Most colourful palm

[Neofolis]

I was going to do this as a poll, but there would only be loads of suggestions that I didn't include, so I wondered what everyone thinks is the most colourful palm.  Having just seen the pictures of Pinanga celebica posted by Robert on the Kebun Raya thread, I would think that must be a contender.  The longer I spend investigating palms the more species I come across with red or other emergent leaf colour.  There are obviously some great crownshaft colourings about and there are the species that have coloured rachis and/or petioles, not to mention trunk colour.  I suppose inflorescence/infructescence should also be taken into account.

I suppose by most colourful, I mean either the greatest array of colours or the most vivid colours, so what does everyone think.

[Kris]

Dear Neo folis  

thanks for asking !

for me it would be Lipstick palm & bismarkia

(Silver Form Only).

if iam to build a new house i will fill the side walls

with lipstick palms & bismarkia alternatively.

and the main gate housing 2 full grown

CIDP on either side of the gate. and

nothing else is needed for christ

sake.

Love,

Kris.

[cfkingfish]

Corey, I think that some of the understory palms are the most vivid and diverse in color. Here are a few plants I have grown which have shown at least 2-3 colors:

Calyptrocalyx micholitzii (mottled, new strawberry leaf)

Pinanga sp. "Blue Seed" - This is out of Sarawak. I grew these from seed offered by RPS about a year ago. The first leaves came up chocolate colored and I thought they were dying. Under low light they faded to light green/dark green mottling, and had red "flecks" in the leaves. They now come up red, yellow, green - each leaf is a surprise.

Dee Hull, a collector/grower who lives in the Miami area, has a variegated Cyrtostachys which is unbelievably colorful. It was never for sale but I don't know if he still has it. I saw the picture, does anyone else have a picture of that plant?

[Neofolis]

I'm still trying to find various Pinanga seed, most of them seem quite colourful.

[Alberto]

I have never seen one ´´in flesh´´ but from the brazilian palms the Euterpe espiritosantensis is certainly one of the most colorful.

[Dypsisdean]

How about some pics guys!

Certainly Pinangas are among the most colorful.

A young Pinanga caesia.

[Zac in NC]

Wow Christian. A Variegated Cyrtostachys? That sounds really damn awesome. I'd love to see pictures of something like that.

Zac

[Don Little]

Crytostachys is hard to beat as the most colorful when it comes to permanent color but temporary color I'll go with Chambeyronia var hookeri.  I posted this pic of my hookeri on another discussion hard to beat the deep red even if it only last a short time.

.

[bgl]

No matter how many "new" palms with color we come across, whether it be a new emerging frond (that will lose the color fairly promptly!), the trunk and/or crownshaft, inflorescence, or some other part, I think it'd be tough to deny that when it comes to permanent and dramatic color, Cyrtostachys renda is impossible to beat. I believe I posted this photo in a different thread last month, but can't resist adding it to this thread...

[Dypsisdean]

I agree Bo. If this were a poll, C. renda would be the likely winner. Even non-palm and non-plant people can't help but notice them.

[Dypsisdean]

Another colorful Pinanga

[BS Man about Palms]

As always, I throw in a vote for the Kentiopsis Piersoniorum.  I really need to get a good picture to post.  I think they would have a bigger fan club if more of them were around to be seen.

But, all "above" the trunk, you can have yellow, pink, lime green, blue-green, brown, lightgreen and some mixture of all of the above.    I think thats why the old Nurserymans name was "Mackea Champagne"

Biased caused I think, I hope I can grow mine....Lipstick one is out of the question here.

[Don Little]

If you go to the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, they have a nice Lipstick Palm in their conservatory.  Seeing one in person only makes you want one more.  At a nursery in Kauai they were selling 30 gallon Lipstick palms for $1100.00, Does that sound about right for those of you who are fortunate to be able to grow one?

[bgl]

Don,

That definitely sounds on the expensive side. Keep in mind that buying a palm from the actual grower is almost always less expensive. Many nurseries here don't grow the palms themselves. They buy them from a grower, for re-sale. I havn't bought any C. renda in the last 4 years or so, but here are some of the prices I paid at the time:

5G in 2002: $40

15G in 1997: $75-$115 (different sources)

25G in 1997: $250-$280

Prices are most certainly higher today. Also, there could be a big difference in size. In other words, a 25G at one place may be on the skimpy side, while a 25G at a different place may be much fuller and taller, and that would be reflected in the price.

Bo-Göran

[Don Little]

The ones he showed me were all about 8-10 feet tall.  He did say that most of those went to builders and so that might explain the huge price.  He did have some smaller ones in the main part of the nursery that he was selling for 75$ but even those sound abit high compared to your list.  The name of the nusery was Kauai Nursery and Lanscaping Inc.

[Neofolis]

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned any of the colourful Dypsis species.  I know with most of them the colour is restricted to the crownshaft, like "Orange Crush" and florencei, but they also have red emergent leaf varieties like Dypsis lantzeana, which I think would compete with Chambeyronia "hookeri" in terms of vivid leaf colouring.

