Show Us Your Archontophoenix!

[Jillian]

Oh I saw the previous picture of your little guy standing next to it when the tree was young. Yes, it’s growing nicely. I’m pretty happy with the growth I too have gotten on about 4 of my Kings, the others not so much. They are about 4 years old. I’m not sure exactly sure which type mine are. We’re in Oxnard so very breezy, with the “May Grey”, &  “June Gloom”. Thanks for sharing the updated photo. . 

[cisco]

Now we are waiting for rain. 

[Bazza]

Working with my Archies today.

I had re-planted an island between two of my driveways....removed two large Queens and replanted with three double trunk Picabeens. This was a couple weeks ago. Then I noticed on two of these Picabeens.....one of the trunks was getting that shriveled diseased look/feel along with some frond browning.

Drat!

So today I swapped those out for two identical double trunk Picabeens I had planted elsewhere on my property.

Tomorrow I will divide the two (sick) double trunk Picts and replant the healthy twin as a single.

I had two single Alexanders in pots that I planted where I removed the healthy Pics. Now I have a 'grove' of 5 singles there.

In all I now have 7 Picts and 6 Alexanders in the ground, with a Tuckeri and a Puperea in pots waiting their turn.

Edited March 14, 2021 by Bazza

[James B]

There you go.

[Bazza]

Was able to harvest some fruit from this one today. It's so pretty on the tree I hated to remove it! Belongs to another resident here, who graciously granted me permission to take the fruit. None of mine are bearing any fruit yet.

Also, I was browsing through the palm section of my Florida Landscape Plants by Watkins & Sheehan book and the common name they gave it is Alexadra Palm - not Alexander.

[philinsydney]

I've even seen "King Alexander palm" suggested.

We usually call A. cunninghamiana "bangalow palm"  over here, but Queenslanders sometimes call it "piccabeen palm" apparently.

[chad2468emr]

On 12/26/2019 at 1:50 PM, PalmatierMeg said:

Archonotophoenix alexandrae

 

@PalmatierMeg - take a look at a few of the seedlings you sent me last fall! They’ve quadrupled in size and a few had to be potted up. They had the teeniest little forked leaves when I got them and I’m hopeful they’ll look like yours before I know it!  

I just adore this genus. Achontos are one of my absolute favs and I really enjoyed reading through this thread. I somehow didn’t know beatricea was a thing, but after looking at these photos, it’s definitely on my list! I’m beyond jealous of you Californians that can find these things for sale everywhere because it is slim pickins in Florida. You’re lucky to find a cunninghamiana let alone a cultivar of alexandrae down here. 

My alexandrae double in a 25g pot: 

Small purpurea that I sunburnt to hell and back when I got it last summer, but it’s recovering quickly. Can’t wait to start seeing some purple! 

Another small alexandrae

Maxima

Small cunninghamiana triple. All three are putting out their first actual “fronds” with more than a forked leaf, and it’s making it look weird and messy right now, since they clash with the forked leaves, but I’m eager to see how it fills out after they all open fully and grow in. 

[chad2468emr]

On 12/31/2019 at 6:39 PM, Oviedo_z10b_lol said:

I agree. But the nursery in my little suburb. . . Well. . . There is only one way to put this. And it is an illustration. They carry piccabeen palms for $200 at 15g. So you see our quandary. 

I know just the nursery you speak of, haha. Last time I was there, they had the most stunted, under fertilized cunninghamianas with crowns 1/2 the size of what they should be, and yup, the prices were bonkers. I love browsing that place, but you can only see so many beccariophoenix and mule palms and others sold for 3x their worth before you get frustrated haha. 

Other than them, MB palms is the only place I’ve seen any archontos for sale in central FL on the regular, but I did manage to stumble across a 15g alexandrae double for sale at uncle jutty’s nursery in Lake Nona. It was mislabeled as an adonidia, but I bought it for $80 haha. 

[chad2468emr]

Boot came off my small purpurea and it looks like it’s finally starting to show some color! I’m very excited! 
 

[philinsydney]

Mine is the first one, then some others from the neighborhood.

[sonoranfans]

I have a small purpurea triple in pretty deep shade, little direct sun.   

[BayAndroid]

Wow that color really shows through in the shady conditions. Love it! 

 

[Bazza]

Spring is here and my Bangalows are sending up very impressive spears!  Reminds me of Space-X rockets!

