cbmnz 392 Report post Posted September 15, 2019 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. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmCode 150 Report post Posted September 16, 2019 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. 4 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cbmnz 392 Report post Posted September 17, 2019 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. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmCode 150 Report post Posted September 17, 2019 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cbmnz 392 Report post Posted October 5, 2019 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cbmnz 392 Report post Posted October 14, 2019 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. . 3 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cbmnz 392 Report post Posted October 14, 2019 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sipalms 813 Report post Posted October 14, 2019 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cbmnz 392 Report post Posted November 29, 2019 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dalmatiansoap 383 Report post Posted November 29, 2019 (edited) Few cuties from Azores Edited November 29, 2019 by dalmatiansoap 2 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmCode 150 Report post Posted November 30, 2019 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. 1 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cbmnz 392 Report post Posted November 30, 2019 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 1,906 Report post Posted November 30, 2019 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmCode 150 Report post Posted November 30, 2019 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? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmCode 150 Report post Posted December 1, 2019 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! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 1,906 Report post Posted December 1, 2019 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. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Makaisland Palms 38 Report post Posted December 3, 2019 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!? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 1,906 Report post Posted December 4, 2019 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmCode 150 Report post Posted December 5, 2019 Hi all, thought I'd share a few more photos of R. Sapida I took on a walk today. 6 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 1,906 Report post Posted December 5, 2019 That last pic shows they seriously love their water. Reminds me of Archontophoenix in the wild. 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary 109 Report post Posted December 6, 2019 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cbmnz 392 Report post Posted December 6, 2019 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. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Makaisland Palms 38 Report post Posted December 6, 2019 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! 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmCode 150 Report post Posted December 6, 2019 (edited) 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 1,906 Report post Posted December 6, 2019 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ittai Baratz 15 Report post Posted December 6, 2019 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 ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary 109 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrone 1,906 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary 109 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 5 minutes ago, Tyrone said: Yes, I bought 1000 little barrier island form. They germinated in the spring of 2017. wouldbe seed off this 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary 109 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 14 minutes ago, Tyrone said: Yes, I bought 1000 little barrier island form. They germinated in the spring of 2017. wouldbe seed off this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary 109 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 here is pic taken just now-hard to see size of crownshaft but it is huge.Trunk now 3m 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary 109 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 here is an interesting form-not quite a kermadec.Seed is like a sapida but very large 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmCode 150 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 (edited) 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary 109 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 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 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary 109 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 here is chatham seedlings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary 109 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 here are baueri seedlings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmCode 150 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary 109 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 here is seedlings of little barrier form 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmCode 150 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary 109 Report post Posted December 7, 2019 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites