Pseuphoenix sargentii in habitat

[Ubuntwo]

Pseudophoenix sargentii, Florida's rarest native palm, currently only has native populations on Elliott Key, and was extirpated then reintroduced onto Long Key and Sands Key. Anyone have some modern images of this majestic palm in habitat on these isles? I've compiled some images here:

Modern image of the palm in habitat

One of the largest remaining palms in 1992, post-Andrew

A large grove in 1992 pre-Andrew

Old image of a tall individual on Long Key

[Ubuntwo]

Image from Montgomery Botanical Center's expedition to Elliott Key in 2015, with a dead trunk and Thrinax radiata

Another one

[Ubuntwo]

Image from Fairchild's expedition to Elliott Key in 2007, with a very old tree to the left and two (relatively) young ones on the right.

Another image from the same excursion by Fairchild, here collecting leaf samples on a seedling.

During this trip, Fairchild found 450 wild individuals and monitored their 115 reintroduced individuals.

[Cocoa Beach Jason]

Love this post. I need to drag my little boat down there some weekend. 

[Ubuntwo]

4 minutes ago, Cocoa Beach Jason said:

Love this post. I need to drag my little boat down there some weekend. 

Yeah, for a while I've wanted to boat down to Biscayne and just spend a few days snorkeling, camping and palm hunting.

[Cocoa Beach Jason]

6 minutes ago, Ubuntwo said:

Yeah, for a while I've wanted to boat down to Biscayne and just spend a few days snorkeling, camping and palm hunting.

So beautiful and Carib-like down there. 

[Sandy Loam]

I have never been, but must go some day.  There is a ferry service to Biscayne National Park, isn't there? (... not to be confused with Key Biscayne, which is somewhere else).  I assume that none of the Buckaneer Palm habitats are accessible by car, are they?

I actually know nothing about those islands in Biscayne National Park.  (Decent beaches?)

[Ubuntwo]

6 hours ago, Sandy Loam said:

I assume that none of the Buckaneer Palm habitats are accessible by car, are they?

1

Well, Long Key is accessible by car, and there were native populations there, however they were extirpated after people kept stealing them from habitat. FTBG did reintroduce them in the 90's to both Long Key and Sands Key, so you can see some smaller individuals there but no adults.

Here are some images Keith took of reintroduced palms on Long Key State Park:

[Ubuntwo]

Some more pics.

Adult on Elliott Key

Close up of crown of very old tree

90's image of the same very tall individual, probably the tallest on the whole island.

[Zeeth]

Here are some pics of some of the Pseudophoenix sargentii collected from Elliott Key growing at Fairchild:

[Zeeth]

[WaianaeCrider]

Here is mine taken a few months ago.  I believe it's about 15 years old.

[Johnny Palmseed]

1 hour ago, WaianaeCrider said:

Here is mine taken a few months ago.  I believe it's about 15 years old.

That’s really tall for 15. Mine is about 15 and only has about 3’ of trunk.

[WaianaeCrider]

8 hours ago, Johnny Palmseed said:

That’s really tall for 15. Mine is about 15 and only has about 3’ of trunk.

Maybe life in Hawai`i is more enjoyable.  LOL  ON second thought maybe 20.  LOL  No more than that for sure.

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

On 3/23/2018 at 8:16 PM, Cocoa Beach Jason said:

So beautiful and Carib-like down there. 

Is it now the rarest?  Is there any Sabal miamiensis in habitat anymore?

[weldertom]

Great thread. Keep it going!

[The Palm Nut]

On 12/7/2020 at 5:54 AM, Johnny Palmseed said:

That’s really tall for 15. Mine is about 15 and only has about 3’ of trunk.

Had one growing for about 5years from seedling and then died due probably from the flooding we get from time to time. They don't like prolonged wet feet and cold winters.

 

[Ubuntwo]

Fairchild Gardens recently published their 2021 report on the P. sargentii population of Elliott Key.

They recorded 203 wild palms spread across five subpopulations. There are only 3 remaining reproductive adults, 2 were killed by fallen branches following Hurricane Irma. One of the remaining adults has crown rot and is in continued decline. The other two are in good health. 

82 palms are considered 'large juveniles' (at least 1.6 meters high). Many are likely to become reproductive over the next decade. Maybe reason to be hopeful?

Healthy fruiting adult on Elliott Key:

Fruit collected from that palm:

This adult is struggling with crown rot:

These two palms were injured by branches:

One of many juvenile palms on the island:

[ruskinPalms]

I really hope my adonidia double dies this winter so I can plant one of these in its spot!

[ruskinPalms]

I love the conservation effort with these. I wonder where all in Florida they were native. Are there any animals that disperse their seeds?

[Looking Glass]

I wonder if shade exposure has any correlation with crown rot/Pseudophoenix decline.  
I know it’s not the cause, but I wonder if it could be a contributing factor in some way in Florida’s humidity.  

I’m curious…. You don’t really see this problem when they are grown in hot, dry conditions out west, and you see so many good looking specimens in full sun, out in the open.  

[Ubuntwo]

47 minutes ago, ruskinPalms said:

I love the conservation effort with these. I wonder where all in Florida they were native. Are there any animals that disperse their seeds?

Their range once included Long Key and Sands Key on top of the current Elliott Key. Mature palms numbered in the hundreds. Considering slow growth rate, such a population would take many centuries to naturally develop. I doubt they ever grew on the peninsula - the rockland coastal berm they prefer is not really present here.

Seeds remain viable in saltwater, so they may have arrived coconut style. Certain birds also eat the fruits.

Edited November 13, 2021 by Ubuntwo

[Ubuntwo]

1 hour ago, Looking Glass said:

I wonder if shade exposure has any correlation with crown rot/Pseudophoenix decline.  
I know it’s not the cause, but I wonder if it could be a contributing factor in some way in Florida’s humidity.  

I’m curious…. You don’t really see this problem when they are grown in hot, dry conditions out west, and you see so many good looking specimens in full sun, out in the open.  

Before harvesting to extirpation, Pseudophoenix was in abundance on Long Key. Their habitat on Long Key was sandy berm dominated by shrubs and cactus, visible in the B&W photos earlier in this thread. That would suggest minimal shade/high sun exposure. Similar to their habitat on the Yucatan Peninsula. 

After Hurricane Andrew cleared out the canopy on Elliott Key, surviving palms were reported to be flourishing in the open environment. Your theory seems to check out. Like many Florida species this palm may be dependent on disturbance to propagate. 

Edited November 13, 2021 by Ubuntwo

[Tracy]

On 11/12/2021 at 5:17 PM, Ubuntwo said:

Before harvesting to extirpation, Pseudophoenix was in abundance on Long Key. Their habitat on Long Key was sandy berm dominated by shrubs and cactus, visible in the B&W photos earlier in this thread. That would suggest minimal shade/high sun exposure. Similar to their habitat on the Yucatan Peninsula. 

After Hurricane Andrew cleared out the canopy on Elliott Key, surviving palms were reported to be flourishing in the open environment. Your theory seems to check out. Like many Florida species this palm may be dependent on disturbance to propagate. 

Interesting proposition and a similar story to the propagation of Giant Sequoias.  Substitute fires for Hurricane's which clears the lower growth and gives the Sequoia seedlings an opportunity to get sufficient sunlight and you see  a similar pattern.  One of the more specific adaptations of the Sequoias is that their cones require the fires for them to crack open and the seeds to get out.  It is fascinating to consider how such diverse habitats and plants require such major disturbance in order to thrive.   I love my garden grown Pseudophoenix sargentii here in California full sun... beautiful palm and it seems to be adapting well with a bit of irrigation!