Rhopalostylis sapida pics

[Tyrone 1,988]

I managed to find these Rhopalostylis sapida growing in my area. Our climate is perfect for them and was super excited to find some mature specimens growing here. I made contact with the owner and they were happy for me to post pics. Enjoy.

[Tyrone 1,988]

Up loaded pics but they're not there. What the???

[Tyrone 1,988]

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[Tyrone 1,988]

[Tyrone 1,988]

[Tyrone 1,988]

Seed size difference between one lot of palms and another. Any thoughts on where these R sapida would have come from originally in NZ?

[cbmnz 396]

New at this, but something about the bulbous crownshaft and very upright crown looks more like pics I've seen of the Great Barrier Island form, than any other.

[Tyrone 1,988]

2 hours ago, cbmnz said:

New at this, but something about the bulbous crownshaft and very upright crown looks more like pics I've seen of the Great Barrier Island form, than any other.

Thanks for your comment. As you are close to the action as it were in NZ I appreciate your thoughts. Will have a closer look at the great barrier island form pics on the web. They do have a very upright look to them and the crown shafts seem massive when up close to these palms. The pictures don't really do them justice.

[Darold Petty 2,542]

The ratio of diameter between the trunk and crownshaft is variable in the nikau palms I grow here in California.  The greatest differential is when the palm is vigorous, and is developing several spadices simultaneously within the crownshaft.  I would be cautious about assigning a geographic identity based just on this one character.  I grow R. sapida x baueri, R. baueri, R. sapida Chatham Island, R. sapida Great Barrier Island, and R. sapida Little Barrier Island.   By far, the most heavy bodied and overall large palm is the Chatham Island form.

  Here is a photo of my R. sapida 'Chatham Island'; but it does not always appear so bulbous. 

.  In Keith Boyer's book he shows a massive palm next to a women with big sunglasses and a blue blouse.  I was obsessed for years by this image, until Keith told me that the woman was quite petite, and that they had posed her adjacent to the largest palm they could locate on the small island.

   My plant of R. s. LBI has failed to achieve the dimensions of the one shown in Keith's book and mine just looks like any generic Rhopalostylis.  

[Tyrone 1,988]

Darold your Chatham is massive. 

[Tyrone 1,988]

Was looking at the rare palm seeds site and the closest look to the ones I saw here were the Auckland variety. Everything else had a much more open spreading crown.

[Darold Petty 2,542]

5 minutes ago, Tyrone said:

Darold your Chatham is massive. 

I will try to make an current image from the same perspective later, I'm super busy today !

[Tassie_Troy1971 1,064]

Thanks for the pictures Tyrone - so they are growing in west Australia

My Chatham Rhopalostylis is the most robust form in the garden

 

 

 

[joe_OC 1,375]

Here is my Catham Island sapida:

[PalmCode 154]

They're growing well ! 

If I had to guess I'd say they were somewhere from the upper north island or one of the barrier islands.

I took a pic of a North Auckland palm in the area I live.
 

[Tassie_Troy1971 1,064]

On 9/29/2018, 10:25:22, joe_OC said:

Here is my Catham Island sapida:

Looks fantastic Jo

[Tyrone 1,988]

12 hours ago, PalmCode said:

They're growing well ! 

If I had to guess I'd say they were somewhere from the upper north island or one of the barrier islands.

I took a pic of a North Auckland palm in the area I live.
 

I think that's what they are. I don't have that variety yet. I may have around 3000 coming up now so yippee. 

[Tyrone 1,988]

On 29/09/2018, 6:20:44, Tassie_Troy1971 said:

Thanks for the pictures Tyrone - so they are growing in west Australia

My Chatham Rhopalostylis is the most robust form in the garden

 

 

 

Your Chatham looks great.

Since I've moved down all my rhopies woke up. My Chatham's grow quick down here. I'll have to take pics of some of mine. Not quite as bulky as in your pic but getting there.

[Tyrone 1,988]

On 29/09/2018, 8:25:22, joe_OC said:

Here is my Catham Island sapida:

Your Chatham looks great.

[joe_OC 1,375]

On 9/28/2018, 3:20:44, Tassie_Troy1971 said:

Thanks for the pictures Tyrone - so they are growing in west Australia

My Chatham Rhopalostylis is the most robust form in the garden

 

 

 

I agree about Chatham form being the most robust.  I have two Cheesmanii flanking my Chatham.   They were smaller to start, but the Chatham just towers over both of them.  Trunk diameter is also much smaller for the Cheesmanii.

[cbmnz 396]

These are Hamilton, NZ, council plantings, central city riverbank. Starting to trunk now, fronds less than 2m long. If that is genetic not just environmental this would be a good line for smaller gardens, they are not giants.

Thinking of size as saw some absolutely enormous, presumably Chatham form on the weekend. Made me nervous about the three little PB12 Chathamica have just put in at home(one pictured). Oh well, if in years time they have gotten huge,and are bursting out of their space, it will be a good problem to have!

   

 

[Manalto 386]

There's no other word but "cute." I hope he appreciates the lack of competition and grows like a weed.

What are council plantings?

[cbmnz 396]

6 hours ago, Manalto said:

There's no other word but "cute." I hope he appreciates the lack of competition and grows like a weed.

What are council plantings?

Plantings in a public area by the local city authority. These being native here helps their chances of being chosen for that, a lot. 

[Manalto 386]

There's a push toward using natives in many municipalities in the US, too. Makes sense for many reasons, especially water consumption.

