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My Palms: A Formal Introduction


MattyNativeSeed

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Hi everyone!  I recently found this site when looking for advice about a sick palm of mine (feel free to check it out: http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/53846-coconut-palm-ganoderma-potassium-deficiency-ly-nothing/).  But I've been snooping around, and this seems like a really cool community, so I thought I'd formally introduce myself and my palms.

To start, here's a view of my front and my back (I'll subsequently make a post for each of my palms, because otherwise I'd easily be above the 8mb limit) See how many palms you can find!  It's my own little slice of Old Florida in Ft Lauderdale.  Well, I'm not sure if it actually qualifies as old Florida - I know it lacks some of the visual features people usually associate with "Old Florida."  But it was built in the 1920s, which is pretty old for Ft Lauderdale!

A couple things up front:  Firstly, I've only lived here for about six months, so the vast majority of what you see (good and bad) was not my doing.  Nor have I done the majority of things that I plan to eventually do.  But that's not the main reason it may look a little bit 'unkempt', especially compared to most of the gardens posted here.  In reality, that's the way I prefer it.  I like it a little bit raw :) I like it to be as 'productive' of an ecosystem as I can stomach, haha.

One other thing: I must confess, I don't consider myself much of a palm buff.  In reality, they aren't really my favorite plants (sacrilege, I know!), but I do like them. I am most passionate about native plants, especially ecologically important and bug-friendly plants.  Now I know some palms do fall under those categories, and those I love :)  I also really like growing trees from seed.  Like I said, I do like palms, but am no expert, so please feel free to correct any wrong IDs, or notify me if something looks sick or troublesome!

OK, here goes nothing!

backM.jpg

frontM.jpg

Edited by MattyNativeSeed
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To start, here's coconut palm 1 of 2.  This is the one that I think may be sick, which drove me to find this site.  I'm hoping it's just potassium deficiency, which seems most consistent with the symptoms, although I did find ganoderma elsewhere in the yard, which could also explain the symptoms.  But it was pretty far away, and I haven't found a conk on the trunk of this one, so fingers still crossed for some sort of nutrient deficiency. 

coco1.jpg

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Thanks Darold!

Here is coconut palm 2.  Seems a little healthier than the other.  Although maybe that lowest frond is showing potassium deficiency too.  Then again, it's a pretty old and low hanging front, so I don't know.

coco2.jpg

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My bismark!  I guess most people would consider this the focal point of my front.  I really like him!  He seems very healthy.  I love the color of its fronds.  Seems like it's about to bloom too! 

bismark.jpg

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Here's a small saw palmetto that I planted (gotta put in the natives where I can!).  By my front door, but barely visible in the pictures so far (if you look hard you can find it).  Small now, but looks healthy... should fill out nicely!

 

saw palmetto.jpg

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Pretty neat old place!  Looks like you've got a good mix of plants - hope you can get your coconut #1 back to health, but #2 looks good.  I love starting trees from seed and palms are certainly good candidates!  In addition to several palm seedlings I planted, I also have a mango from seed.  Not fruiting like yours for awhile though!  Welcome...

Jon

Jon Sunder

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Here's a close up of the miniature date palm (right? Phoenix roebelenii I believe?) in the front.  I think these palms are pretty common... maybe so much so that they've fallen out of favor?  I'm not sure why I think that, maybe someone told me?  But either way, I really like them. 

Phoenix roebelenii.jpg

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Here is a photo of the Rhapis that you no doubt noticed in the pic of the mini date palms.  I really like them right now.  I'd love it if they filled out more too, width wise.  I hope they don't grow at a different rate than the mini dates and start clashing.  We'll see.

Rhapis.jpg

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Here is a little cabbage palm just barely on my property.  The massive live oak behind is on the property line, so is only half mine.  Anyways, a lot of people think this little guy distracts from the beauty of the oak.  I might be included to agree... but you know, being a native, I'm inclined to leave it :)

cabbage.jpg

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13 minutes ago, MattyNativeSeed said:

My bismark!  I guess most people would consider this the focal point of my front.  I really like him!  He seems very healthy.  I love the color of its fronds.  Seems like it's about to bloom too! 

bismark.jpg

That Bismarck looks more like a Latania to me.

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Warrior Palm Princess, Satellite Beach, Florida

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OK now on to the back.  Here is my royal palm :D  Probably my favorite palm I have.  If you look at photo 1, it's crown looks like a cabbage palm??? Ha that's just my neighbor's tree on the other side of the fence.  Ah, there's the big ol' crown in photo 2.  Look at all that fruit.  It's massive and native and beautiful... but I think maybe my favorite part is the ecosystem growing on it's trunk.  There's resurrection ferns (dried right now), lichens, mosses, and even some completely wild orchids!  Check out photo 3.  Ah, and in photo 4, the two small things in the front (bahama coffee and jamaican caper) were planted in holes from some fishtail palms that I dug up.  Is that sacrilege here??  Well too bad haha, I really don't like fishtails, and they were just going to keep competing with the royal, so they had to go.

