cocos nucifera x Borassus flabellifera

[cagary]

A website is selling seeds for Cocos nucifera x Borassus flabellifera?

Has anyone heard of this cross before?

Here's photo of the palm.

[gavilan1]

Do these species have the same number of chromosomes?  Are the genera even remotely related to be able to produce a hybrid?  Anyone?

How about posting the link to the website, so that I can run it by some coconut genome experts at COGENT?

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Looks like C. nucifera "Spicata".

Jerry

[bgl]

Gary,

Sounds like an April 1st joke. With Cocos being pinnate and Borassus palmate, the chances of producing a hybrid are probably as close to nil as you can possibly get!

Bo-Göran

[Gileno Machado]

That's amazing...and the picture of the fruits is quite interesting indeed because it looks like the bunch has been prunned and although the unripe coconuts look familiar there's something missing in this display (estames). Where was this picture taken? Another mutation maybe?

I have no doubts that in the near future the genetic research will start to produce the most incredible hybrids that we can only think of today. My wife's dream is to cross a coconut tree with a Coke bottle sometime in the future, with the fruits filled with the "real thing" ready to go   ...in this way we can both keep our drinking preferences together within the same palm...  

[gavilan1]

Way too early for April.  

Find a way to get some Bacardi into the nut, and they'd be selling your Coke nuts with drinking straws on every tropical beach in the world...  muito bem!

[PalmGuyWC]

This is total BS and not worthey on this web site. This is an impossible cross, and not nice to get people's hopes up. This is a total sham and BS!!

Dick

[cagary]

I know its sounds like BS, but I'm waiting to hear back from the guy.

I've asked him a few questions about this supposed cross and as soon as he gets back to me, I'll let everyone know his story.

[cagary]

Alright here is his story.

"Yes.....  This hybrid species of Cocos nucifera x Borassus flabellifera happened

naturally . The local people could reconized the different of it so they call them

another name which different from Coconut name, they called " Ma-praew " .

This hybrid happen in a habitat that have B. flabellifera naturally and farmers

start growing coconut garden , so this hybrid happened. But since they are very

few plants arround , I don't know whether it happen one tree only and then

spread out , anyhow now a day there are few coconut gardens who have it

especially the old gardeners , and this information were known in a small

group only.

I know this hybrid from Thai palm book so I start searching for it at many

gardens and many villages and then I could found 2 trees only, one in

Botanic garden and another in one coconut garden. These are all information

that I have."

Anyone want to order seeds?

[merrill]

Hi, Cagary:   Could we have some more photos of this palm?

I agree that production of this claimed hybrid by ordinary means would be unbelievably unlikely.  It might be conceivable it could be produced by modern  biotechnology methods though.  As I say, show us some more photos - what little we see doesn't look like it is 1/2 palmate.  

Best Wishes, merrill

[BS Man about Palms]

(PalmGuyWC @ Nov. 15 2007,16:11)

QUOTE

This is total BS and not worthey on this web site. This is an impossible cross, and not nice to get people's hopes up. This is a total sham and BS!!

Dick

I am BS!  

[paulgila]

so its not only a cross that no one has ever heard of  & in most likelihood cannot exist but theres one with 15' + of trunk somewhere...?

[The Germinator]

I don't know about this, I guess I am a little paranoid when they say they have seeds for sale.

[rthink]

Just wanna add some more information.

"The local people could reconized the different of it so they call them

another name which different from Coconut name, they called " Ma-praew " . "

Ma-Praew is actually a Thai name for a normal coconut. I haven't heard that Hybrid between these 2 is possible for all my life.

Is this seller from Thailand?

Cheers,

[Jeff Searle]

(rthink @ Nov. 16 2007,04:38)

QUOTE

Just wanna add some more information.

"The local people could reconized the different of it so they call them

another name which different from Coconut name, they called " Ma-praew " . "

Ma-Praew is actually a Thai name for a normal coconut. I haven't heard that Hybrid between these 2 is possible for all my life.

Is this seller from Thailand?

Cheers,

Or some small country called Cameroon.Many growers overthere seem to have any seed your looking for.

Jeff

[Scott McDonald]

I are found grove rare hybridz.  See have fruits too, maybe I can pick.  Local tribesmen throw beer bottles at me last time try, but maybe I go again for good money.

Seriously though, you could always shoot an email to Monsanto.  If they can't do it, nobody can.

Monsanto

[cagary]

rthink,

The website is in Thailand; its palmseeds.net. The guy's name is Dan.

He sent me some different kinds of Areca seeds and they arrived quickly without any problems. Some were already germinating.

Do you know him (or of him)?

Exactly what would it take to see what these seeds really are?

Thanks!

[rthink]

cagary,

Yes..I talked to him a couple of times before.  He's a collector in the southern part of Thailand. I just saw he posted this species on his website. He said the inflorescense is more like Borassus. But I believe it's just a variety of C. nucifera or an unusual one, not a hybrid.

[Kris]

(bgl @ Nov. 15 2007,02:10)

QUOTE

Gary,

Sounds like an April 1st joke. With Cocos being pinnate and Borassus palmate, the chances of producing a hybrid are probably as close to nil as you can possibly get!

Bo-Göran

Even i second this statement !

Since most of our forum memebrs had once joked telling that kris will love to have a hybrid from a CIDP & Corypha in his garden... though i would love that hybrid.but i still can understand that a cross between a feather palm with a fan palm is not possible.

But as i always say there are certain Agro_Scientist around

the globe who are experimenting with genetic engenerring with animals & plants.one such neat example will be the verigated species filling the market these days.

Only time can say what these bio-techonologiest upto.since this will come under condemnation from all quaters,i think these are done in low profile & discreately..

Since if some one could cross corypha(Talipot with Lecomtei) and give the young sapling to me..it will be a dream come true.

or a cocous nucifera X CIDP..that is coconuts growing in a phoenix palm..

Jubea X CIDP or Oil Palm X CIDP...

they will all be lovely to see !  

thanks for reading my nonsence,but truely that's my loved hybrid combination.

love,

Kris  

[Cikas]

Hybrids between a feather palm and a fan palm are impossible ( at least without advanced genetic engineering ).

They are genetically too different. And hybrid like that can not happen naturally.

So this is fake.

[Moose]

Considering the length of time which has lapsed, if this was a legitimate hybrid - there is no way it could have been propagated unnoticed by the palm community on this forum.