[Tyrone 1,988]

13 hours ago, cbmnz said:

These are Hamilton, NZ, council plantings, central city riverbank. Starting to trunk now, fronds less than 2m long. If that is genetic not just environmental this would be a good line for smaller gardens, they are not giants.

Thinking of size as saw some absolutely enormous, presumably Chatham form on the weekend. Made me nervous about the three little PB12 Chathamica have just put in at home(one pictured). Oh well, if in years time they have gotten huge,and are bursting out of their space, it will be a good problem to have!

   

 

Thanks for the pics. Your little one won't burn in the summer then? I'd be scared to plant one that size in full sun here. It would be interesting to see your comments on that. I try to plant all my rhopies in shade to begin with.

[cbmnz 396]

Covered the range with the three, one mostly shade, one am sun only and that one, pm sun till about 4pm then shade. Also put in a mainland one in heavy shade. I believe the advantage of the Chatimaca form is that they can take full sun better. Went to a specialist palm nursery and they advertise these as being sun hardened from the start - they were in full sun at the nursery. That said if that one is getting full midday sun as get into summer proper I may put up some shadecloth.

[cbmnz 396]

Sorry, must backtrack a little. The Chatham form is advertised to be sun tolerant when larger. And these were in the sun in the plants for sale area of the nursery, unlike their Kentia et al which were all in a big shade house.
However, the nursery has confirmed these 3 year old babies are yet to be exposed to full summer sunlight, so will get some suspended shade cloth over this and the other half day exposed one, sooner rather than later.

These ones in link below are Chatham and are coping well with full sun, wind and salt exposure, but probably went in as PB95's or larger I guess.

https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.6823778,176.1699894,3a,75y,92.85h,76.58t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1syQiDSswG-IXxVsqJiXAPNA!2e0!5s20180201T000000!7i13312!8i6656

[Bennz 158]

On 9/30/2018, 11:56:44, Tyrone said:

I think that's what they are. I don't have that variety yet. I may have around 3000 coming up now so yippee. 

Hi Tyrone,

 

 

"Yippee" because you love this form in particular, or because it is a nikau in general? Personally I much prefer the open crown forms, and actually prefer the cheesemanii and similar forms with open crowns and longer bare petiole region (more like Troys chatham palm). Occaisonally you find baueri/cheesemanii types that have almost a flat profile with the leaves held almost horizontally. My favourite type, almost like an old Cyathea medullaris in profile. 

[Tyrone 1,988]

On 13/10/2018, 4:41:13, Bennz said:

Hi Tyrone,

 

 

"Yippee" because you love this form in particular, or because it is a nikau in general? Personally I much prefer the open crown forms, and actually prefer the cheesemanii and similar forms with open crowns and longer bare petiole region (more like Troys chatham palm). Occaisonally you find baueri/cheesemanii types that have almost a flat profile with the leaves held almost horizontally. My favourite type, almost like an old Cyathea medullaris in profile. 

Yippee cos I only have about 6 seedlings of the north island Auckland variety. Now I have the possibility of many more. I don't mind the upright shuttlecock look. It's pretty distinct. I can't think of another palm that looks like an Auckland nikau. I love the droopier open crown varieties too. Any Rhopalostylis is worth growing in my opinion.

[cbmnz 396]

Thought I'd picture  the local form in habitat. These are on the low slopes of Mt Pirongia, just SW of Hamilton, New Zealand.

Seedlings are everywhere, it's hard not to step on them. They are very fern like in this very shady and damp stream valley.

 

You'd wonder where the seeds are coming from, but then you find the adults. Hard to show in photos but the one at back of second photo was a very tall must be very old specimen.

Then found these ones, in near full sun due to a gap in the canopy. Suspect this is what the "Pirongia form" would look like in gardens.

A part of the track.

[joe_OC 1,375]

Thank you for the pics.  Always great to see palms in habitat!  

[PalmCode 154]

On 9/30/2018, 11:56:44, Tyrone said:

I think that's what they are. I don't have that variety yet. I may have around 3000 coming up now so yippee. 

Wow three thousand, have fun with potting up all those.

 

I also find the Chatham form is by far the fastest growing and the largest. They handle the sun the best here as well even at a young age.

Here's a pic of one of my chathams, it's around four and a half years old. It gets plenty of sun and is 1400 mm tall.

[BPK Palm Addict 240]

Love the upright habit and the fat crownshaft.  What a really cool looking palm.  I wish I could grow one at my house but I'm sure they would not like the summer heat, or the alkaline soil.

Joe

[Tyrone 1,988]

10 hours ago, PalmCode said:

Wow three thousand, have fun with potting up all those.

I like mass planting. 

[PalmCode 154]

I agree, the more the better. You'll find Auckland ones can be very slow growing. One of my ones is just starting to trunk . I think it's around 15 to 20 years old... Good luck with your seeds.

[cbmnz 396]

I know this grove has been well discussed on here, but just wanted to record that I have seen it in person now. Photos from 2 days ago. Crazy how much it feels like you're on a tropical beach,  not 40S of  the equator!

 

[Darold Petty 2,542]

Thanks for posting these photos !   

[coops 3214 83]

Heres a couple of mine growing in geelong victoria and loving life

[DoomsDave 8,678]

On 10/7/2018, 11:40:52, Manalto said:

There's a push toward using natives in many municipalities in the US, too. Makes sense for many reasons, especially water consumption.

Yeah, but be very careful, at least in California. A lot of natives are highly flammable, and I mean H$llfire . . . .

[DoomsDave 8,678]

On 10/29/2018, 4:16:24, Tyrone said:

I like mass planting. 

Mass planting is the best!