Looking for a Medemia argun.

[Mandrew968]

Does anyone have one they would like to sell?

[Jeff Searle]

Why? To plant here?

[BS Man about Palms]

No. I think the moon needs some color.

[Mandrew968]

Why? To plant here?

Yes, meaning in my backyard... They do well at MBC.

[Brian Bruning]

I had seed that I gave to the Living Desert Museum and Garend in Palm Desert (Palm Springs Area) but no word back from them on how they are doing. The seed came for Rare Palm Seeds in Germany.

[Brian Bruning]

BTW: I'm looking for plants too.

[Phoenikakias]

You can grow an exemplary from seed, very easy, provided you follow my example.

Pictures taken near the end of this winter. And my climate is not exactly ideal for it!

Edited March 6, 2015 by Phoenikakias

[Mandrew968]

I am still looking for this desert gem...

[Moose]

I am still looking for this desert gem...

Andrew - I've tried it twice - its a no go here, hates our humidity. You'll lower your % success rate.

[Josh-O]

Moose, they are growing in Thai land in the N.G. gardens and they look really good. I think you can grow it in florida

[Phoenikakias]

Kris in India can grow a Medemia in his garden, while he us unable to do so with Brahea armata! He had just manipulated the soil around the palm.

[Zeeth]

There's one at Kopsick that looks horrible. It has grown maybe 2 leaves since I first saw it in 2009. I don't think they're an easy palm in Florida.

[Phoenikakias]

I can not share this opinion, it is contradicted by the fact that Hyphaena spss can be grown there to adult plants producing fruits. Even the thebaica. Medemia is more forgiving than Hyphaena thebaica.

[Kostas]

H. compressa is probably not the easiest Hyphaene, but it grows for me and shows promise for growing to maturity at my place. They are growable in Pyrgos. I am not growing Medemia to compare them, but you certainly grow yours very well Phoenikakias!

Maybe Medemia is too sensitive to shallow water tables and gets root rot, which slows it down? Much of Florida has very shallow ground water during the rainy season which Hyphaene may be better adapted to, coming from river shore habitats, while Medemia seems to grow in drier conditions and reach deeper water tables. But they do grow well in tropical places, so i can't see why not grow well in Florida. For them to grow here as well as in the tropics, they must be a very adaptable species.

[Phoenikakias]

H. compressa is probably not the easiest Hyphaene, but it grows for me and shows promise for growing to maturity at my place. They are growable in Pyrgos. I am not growing Medemia to compare them, but you certainly grow yours very well Phoenikakias!

Maybe Medemia is too sensitive to shallow water tables and gets root rot, which slows it down? Much of Florida has very shallow ground water during the rainy season which Hyphaene may be better adapted to, coming from river shore habitats, while Medemia seems to grow in drier conditions and reach deeper water tables. But they do grow well in tropical places, so i can't see why not grow well in Florida. For them to grow here as well as in the tropics, they must be a very adaptable species.

Even so, a (considerably) raised bed might be the answer. If I remember correctly Kris used this method... What is its habitat like we have to see the geology of 'Wadi's' where it grows... For the rest you have revealed the common sense. I do not think that water table can be deeper than the far point its tap root (or radicle) can reach! I am not a Floridian and I feel strange speaking on behalf of them, but I suspect that in all previous and failed attempts there, it might have occured a common mistake, which was selection of an unsuitable place, maybe near sprinklers in the middle of a lawn or crowded together with other higher palms or other plants, whereby aeration was inadequate or even worse rain water was led through foliage concentrated on the Medemia or simply a root disturbance during ground planting

Edited March 9, 2015 by Phoenikakias

[Kostas]

I am talking about growing in unamended soil. When amended, it should certainly be possible to grow, even with very shallow water table. Some of the places i have seen photos of it in the tropics are famed for their very shallow water tables as well, and Medemia grows fine in amended areas only somewhat raised from the water table.

My ground planted Hyphaene grows at a low area at my place, in native clay/loamy/silty soil with river rumble, only a little amended with river rocks, sand and organics. It seems happy as far as the roots go but the leafs have been a little slow to adjust to the high rainfall conditions and are occasionally damaged by animals as well. Still grows fine and leafs are perfectly adjusted now, i will protect it from animal activities this growing season to grow and keep some decent leafs

[Phoenikakias]

Those above are only assumptions, details on even failed attempts can help to a future success...

[Zeeth]

The water table one is an interesting idea. The one at Kopsick is about 50 feet from the Tampa bay, so I imagine that the water table is very shallow in that location (and also probably salty).

[Mandrew968]

Moose, they are growing in Thai land in the N.G. gardens and they look really good. I think you can grow it in florida

I have seen them locally growing very well--placement is the key and Mooseland is probably too shaded, but that's a guess.