Cyclanthacea

[sgvcns]

Is any one else growing these. I have only had success with Cyclanthus bipartitis. Others have not survived the Brisbane winters. Doesn't stop me collecting more if in seed though. A nice red stemmed one is just sprouting 10 months after collection in Colombia!

Cyclanthus photo today and that's my foot

[aussiearoids]

Shame many are very tropical .

[sgvcns]

Yes but I've got to keep trying. This one has been fine in brisbane for 3 years now.

[aussiearoids]

I have about 5-6 different ones .. all ex Equatorial-Exotics .. still waiting for the little black one ..

None of the seed i got sprouted .

[sgvcns]

Yes Arden has a good collection. He says that they take up to a year to sprout so it is a waiting game. We collected a black cyclanth in Panama in 2006 but no seed. It was growing in a stream near H Xanthovillosa. Is this the one you mean?

The banana knife for scale on a car bonnet. This was in Nusagandi

[aussiearoids]

Thats the one .

[XYZ]

Yes, I grow several genera, incl. Asplundia, Dicranopygium, Evodianthus, Sphaeradenia and one dwarf taxon whose placement I'm uncertain of. The family includes a couple spp. that are potentially invasive in tropical countries, but most are pretty benign. The very showy dwarf rheophytic species from Panama and Colombia are very challenging outside environments with consistently high RH. I have grown the black one from Kuna Yala through F2 and have distributed it to a couple BGs in the US. The northernmost sp. In this genus, D. hondurensis is extremely abundant as spray zone rheophyte in certain localities of tropical rainforest of NE Guatemala and NW Honduras.

Missouri BG and the Huntington grow a couple very showy hemiepiphytes from Colombia that will probably trickle into amateur collections over the next few years. Many species do not show off character leaves until they achieve sizes too large for many gardeners.

Finest cool tolerant sp, that I grow is Sphaeradenia alleniana, which is relatively compact and tidy for a cyclanth, with stiff, lime green, upright bifid leaves to about 1.30 m or so, with very showy bright red petioles when grown in high light. It also has a large, exotic-looking pom-pom like inflorescence like many other cyclanths...can be flowered and grown to maturity in12 lt pot in pure sphagnum. People, even palm people, invariably identify it as a young palm as leaves reminiscent of young coconut. I have just overwintered one in a cool greenhouse in San Francisco with much success. Outside at my home in Guatemala it has seen temps close to freezing for brief periods with no damage. Unlike most cylanths, very wind and sun tolerant and, to my mind, looks best when grown with lots of water but otherwise "hard".

Ciao,

J

[sgvcns]

Well I'll certainly be on the lookout in Colombia in 2 months. Alleniana is very similar to what is sprouting from last trip. That was on the road to San Lose del Palmar near Ansermanuevo.

[Donald Sanders]

I am delighted to see interest in Cyclanthus. I have been interested in this family, observing it, researching it, cultivating it, for over 30 years. I grew Carludovica palmate (Panama Hat Plant) in my first garden in S. Cal. 25 years ago. I think that sgvcns first post is a type of cyclanthus bipartitus. There are many variations of bipartitus. I only have about 3 but there are many on my 'wish list'. Costa Rica has tons of cyclanthus. Only a few and not really abundant in Brazil where I was on the Rio Negro. Even Lancefolia Ludovica palmate, another interesting, beautiful cyclanthus, has several variations. The climbing cyclanthus known as 'asplundia' if the most fantastic palm leave type vine occurring at least 100 types of leaves.

Wikipedia references the research and nomenclature of cyclanthus and asplundia by a botanist named Harling. He really did a fantastic job researching asplundia many years ago.

Few collect cyclanthus. Few grow it or even know about it. I was very lucky to get a rare species from Arden I was in Cairns. There is a wonderful unusual bipartitus in the botanical garden in Cairns. Oh, for a piece of it!

Stone Jaguar, The mountains of Guatemala must be covered with Cyclanthus. I grew a piece of asplundia from a cutting the size of a pencil. It's the rarest plant in my garden. I don't know anyone else in the Hawaiin Islands that grows asplundia. I could go on and on about my experience with Cyclanthus.

Palms are my first love but make no mistake that Cyclanthus and Pandanus are a close second.

I would love to communicate with and perhaps trade with any one who has an interest in my favorite plants.

I live on the Big Island of Hawaii at 1500" in a region famous for growing coffee. Perfect climate for Central American Cyclanthus.

