

Edited June 29, 2018 by cm05

[Las Palmas Norte]

Several of mine have done, or are doing the same thing. I was surprised that they flower at such a early stage in development. I'm just as clueless so I'll wait for an answer.

Cheers, Barrie. 

[Neil C]

Those look like stamen so I'm guessing a male.

Regards Neil

[Gonzer]

Watch which restroom it uses. (or maybe not in this day and age)

Edited June 29, 2018 by Gonzer

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Male 

[Funkthulhu]

TBH, I thought this thread would have a cake in the shape of a palm tree and then you cutting it open to reveal the inside was either blue or pink...   

[cm05]

7 hours ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

Male 

 

13 hours ago, Neil C said:

Those look like stamen so I'm guessing a male.

Regards Neil

Thanks for the ID.

[cm05]

Looks like it’s forming seeds, wasn't expecting to see this from a male. I’m guessing they won’t be viable.

[PalmTreeDude]

While I am not sure why it has seeds, how old is your palm? Mine appears to be around the same size, maybe a bit smaller, and I have not gotten flowers yet. 

 

 

 

Edited July 27, 2018 by PalmTreeDude
Added Pictures

[PalmTreeDude]

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Its a hermaphrodite come to find out.  Congratulations!!!   This year i had a male trachy flush female and actually self pollinate itself. Its flushed male the last ten years that ive had it. 

[cm05]

3 hours ago, PalmTreeDude said:

While I am not sure why it has seeds, how old is your palm? Mine appears to be around the same size, maybe a bit smaller, and I have not gotten flowers yet. 

 

 

 

I’d say mine looks roughly 2 years older than yours, but with no offsets (2 forming though). This year was its first time flowering.

These are from last summer:

[cm05]

3 hours ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

Its a hermaphrodite come to find out.  Congratulations!!!   This year i had a male trachy flush female and actually self pollinate itself. Its flushed male the last ten years that ive had it. 

Wow what are the odds. I’m glad all that energy it put into flowering hasn’t gone to waste lol. It’s my only Needle so I hope it stays a hermaphrodite.

I wonder if plants have a way of sensing if there are mates around, 10 years a male and then female flowers out of nowhere. Crazy how they can do that.

[kinzyjr]

2 minutes ago, cm05 said:

Wow what are the odds. I’m glad all that energy it put into flowering hasn’t gone to waste lol. It’s my only Needle so I hope it stays a hermaphrodite.

I wonder if plants have a way of sensing if there are mates around, 10 years a male and then female flowers out of nowhere. Crazy how they can do that.

Some palms can sense that and change gender

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23831732-200-palm-trees-have-been-spotted-changing-sex-for-the-first-time/ 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14620316.2017.1280379

If you prefer it in video form:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyFye-2Rv4c

Dick Douglas ( @PalmGuyWC ) had a needle that did that as well:

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/23529-hermaphrodite/

Apparently, Oil Palm can have these (I learn something new everyday):

https://academic.oup.com/aob/article-abstract/34/4/937/250821?redirectedFrom=PDF

There is lots more info on the web, but I remember reading in one of the books in my small library here at the house that there were palms that can sense if there are not enough of one sex or the other and change genders.