Rhopalostylis sapida pics

[cbmnz 392]

Here are some was surprised to find at a local nursery this weekend. The larger ones show their growth habit in deep shade. These must have been planted decades and decades ago.

These would be planted, as they don't occur naturally under that type of  endemic white pine (known locally by the Maori name Kahikatea)  as where it dominates, the ground under would be too wet even for R. Sapida.

Human draining of the surrounding land has created a middle ground of drainage allowing the two species to occur together here.

 

 

 

[PalmCode 150]

That's interesting. There's plenty of ancient nikau growing under two very large old Kahikatea (estimated around 700 years old) in a swampy gully not far from where I live. I took a few photos when I first saw those impressive trees a few years back. Sorry for the bad photo quality but It's pretty dark down there and my cameras not very good, but better than nothing I guess.

I don't think Rhopalostylis sapida can ever get too much water.

[cbmnz 392]

Those are ancient beautiful Nikau specimens indeed, must be hundreds and hundreds of years old. I guess when I think about it there are some pockets of Kahikatea on Mt Pirongia where Nikau are prolific so in places they would be only a few metres apart.

As a rule though I've never seen R. Sapida in the understory of the full on swamp forest that Kahikatea  and Pukatea completely dominate (e.g the Hauraki plains), so suspect mud loving as they are, they have a limit and can't grow where the ground is literally standing water the majority of the time. Could be wrong however and mabe there is another reason why they have been absent in the swamp forests that I have seen.

 

 

 

 

 

[PalmCode 150]

Yeah I'd say you're correct.  I'f there's no Nikau growing in those parts of the swamp forests then it's just too constantly wet, and muddy for them to establish there.

If you planted mature palms there they could possibly survive but any seedlings would just rot away probably.
 

[cbmnz 392]

I found this just in the past week and posted this on the European Palm Forum. If even some of these observations are correct, the range of R. Sapida is much wider than I thought. Crucially it means there are some isolated groves way inland, way past where I thought the limits were. If the Ulva Island observation is genuine, it extends the natural (or at least naturalised) range to 47S.

Of more interest to those looking for a cold hardy variant though would be the groves reported in 1987 deep in thew Tongariro forest in North Island. That's heavy frost country in there and heavy wilderness. Be a solid day to walk in to where they are reported, would need to camp night to walk out next day.

http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/plant_distribution_results.aspx?Species_Name=Rhopalostylis+sapida

Just leave all fields blank and hit search. Then zoom in on New Zealand on the map.

Caution though, I went to check out a reported population in the Jim Barnett reserve today as that was only 30min drive from home and drew a blank. The only one I could find was a single  very obviously planted specimen. I've sent feedback to the site about that.

[cbmnz 392]

Thanks to the map above, found another natural population right nearby, with public assess,  that I did not know was there. Nice surprise as thought I had explored every natural area within 1hr's drive. This population extends very slightly their inland limit that I have personally seen. It's really pushing their range as the forest is more a temperate inland mix- a lot of smaller leaf evergreens. Tawa, Kamahi, Pittosporumn form the canopy.

This little visited reserve has no tracks,  so you have to push through a jungle of supple-jack vines and very easy to walk in circles when you think you are heading straight . Real risk of getting lost if did not have gps/smartphone  . On the first short visit I saw plenty of seedlngs up to this size,  but no seeding adults.

 

This time took a different route up a ridge and eventually found to these old beauties. (Which ironically are near the reserve boundary hence the exotic trees in background.) Here are these est. 200-300 year old specimens right at the edge of their inland range where the forest does not look as tropical as other parts of this country, yet they darn well look like Coconut palms. This species sure is a freak of nature that somehow cold adapted and survived ice ages at 35-44S lat when all other palms retreated back to the tropics.

 

 

 

 

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[cbmnz 392]

Have only explored about 1/5 of the reserve so far, be interesting to see what this sub-population looks like in more sun, if can find some that have breached the canopy.

[sipalms 813]

Beautiful. Most beautiful palm in the world after coconut (no bias of course!)

They look so darn incredible under canopy, and then once they breach the canopy they take on such an incredibly different, signature shuttlecock look. I'm pretty sure no other palm does this in such a dramatic contrast.