Aloha and Mahalo, Don

[tropicbreeze]

I have 3 Cyclanthaceae species. Would love to get more but as has been mentioned before, they're hard to find. It's always surprised me that there isn't more interest in them. I ordered some seed a while back but was given a substitute (which turned out to only be sawdust anyway).

[sgvcns]

Don

You are preaching to the converted.

I first "met" these plants in a trip to Panama and Dominica about 7 years ago.

The Asplundia climbing in Dominica is one of my memories from there(as well as the Caribaea Bihai).

I find I look for the cyclanthes more now. If I am lucky enough to find seed then it should spread further than a dodgy growing climate like Brisbane. There will certainly be heaps in habitat. Colombia is close enough that I'm getting excited now. So little time so many plants. Tropicbreeze if these "alleniana" keep going through winter then you can try killing them too.

Steve

[XYZ]

Donald:

Cyclanths are locally common in wet forests of Guatemala, but very species poor when compared to southern Central America and NW South America. From memory, we only have five genera here and none of the native species are particularly showy. Carloduvica palmata is the only sp. grown as an ornamental, and the young stems have also been used in the past by the Maya as a famine food. i suspect that there are at least two undescribed or unreported Cyclanthus spp. here, but have not gotten around to doing a critical review of specimens.

Has anyone grown the western Panamanian asplundias that RPS has on their list? I have always found seed has very short shelf life, but would like to hear of others experiences geminating seed.

For the moment I am focussed on getting my material into cultivation at BGs in the U.S., and would expect to be able to lever off that to expand my personal collection.

I am mildly surprised that the family has so few fans, given the morphological similarities to palms and affinities to pandanus. I suppose most members requirementa for shade, heat and high RH limits their appeal to many growers outside of the humid tropics. I do note that the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco has large numbers of a couple cyclanth spp. growing in their hothouse, and they look very attractive as a visual foil to giant water lilies, etc.

Steve:

Barry Hammel of MOBOT tentatively identified the black rheophytic spp. From Kuna Yala as Dicranopygium harlingii when I first found it in mid-2005, and I passed the locality data on to Arden a bit later. I have since collected a genuinely miniature green version of the same plant from this area, which has proven even more touchy in captivity. I have a couple growing in terraria in California and a lot under shade in Guatemala. I don't have access to my images today, but will post some in situ and cultivation pics tomorrow or Monday.

Cheers,

J

[sgvcns]

J

Waiting for the photos.

Would love to expand my knowledge of these plants.

At this stage it is more a matter of keeping the lateral vision going so I don't get narrow palm vision.

This is something that I am enjoying more and more. I am certainly addicted to jungle trips now.

Luckily I now have the opportunity to partake a trip a year(more if I can but the family want in on the second - much more demanding of creature comforts). There is something deeply satisfying about collecting . I never know what is around the next bend. Sometimes I wish collecting live plants was viable for us Aussies. I'm already steeling myself for AQIS on the return to Australia in August. It must be obvious the excitement level is lifting!

Steve

[XYZ]

Steve:

Some images:

Sphaeradenia alleniana, in Guatemala earlier this spring, just starting to color up after the winter. This plant has already been divided and a large fan re-established in San Francisco.Petioles are bright red when grown in full sun.

[XYZ]

Dicranopygium sp. Kuna Yala "black":

[XYZ]

Dicranopygium harlingii

[XYZ]

Dicranopygium gracile (= D. izabalense)

Dicranopygium microcephalum

[XYZ]

?? Dwarf cyclanth Kuna Yala

[XYZ]

Evodianthus funifer

BTW - last time I looked, AQIS list had very few approved cyclanth taxa. Has this changed with recent updates?

J

[sgvcns]

No we still live in troubled times.

Great photos

Steve

[aussiearoids]

Saw this in a collection in Mackay ..

[Eric in Orlando]

I have tried several here but only one has survived. Asplundia rigida, Carludovica palmata, and Ludovia lancifolia are super sensitive below 40F and die below about 35F.

Cyclanthus bipartitus has proven itself root hardy. It dies back in the low 30sF but comes back vigorously.

[Donald Sanders]

Eric, Is the asplundia rigida a climber?

Thanks, Don

[tropicbreeze]

My Cyclanthus bipartitus is the easiest and fastest grower. Divides up easily as large plants so I'm getting more full sized plants.

This is my Asplundia, got too bg for its pot so planted it up against the tree. Now waiting for it to do its climbing act. It flowers a lot but has never produced seed.

[XYZ]

Another image of a captive, taken yesterday at greenhouse in SF.