Edited April 15, 2021 by Bazza

[ruskinPalms]

Here in my A. Cunninghamiana this evening. Did well this winter. This is one of my favorite palms in my yard. Very graceful in the wind. 

[Frond-friend42]

Big ol' spear. These almost died of sunburn but the sure have made a comeback. Double spears on the right.

[lzorrito]

4 hours ago, Frond-friend42 said:

Big ol' spear. These almost died of sunburn but the sure have made a comeback. Double spears on the right.

I remember that, they recovered well. The one on the left has one of the leaves that looks fused ... funny. Are the leaflets still separating or are they really merged?

[NickJames]

18 hours ago, ruskinPalms said:

Here in my A. Cunninghamiana this evening. Did well this winter. This is one of my favorite palms in my yard. Very graceful in the wind. 

How much sun does it get?

[Frond-friend42]

1 minute ago, lzorrito said:

I remember that, they recovered well. The one on the left has one of the leaves that looks fused ... funny. Are the leaflets still separating or are they really merged?

Fused tips. Like my butia with big ol' "windows".

[lzorrito]

1 minute ago, Frond-friend42 said:

Fused tips. Like my butia with big ol' "windows".

Very interesting. One of my H. forsteriana tends to do this, but I have never seen it in other genus. Can you post a detailed photo of the Archontophonix leaf?

[Frond-friend42]

A lot of mine do this...maybe the dry Utah air...caryota seedling (there is a humidifier running nearby and the archie spot is at 75%)....and here's archie leaf,-

3 hours ago, lzorrito said:

Very interesting. One of my H. forsteriana tends to do this, but I have never seen it in other genus. Can you post a detailed photo of the Archontophonix leaf?

...

[PalmTreeDude]

On 4/2/2021 at 10:09 PM, philinsydney said:

Mine is the first one, then some others from the neighborhood.

Those are some cool views! 

[ruskinPalms]

4 hours ago, NickJames said:

How much sun does it get?

It gets pretty much full sun most of the day all year long. It does get some sunburn if it is hot and dry for an extended period. I really don’t water it enough. I think it would grow better if it got more water. It I supposed to rain for a couple days here soon though so that should help. 

[thallo]

Here’s mine shot from second story of my home.
 

From the bottom: Howea forsteriana, Hedyscepe canterburyana, and Archontophoenix cunninghamiana (hard to tell but it’s a triple trunk planting)

[Palms Brisbane]

On 4/4/2021 at 1:31 AM, sonoranfans said:

I have a small purpurea triple in pretty deep shade, little direct sun.   

So cute purpurea how old?

[sonoranfans]

those palms are a long story, I have had them 8 years since bare rooted in a container as strap leaves, but I never fed or mulched them as I was concerned about irrigation pipes in the ground and I had no shade for them.  6 years ago I put them in the ground ina  smallish hole, it was clay with some sand with minimal ammendment.   they used to hate the sun even in that spot, get sun bleached, yellowish and minimal purple, and grew very slowly.   Three years ago my irrigation failed nearby and I had to dig the whole area out and used that opportunity to ammend around them and now I mulch and feed them.  Each year they grow faster now.   I now have a number of palms up and over them: within 15' are (1) 35'royal, a double solitary trunk dypsis pembana at 25', and (2) 25'+ kentiopsis and another 14' kentiopsis and 14' satakentia(within 4').   This location is also SW corner of the house so protected from summer late day sun.   The rule of experience here from those more experienced than I is that these palms will not get that nice purple color in florida sun, it gets mostly bleached out.  I have no doubt stunted them by planting them in that spot but my yard had no space for them and they are very sensitive to sun at the seedling stage.  My understanding is that these palms often dont turn out well in my area, but I didnt know that when I bought them.  Now I guess we will see what happens when they grow up into the part day direct sun when they get up over the roof.

11 hours ago, Palms Brisbane said:

So cute purpurea how old?

 

[Palms Brisbane]

Thanks for the details.
I think they look like miniature purpurea. Would like if they stayed like that, sometimes palms just get too tall to appreciate the crownshafts.

These are my purpurea about 2 years old now.

 

[philinsydney]

They look more "exotic" or "tropical" if you can get 'em near water.

[petiole10]

A juvenile Archontophoenix Cunninghamiana in pot under the porch at my Portuguese home

Archontophoenix Alexandrae seedling planted recently in garden

 

[Cade]

Seed grown Archontophoenix purpurea growing here in Houston TX 9B part of town 

[The Palm Nut]

Love the red berries