[cbmnz 392]

Have always admired this property's Nikau collection from across the river in town. The realtor should have mentioned it as a feature!

https://www.bayleys.co.nz/2310935

[dalmatiansoap 383]

Few cuties from Azores

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by dalmatiansoap

[PalmCode 150]

I'm sorry if this doesn't fit in this thread at all but here's a painting I did in 2013 of some Nikau palms. Think I might get out there again and do some new ones of these amazing palms.

[cbmnz 392]

4 hours ago, PalmCode said:

I'm sorry if this doesn't fit in this thread at all but here's a painting I did in 2013 of some Nikau palms. Think I might get out there again and do some new ones of these amazing palms.

Beautiful, wish I had the talent to do that.

[Tyrone 1,899]

6 hours ago, PalmCode said:

I'm sorry if this doesn't fit in this thread at all but here's a painting I did in 2013 of some Nikau palms. Think I might get out there again and do some new ones of these amazing palms.

That’s a botanically accurate picture that. Not out of place at all.

[PalmCode 150]

9 hours ago, Tyrone said:

That’s a botanically accurate picture that. Not out of place at all.

haha all good then  

 How are those seeds you collected coming along?

[PalmCode 150]

21 hours ago, cbmnz said:

Beautiful, wish I had the talent to do that.

Thanks mate. All you need is a bit of patience really, Just like growing palms!

[Tyrone 1,899]

On 12/1/2019 at 3:26 AM, PalmCode said:

haha all good then  

 How are those seeds you collected coming along?

Got about 100% germination. Thousands came up. Got to pot them up. I’m just in the process of constructing a new greenhouse and they will go in there.

[Makaisland Palms 38]

On 12/2/2019 at 12:01 AM, Tyrone said:

Got about 100% germination. Thousands came up. Got to pot them up. I’m just in the process of constructing a new greenhouse and they will go in there.

Thousands eh!?   Congrats!   Any chance some of those will be shipped towards Europe!?

[Tyrone 1,899]

13 hours ago, Makaisland Palms said:

Thousands eh!?   Congrats!   Any chance some of those will be shipped towards Europe!?

Sending live plants Internationally from Australia is just fraught with problems. Sorry I won’t be able to do that. Rhopalostylis are easy germinaters and RPS often has seed so I would recommend that direction for you. It would be much easier. 

[PalmCode 150]

Hi all, thought I'd share a few more photos of R. Sapida I took on a walk today.

[Tyrone 1,899]

That last pic shows they seriously love their water. Reminds me of Archontophoenix in the wild.

[Gary 109]

On 12/5/2019 at 2:10 AM, Tyrone said:

Sending live plants Internationally from Australia is just fraught with problems. Sorry I won’t be able to do that. Rhopalostylis are easy germinaters and RPS often has seed so I would recommend that direction for you. It would be much easier. 

RPS hasnt had these seeds for years now as i supplied them for bout 15yrs to them but none for the last 3yrs.

[cbmnz 392]

On 12/5/2019 at 4:41 PM, PalmCode said:

Hi all, thought I'd share a few more photos of R. Sapida I took on a walk today.

Beautiful. Where is that? The Auckland/Northland form sometimes is unfairly considered not as aesthetic but looks great in the right habitat.

[Makaisland Palms 38]

11 hours ago, Gary said:

RPS hasnt had these seeds for years now as i supplied them for bout 15yrs to them but none for the last 3yrs.

Yeah, I've been waiting a long while. Kicking myself for passing up some seedlings I saw last year, didn't realize how scarce they seem to be outside of NZ. Just took a flier on some apparently fresh (October) seeds on eBay from France.  Hopefully get something to sprout.  I think these are some of my favourite looking palms!  Great pics everyone! Wish me luck!

[PalmCode 150]

13 hours ago, cbmnz said:

Beautiful. Where is that? The Auckland/Northland form sometimes is unfairly considered not as aesthetic but looks great in the right habitat.

It's from part of the Wenderholm track. I'd highly recommend checking it out.

