By
Palmarum
This is one specimen of the Cyrtostachys sp. 'Hybrid' growing in Jeff Searle's yard, as we toured it during the traditional 'Post Tour' after the Fall 'Ganza a couple weeks ago. I was looking through my photos and thought it could use its own topic before the regular topic is started. This is one of the more unique color forms I have seen among the hybrid complex and it is quite impressive when you see it in person. The colorful trunks are smooth and very glossy and the crownshafts are a perfect shade of orange-yellow. The tallest main stem was carrying an inflorescence, but it was difficult to photograph from the ground and not much in the way of detail could be discerned. To sum it up, it was weird looking. We could not tell if it had flowered, was flowering or was going to flower. A tall ladder was going to be needed for a better inspection and more photos. For now though, it was total eye candy.
- A view from the patio with Jim Glock for scale. The tour had just started and the palm was the second or third stop.
- Closer to the base and the diverse span of color. The clump was all suckers and no stolons. The trunks look like they had been air-brushed with paint and later buffed to a high shine. Since this palm took 29ºF (-1.7ºC) without any damage when it was a small plant, I wonder what it could handle now.
Ryan