a clustering Phoenix roebelenii or a hybrid

[Guest]

This palm is at Typhoon Lagoon, a water park at Walt Disney World. It is a very attractive specimen with pale colored trunks. Don't know if it is a true clustering Phoenix roebelenii or a hybrid.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph.....src=ph

[MattyB]

Ohhhhhhhh.......(faint)

[BS Man about Palms]

Whatever it is, it is branching too.

Thebaica?  (spelling)?

Bill

[SubTropicRay]

Hi Eric,

Did you get a closeup shot?

Ray

[Tad]

it is most assuredly not thebaica!!!

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

In habitat, most roebeleni are clustering, not single.  The single that we know must be mostly from the same seed batches decades ago.

I have heard that if you run your finger along the midrib of the leaflet, the roebeleni has little bumps.  A hybrid would have less bumps.  Any thoughts on this ID practice?

Eric, ya gotta swim across the water to test it out.

Jerry

[Scott]

That's really something. A clustering crown of palms is so tropical.

[Sdeez3]

Now that's a Palm......

[Guest]

I didn't get a closeup, I only saw it from a distance and took the photo when we were leaving. It is next to the wave pool. I will probably be out there in a few weeks so I will get a closeup then.

[DoomsDave]

Looks like a clustering P. roebelinii to me, though it's hard to tell for certain without a close up.

Roebellinii have "lumpy" trunks that are very distinctive, and tend to lose their leafbases more quickly and completely than reclinatas do.  

dave

[Phil]

As everyone knows, Phoenix are so promiscious and hybridize like crazy.  The suckering form of Roebellinii that I've seen (from habitat seeds) look just like the single trunk, except for suckering.  The crowns are not that large and the trunks thin.  The photo shows very large crowns (unfortunately hard to get a true perspective) and what looks like somewhat husky trunks, bigger than I'd expect for the suckering roebellinii.  Given these facts, I vote for a hybrid with the seed bearer being a female roebellinii.  Pretty plant.

Phil

[Phil]

BTW,

hybrids of female reclinata with roebellinii pollen tend to have more coarse leaves than what I see in the photo.  But, every kid looks different.

Phil

[Guest]

The trunks are slightly thinner than the usual P. roebelenii. They were also smoother, no "knobs" left from the old petioles. Disney uses a lot of Phoenix and as you can guess, most in Florida are "mutts".

Here is what looks like a P. reclinata x roebelenii at the same place;

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph.....src=ph

[Randy]

Looks like a Manganese deficient Reclinata, sort of...

[rsproule]

Hope you find out what it is. Perhaps the head gardener will know. Absolutely gorgeous! It looks like it's been around for a while so it must be able to handle the occasional hard freeze. The fronds look like they could be P. roebellenii X P. paludosa. Would love to try one in my Nor Cal, 9B garden.

Thanks for the pic!

Ryan

[Robert Lee Riffle]

I agree with Phil: definitely a hybrid.  The leaf crowns look nothing like the unhybridized, clustering form in habitat (Vietnam).

http://www.palms.org/principes/1994/pf9410.JPG

[MattyB]

Eric says there's no knobs on the trunks.  Any look how white they look.  What's up with those traits?

[Al in Kona]

That is one of the nicest clumping Phoenix palms I've seen.  I doubt it's a pure multiple trunk form of roebelinii.  It would be nice to know what its hybrid makeup is, as then it would be worth trying to hybridize more of the same, tho' there would be some variability of course.  Is that particular plant a male or female, does anyone know?

[surgeon83]

Is there any chance it could be a hybrid roebellenii x reclinata?  The way the trunks cluster looks very reclinata to me.  I actually have seeds of said hybrid ripening on my palm as we speak.

[DoomsDave]

(Randy @ Jun. 29 2006,17:39)

QUOTE

Looks like a Manganese deficient Reclinata, sort of...

Love those pics of the Big H!

Dave