Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

Howea belmoreana - how long for seeds to mature


Tracy

Recommended Posts

I've grown both Howea species for a while but never tried collecting any of the seeds to germinate them.  Since the Howea forsteriana are pretty commonly available where I live, the only one of interest might be the Howea belmoreana seeds.  My belmoreana is holding several inflorescence and one of the oldest has some large green seeds.  Any thoughts on timeline?  I recall someone saying that the Lord Howe Island palms seeds in general take a long time to mature on the plant, but maybe I was confused and that was germination time?

20220405-BH3I7310.jpg

20220405-BH3I7311.jpg

  • Like 4

33.0782 North -117.305 West  at 72 feet elevation

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Tracy said:

 

20220405-BH3I7311.jpg

Tracy, I have no input on the germinating of Belmoreana seeds but I’m surprised how small a stature your tree has begun to seed. I assume the tree is very old just not grown so vertical in its life. 
 

-dale

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine took years like the other Howea, 2 or 3 from memory.

  • Like 2

Cheers Steve

It is not dead, it is just senescence.

   

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They can take up to 4 years to ripen and up to 3 years to germinate. They’re in no hurry. 

  • Like 1

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Tyrone, have you seen these turn reddish/brown from the green when they are ripe?

Survived Feb. 9, 1971 & Jan. 17, 1994 earthquakes   Before Palms, there was a special airplane

619382403_F-117landingsmallest.jpg.0441eed7518a280494a59fcdaf23756d.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, TheMadScientist said:

@Tyrone, have you seen these turn reddish/brown from the green when they are ripe?

Yes, to be ripe they’ve got to at least be going yellow orange first. A green seed won’t germinate. A red seed will of course. The outer husk needs to break down over time and kind of compost down before they germinate. That can take 6-12 months. Then it just falls off. It is almost impossible to remove the husk from a seed just picked. 

  • Like 2

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The owner of a Howea production nursery in NSW once told me that he obtains better germination with seed that is yellow, just before the transition to the full reddish-maroon.

As Tyrone stated, it is too difficult to remove the husk, and this nursery doesn't bother to do so either.  

San Francisco, California

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a juvenile belmoreana but many adult fostorianas.  I think thy're similar.  The seeds take a while to ripe but they germinate easily on the ground and it does not take long either.  Haha... I just leave the seeds fall to the ground and the will sprout.

20220407_080745.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/5/2022 at 9:40 PM, Billeb said:

Tracy, I have no input on the germinating of Belmoreana seeds but I’m surprised how small a stature your tree has begun to seed. I assume the tree is very old just not grown so vertical in its life. 

My experience in this climate zone is that the ring spacing is much tighter with H belmoreana versus H forsteriana.  With the long upright petioles, you can see the plants overall height is significant, even though ringed trunk is only about 30'.  3 of 4 I have grown have started putting out flower spathes at about the same growth point, so it seems pretty typical.

20220410-BH3I7338.jpg

20220410-BH3I7342.jpg

  • Like 3

33.0782 North -117.305 West  at 72 feet elevation

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Tracy said:

 

20220410-BH3I7338.jpg

20220410-BH3I7342.jpg

Noted. Your previous pictures are deceiving. As you said, much different between the Forsteriana and Belmoreana as far as height. I have both and like the look of Belmoreana better. Yours looks great!! 
 

-dale

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...