Ptychosperma burretianum vs.P. waitianum

[tjwalters]

They seem very similar. I've seen reports of clustering (P. burretianum) vs. solitary (P. waitianum), but I'm not sure. I have one that is clustering that is from seed that was supposed to be P. waitianum. Anyone know the the real deal?

[Dr. George]

Obtained as P. waitianum from same source, at same time, germinated from same seed batch. One single stem (so far) and the other clumping. - gmp

[Brad-Tampa]

This one was obtained as P. waitianum and it is multi-stemmed.

[fiji jim]

Hi All,

All the P.waitianum that I germinated from seed from RPS are clumping.

Riffle and Craft book describes both species as clumping.

Jim

[tjwalters]

The PACSOA site's P. waitianum page site has it listed as solitary (along with my pictures )

[ariscott]

I am supposed to have both.... and both are clumping... and I can't tell the difference....

Regards, Ari

[Gbarce]

My waitianums are also clustering

[Mandrew968]

Here in South Florida, our problem is ten neighbors down the street from you have a combined 50 ptychosperma elegans, all setting seed. This is the nicer of the common palms, down here, but ptychospermas are just as bad as the cuban palms for hybridizing! My point being that if you ask most of the authorities down here, you hear a pure ptycho is hard to find. Maybe this is the case here...

Edited March 22, 2011 by Mandrew968

[tropicbreeze]

My P. burretianum, still in a pot, is a clumper.

[tjwalters]

I just noticed that the latest "The Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms" lists P. burretianum and P. waitianum as possibly "conspecific" and "doubtfully distinct." Any word on whether "P. burretianum" has become or will become a synonym?

[Moose]

They seem very similar. I've seen reports of clustering (P. burretianum) vs. solitary (P. waitianum), but I'm not sure. I have one that is clustering that is from seed that was supposed to be P. waitianum. Anyone know the the real deal?

To add to the confusion: I've got two in my yard. Both were clumping. The smaller one (exposed to more sun) gave up on the suckers. Two years later, still a single stemmed palm. There is a Ptychosperma sp 'Watu boho' which is a single stemmed palm according to Don & Anthony Ellison in Betrock's Cultivated Palms of the World. The only Ptychosperma sp. 'Watu boho' I have seen was at Jeff Searle's nursery. Very narrow stem and the leaves look very, very simular to Ptychosperma waitianum.

Perhaps Ptychosperma sp. 'Watu boho' is the single stemmed form of Ptychosperma waitanum?

[Cindy Adair]

Unless I've made a mistake (please let me know!), my P. waitianum and P. watu boho look very different. Hover on the photos for the names as I know them. Of course they are both too small to see if they will be solitary or clump.

[Moose]

Unless I've made a mistake (please let me know!), my P. waitianum and P. watu boho look very different. Hover on the photos for the names as I know them. Of course they are both too small to see if they will be solitary or clump.

Cindy - If the last two photos are your Ptychosperma sp. 'Watu boho', I am not quite certain of its ID?