I think they are unfortunately  the hardest form to grow in the garden compared to most of the other forms of Rhopalostylis from other areas...but as you said, grown in the right habitat they can look just as good.

Edited December 6, 2019 by PalmCode

[Tyrone 1,899]

15 hours ago, Gary said:

RPS hasnt had these seeds for years now as i supplied them for bout 15yrs to them but none for the last 3yrs.

I think I bought my last lot of Rhopalostylis seed from RPS in 2017. But you’re right then as I haven’t seen any seed since so that’s a couple of years. Time flies. I didn’t realise how hard the seed is to come by.

[Ittai Baratz 15]

4 hours ago, Makaisland Palms said:

Yeah, I've been waiting a long while. Kicking myself for passing up some seedlings I saw last year, didn't realize how scarce they seem to be outside of NZ. Just took a flier on some apparently fresh (October) seeds on eBay from France.  Hopefully get something to sprout.  I think these are some of my favourite looking palms!  Great pics everyone! Wish me luck!

I think I ordered some seeds from the same seller on eBay last week (Have not arrived yet). Let us know if yours germinate !

[Gary 109]

56 minutes ago, Tyrone said:

I think I bought my last lot of Rhopalostylis seed from RPS in 2017. But you’re right then as I haven’t seen any seed since so that’s a couple of years. Time flies. I didn’t realise how hard the seed is to come by.

last seed i sent him was 19/1/17 and was 55000 and was 5 area forms which included small amounts of Pitt island and Little Barrier

[Tyrone 1,899]

4 hours ago, Gary said:

last seed i sent him was 19/1/17 and was 55000 and was 5 area forms which included small amounts of Pitt island and Little Barrier

Yes, I bought 1000 little barrier island form. They germinated in the spring of 2017.

[Gary 109]

5 minutes ago, Tyrone said:

Yes, I bought 1000 little barrier island form. They germinated in the spring of 2017.

wouldbe seed off this 

[Gary 109]

14 minutes ago, Tyrone said:

Yes, I bought 1000 little barrier island form. They germinated in the spring of 2017.

wouldbe seed off this 

[Gary 109]

here is pic taken just now-hard to see size of crownshaft but it is huge.Trunk now 3m

[Gary 109]

here is an interesting form-not quite a kermadec.Seed is like a sapida but very large

[PalmCode 150]

2 hours ago, Gary said:

wouldbe seed off this 

Gidday Gary. I was wondering if you knew what the first lot leaves on the little and or great barrier island seedlings look like? If they are wider like the Chatham and Baueri forms or thin like the mainland nikau? Just curious as I collected seed from what I thought might be a barrier form but turned out all thin leaf.

Cheers.

Edited December 7, 2019 by PalmCode

[Gary 109]

1 minute ago, PalmCode said:

Gidday Gary. I was wondering if you knew what the first lot leafs on the little and or great barrier island seedlings look like? If they are the they wider like the chatham and bauri forms or thin like the mainland nikau? Just curious as I collected seed from what I thought might be a barrier form but turned out all thin leaf.

Cheers.

they are both thin leaflet as just area forms of sapida.Chathams is kind of in between with wider leaflet in seedling than other  sapida but not as wide as baueri

[Gary 109]

here is chatham seedlings

[Gary 109]

here are baueri seedlings

[PalmCode 150]

12 minutes ago, Gary said:

they are both thin leaflet as just area forms of sapida.Chathams is kind of in between with wider leaflet in seedling than other  sapida but not as wide as baueri

Ah right, Thanks mate. I'll see how they turn out. They could still be a Barrier form.

[Gary 109]

here is seedlings of little barrier form

[PalmCode 150]

13 hours ago, Gary said:

here is seedlings of little barrier form

Here's a pic of some of mine that came up. I'm still not sure if they are a barrier form or not but I'll pot them up and hope they turn out so...The parent trees crown shaft was much larger than any typical  Auckland Nikau that Iv'e seen and I'm now 100% sure it wasn't a Chatham.

[Gary 109]

probably just general nikau-was the palm planted on purpose  or just self sown.Really  no such thing as typical Auckland form as I know and have local forms in my area near the size of little barrier but i know what you are saying  .I live Laingholm and surrounded by nikau