Oh, one other thing to mention.  If you look in-between the two small plants in front of the palm, you'll see about a hundred royal palm seedlings sprouting up.  Would anyone like one?  I love to give away trees, especially native trees, to help revive the ecosystem and expand the canopy, etc.  I've gotten the nursery certification to ship seedlings within Florida, so it would be on the up-and-up, and I've got plenty of experience in shipping them safely.  I'm just not sure of three things: 1) the rules of this site 2) whether the people on this site would actually want one.  and 3) most importantly, I've found ganoderma elsewhere in this yard, about 60 ft away.  I'm not sure how worried I should be that giving these seedlings away would risk spreading the fungus.  This royal seems very healthy to me, and I'd rinse the seedling and put it in sphagnum moss (not sure whether that would get rid of it though, if it were there).  Let me know what you think, if anyone actually reads this part haha.

royal1.jpg

royal2.jpg

royal3.jpg

royal4.jpg

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Thanks for responding NatureGirl!  As I said, I'm definitely not a palm buff!  I'll check it out for sure.

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Here are some chinese fan palms I believe.. Livistona chinensis? Some images in a google search look like a dead ringer, while others do not, so I'm not so sure.  Either way, I like him!  I love the way the fronds look through the windows of our Florida room... they really give it a great feel.  Several of the leaves are pushing up against the window... can I prune them?  Should I prune them? They are definitely healthy leaves, but I don't really like them jamming up against my house.  Plus I've heard that can increase your risk of bug infestation.  What do you think... cut them or wait for them to die naturally?

chinese fan.jpg

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Here's a little native Florida thatch palm I planted.  Still small, but seems happy in his spot!  I hope I didn't plant him too close to the house, but they grow slow and stay pretty small, so hopefully it's ok.

florida thatch.jpg

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Another set of the same chinese fan palms (I think)... I like these guys because they shade my grill!  My wife pruned them the other day though, and I think she cut off too many fronds!  But they seem healthy so I'm fairly sure they'll be OK

chinese 2.jpg

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Ok here are some palms by my back fence.  I'm not sure what they are... are they christmas palms?  Please let me know if you have a better idea than me.  I don't like them much, but they are big and happy so I'll probably let them be.  They are clashing with other things in the canapy though... including the native strangler fig (which a lot of people don't like, but I love... such an important part of the ecosystem!), some of my neighbors cabbage palms, and a schefflera (which I hate, it's gonna go eventually).

christmas1.jpg

christmas2.jpg

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My arecas.  Hate them.  They gotta go.  Plus, they're the ones that I found out had ganoderma.  I don't feel like I can remove them myself, because they play amongst the power line.  I thinned them out though, getting rid of the ones that I could remove safely.  I did this before I knew: 1) they had ganoderma 2) thinned arecas make it spread more easily 3) what ganoderma even was (I found that out while researching the sickly coconut palm 1) :(  But I think the ganoderma was there when I moved in, there was one dead areca stalk, but the other two dozen seemed very healthy.  So hopefully it's not being super aggressive.  I just hope it doesn't spread.

areca.jpg

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Ok, last photo, I promise!  These two are tucked away in a corner that no one ever goes.  One is a cabbage, but I'm having trouble identifying the other.  Any ideas?  Both seem like they could use some potassium fertilizer!

Thanks for looking!

sabal_other.jpg

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Wow! Wonderful space you have there. I really like the old oaks. I have young quercus lobata (one of the iconic, dry-climate oaks of California. I wish to live long enough to see them create a canopy like you have there, but I'll take what I can get! And that latania is stunning!

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14 minutes ago, MattyNativeSeed said:

Ok, last photo, I promise!  These two are tucked away in a corner that no one ever goes.  One is a cabbage, but I'm having trouble identifying the other.  Any ideas?  Both seem like they could use some potassium fertilizer!

Thanks for looking!

sabal_other.jpg

Could be an Africal Oil Palm

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Warrior Palm Princess, Satellite Beach, Florida

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Thanks, will check it out.

You seem to have been right about the "bismark", which I've been telling ppl for months! (and they all just smiled and nodded, haha).

From some cursory googling, looks to me most like the Blue Latan Palm (Latania loddigesii).  Are these rare at all?  Looks to be blooming soon if anyone wants seeds!

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1 hour ago, NatureGirl said:

That Bismarck looks more like a Latania to me.

Only because it is one-the peach tomentum is a dead giveaway. 

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38 minutes ago, MattyNativeSeed said:

Thanks, will check it out.

You seem to have been right about the "bismark", which I've been telling ppl for months! (and they all just smiled and nodded, haha).

From some cursory googling, looks to me most like the Blue Latan Palm (Latania loddigesii).  Are these rare at all?  Looks to be blooming soon if anyone wants seeds!

Bingo. Loddigesii. No, not rare-hundreds on the turnpike. Welcome to Palmtalk, Matty.

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42 minutes ago, NatureGirl said:

Could be an Africal Oil Palm

Yes, Elaeis guineensis.

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3 hours ago, MattyNativeSeed said:

Thanks, will check it out.

You seem to have been right about the "bismark", which I've been telling ppl for months! (and they all just smiled and nodded, haha).

From some cursory googling, looks to me most like the Blue Latan Palm (Latania loddigesii).  Are these rare at all?  Looks to be blooming soon if anyone wants seeds!

Your Latania is beautiful!  I'd love to try a few seeds.  Welcome to the forum.

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  • 5 months later...

Hi, I realize it has been a few months but if you still have any of the latan seeds that have ripened and you are willing to part with, I would be much appreciation. Currently I am germinating the red latan. Thank you. Mark

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