It's certainly tough to compete with Pinanga caesia in terms of all over colour.  Yellow and green mottled leaves, yellow crownshaft fading to orange or brown and a green, yellow and orange ringed trunk.  It can even has yellow petioles and rachis.

The maroon form of Areca vestiaria may compete with Cyrtostachys renda for some people.  Although the petiole, rachis and crownshaft colour is not as vivid, it does have the emergent leaf trait as well.

[kylecawazafla]

The Areca vestiaria in Robert Lee Riffle's book is incredible! I thought it outdid Crytostachys plus the new leaf color as well.

Lemurophoenix are also very colorful, I don't know if they would win it though.

[iwan]

How about an orange Cyrtostachys renda?  

[cfkingfish]

That Orange/Yellow color is awesome! I have a 3 gallon of one of those guys. I call it Cyrtostachys sp. "Yellow Submarine".

Kyle is right, a mature Lemurophoenix is very colorful with a pinkish/lavender crownshaft and flecked trunk. Here is a picture of a Lemur that died in Cyclone Larry? This is not my photo but I give grievances to the was-owner:

[Trópico]

This is a great thread! I nominate A. vestiaria (both maroon and regular); A. macrocalyx can be vivid as well.

[Scott]

Bo, that Cyrtostachys renda is just gorgeous! It's in "Living Color" as they used to say.

[Zac in NC]

I think Licuala mattanensis 'Mapu' is nice for just being a bicolored one.

Christian- Still would love to see a pic of the variegated Cyrtostachys.

Zac

[Dypsisdean]

Did you guys notice that post #18 of the Cyrtostachys appears to show variegation on the trunk? Christian, is this what you meant, or did you see a Cyrtostachys with variegated leaves?

[bgl]

Scott,

The Cyrtostachys in Post #9 is just as vibrant red in real life as it is above.

Bo-Göran

[Jeff Searle]

A nice large sealing wax about 18' with beautiful red color in the crowns would get my vote, when I see it sitting in my nursrey!!

[DoomsDave]

(bgl @ Oct. 23 2006,20:11)

QUOTE

No matter how many "new" palms with color we come across, whether it be a new emerging frond (that will lose the color fairly promptly!), the trunk and/or crownshaft, inflorescence, or some other part, I think it'd be tough to deny that when it comes to permanent and dramatic color, Cyrtostachys renda is impossible to beat. I believe I posted this photo in a different thread last month, but can't resist adding it to this thread...

Alas, I must agree.

Hit over the head with a [pick a hard, heavy object].

dave

[DoomsDave]

Hmm.

On the other hand, for Cali, nothing beats Chambeyronea, yeah, I know, you're tired of hearing about it, but it still rocks.

dave

[iwan]

(Dypsisdean @ Nov. 08 2006,12:24)

QUOTE

Did you guys notice that post #18 of the Cyrtostachys appears to show variegation on the trunk? Christian, is this what you meant, or did you see a Cyrtostachys with variegated leaves?

Dean,

I also saw several of the red form with this variagation on the trunks in Bali.  I will have to go through my pictures to see if I captured any.

[Zac in NC]

(Dave from So-Cal @ Nov. 08 2006,23:56)

QUOTE

Hmm.

On the other hand, for Cali, nothing beats Chambeyronea, yeah, I know, you're tired of hearing about it, but it still rocks.

dave

Nah. Keep telling us about it Dave. I am planning on getting some to grow in pots here at my place in NC until I get somewhere warmer. We'll see how many I'll kill in my "Container Ranch."      

Zac

[bgl]

I agree that Areca vestiaria is a great looking colorful palm, and it probably has even more color than C. renda since a mature A. vestiaria always seems to have plenty of fairly large red seeds. BUT, unfortunately it just doesn't have the same "clean" look as the renda.

Here's an A. vestiaria.

[Kris]

Dear Bo Goran  

Once again U have introduced me to a areca Sp.

i have never seen before.it is fentastic.

Areca Vestiaria is also lovely and i appears i have

started loving this one too !

Do U know Folks i have a big heart and it has plenty

of room for new plants,though i do not have that much

of real estate space for gardening...at the moment.

Thanks once again Bo Goran  

Kris.

[iwan]

Red, with variegated trunk.  Interesting that the variegation is yellow/orange.  Ubud, Bali.

[Kamipalms]

I'm surprized no one has mentioned the THE most colourfull of all;

[BS Man about Palms]

WOW!!!

[Kev Spence]

Now that last palm is red Jason what is it Asterogyne or Photoshop?  ???

My pick would be this variegated Pseudophoenix sargentii I snapped this year.

Kev

[tim_brissy_13]

I've always noticed my Dypsis baronii shows many different colours.  The bottom of the trunk is a deep green, and the top is more bluish.  Fresh exposed crownshafts are white and slowly turn yellow with age.  New spears come out a red/purple colour.

This shot is from over 5 metres away, so it may not show some of the subtle colour changes.