This Chocoan sp. is very handsome when it matures, with the two juvenile primary lobes splitting off into a fan-shaped leaf almost a meter long and wide with ~20 segments. Hemiepiphyte to 10 m tall, with 10 cm thick stems.

Grows well under sheltered cool tropical conditions, but obviously enjoys steamy heat.

[FNQ Marcus]

Nice to see a cyclanthacea thread with nice photos. Pitty they are so difficult to get. My entire collection is made up of only three species in the garden and 4 packets of seed that have 0% germination.

[sgvcns]

If I get the chance I will post photos from Colombia next month.

The area I am travelling should be quite rich in species.

Steve

[Missi]

On 5/15/2013, 6:48:42, sgvcns said:

Yes Arden has a good collection. He says that they take up to a year to sprout so it is a waiting game. We collected a black cyclanth in Panama in 2006 but no seed. It was growing in a stream near H Xanthovillosa. Is this the one you mean?

The banana knife for scale on a car bonnet. This was in Nusagandi

 

On 5/21/2013, 12:34:45, stone jaguar said:

Dicranopygium sp. Kuna Yala "black":

 

 

 

Are these two black species the same? I love the one @sgvcns posted! Is it possible to find in cultivation? I'd keep it in a terrarium for its humidity needs!

 

On 5/22/2013, 9:19:45, Eric in Orlando said:

I have tried several here but only one has survived. Asplundia rigida, Carludovica palmata, and Ludovia lancifolia are super sensitive below 40F and die below about 35F.

 

Cyclanthus bipartitus has proven itself root hardy. It dies back in the low 30sF but comes back vigorously.

Eric, how are yours these days? Where did you find them available? The only Cyclanthaceae species I have is two Carludovica palmata and those were hard enough to find available. One I got from someone on Facebook. It died off, but to my surprise a sucker (?) popped out the side of the dead stem. The other I got from the Members Day plant sale at Fairchild last October. I may have had an Asplundia rigida, that was sold as Jungle Drum, but left it too close to the edge of my screened lanai one winter evening and it died rather quickly and never grew back. I'd love to have one of those again.

[XYZ]

Yes, both plants are the same (undescribed) species of Dicranopygium, just different collections (mine first

Yes, I grow and propagate seven genera and ~30 spp of mostly smaller and showy-leaf cyclanths in California. I also house several others at friends' collections in Guatemala. I do have the violet one established here and have sold a couple recently to specialty growers. This species is a bit tricky to grow and somewhat expensive. These photos were taken in May before I broke up one of the smaller pots. If you get the lighting right (these are a bit too bright), they hover exactly between the darkest violet imaginable and pure black. They need pure water, a mist bench or a ventilated terrarium/paludarium and a deft hand. PM me if interested.

Jay

 

[Missi]

2 minutes ago, stone jaguar said:

Yes, both plants are the same (undescribed) species of Dicranopygium, just different collections (mine first

Yes, I grow and propagate seven genera and ~30 spp of mostly smaller and showy-leaf cyclanths in California. I also house several others at friends' collections in Guatemala. I do have the violet one established here and have sold a couple recently to specialty growers. This species is a bit tricky to grow and somewhat expensive. These photos were taken in May before I broke up one of the smaller pots. If you get the lighting right (these are a bit too bright), they hover exactly between the darkest violet imaginable and pure black. They need pure water, a mist bench or a ventilated terrarium/paludarium and a deft hand. PM me if interested.

Jay

 

[Donald Sanders]

The photos are beautiful.    Any chance you have a source for obtaining cyclanthus sp.    It has been one of my favorite plants for many years.   Unfortunately there are very few chances of obtain different species, especially if you live in Hawaii.   Thank you.   Don

[XYZ]

Hi, Don. I don't grow the genus Cyclanthus, but almost all of the other genera. AFAIK, no restrictions on importing cyclanths into Hawaii, so you can buy or trade plants.

[Carrots]

I bought this Carludovica sp. in North Queensland and from what I have read here there’s a good chance it won’t survive Brisbane winters. Any thoughts?

[aussiearoids]

You are welcome to leave a division here for safe keeping .

 

[Carrots]

I’m not familiar with these plants, how do I make divisions from this plant?

[aussiearoids]

On 9/23/2020 at 8:40 PM, Carrots said:

I’m not familiar with these plants, how do I make divisions from this plant?

Carefully .

 

[fotodimatti]

Great thread about cyclanthaceas.
Has anybody tried to grow them indoors without super high humidity? I am trying Carludovica palmata as a room plant.
I am happy to get your experience with this family. Thanks