Bill Austin garden tour, Hawaii Island, Jul 16

[mike in kurtistown 1,019]

I have some photos to offer from this tour last Saturday. Bill Austin's palm garden is several decades old, and will likely be available for visits during the IPS biennial in October. Readers will observe many umbrellas. This is because the time of the tour was right at the closest approach of Tropical Storm Darby to the southeast of Hawaii Island. Somehow I managed to take 33 photos, not all worth showing, while manipulating my umbrella and keeping my camera out of the rain. Some local palm buffs will see their images in photos, hard to avoid in a well-attended tour, so I apologize for that. (I just hope no one is wanted by the FBI.)

The best represented genus is Dypsis. Many of Bill's palms came from Floribunda, on the tour list of the biennial. Bill now collects and sprouts seeds of many of these species. First up is a pic showing Dypsis basilonga with Bill with his umbrella standing to the left.

Apparently, D. basilonga can also clump. Here is such a planting.

Another interesting Dypsis is D. malcomberi:

 

 

Here is another D. malcomberi shoing a more colorful crownshaft:

Here is the palm currently being sold as Dypsis ovobontsira:

Finally, I will conclude this session with Bill's big Tahina spectabilis. I will present more pictures later.

 

 

[mike in kurtistown 1,019]

Here is another batch of pictures from the Austin garden tour (last Saturday). To reiterate, Bill's garden will likely be an option for visits at the IPS biennial starting October 9.

First, here is Dypsis robusta. This species was formerly known only from cultivated specimens, but has now been found in the wild. (The dog was very friendly.)

And here is one of Bill's Dypsis hovomantsina.

Here, Bill stands in front of one of a group of Areca catechu variety "alba".

Here is one of one of Madagascar's rarities, Voanioala gerardii, the "forest coconut". Voanioala is a monotypic genus.

And a massive, flowering Lemurophoenix halleuxi. A Madagascar genus, Lemurophoenix has only two species, the other being L. leavis, represented by a specimen in the Floribunda garden.

Now, a New Caledonia species, Cyphophoenix alba (formerly known as Veillonia alba).

Finally, here is one of Bill's "holy grail" palms, Cyphosperma macrocarpa, also from New Caledonia, and formerly known as Lavoixia macrocarpa. Palmpedia describes this species as "one of the rarest palms in the world". Only a few of these palms are found in a very small area of a mountainous area of the main island.

I have enough good pics for another set, later.

 

[mike in kurtistown 1,019]

Here is another group of pictures from the Austin garden tour.

Staying in New Caledonia for awhile, Bill presnts Burretiokentia dumasii

Now, we migrate to Madagascar for a couple more Dypsis species. First is a pair of Dypsis fibrosa, one of the "Vonitra Group", some members of which have very "hairy" trunks:

Here is a group of Dypsis mirabilis. The palms shown here are clustering. Palms of Madagascar states that D. mirabilis is solitary, and cites similar-looking species D. paludosa and D. procera as clustering species. One published opinion is that D. paludosa and D. mirabilis are the same species, which has a variety of forms, including clustering and solitary forms, and also simple-leaf and pinnate-leaf forms.

Still on Madagascar, we view a pair of Ravenea species. Ravenea species are dioecious (it takes two to tango). First is a large species, Ravenea sambiranensis, spectacular with its large crown of arching leaves.

Next are a pair of massive Ravenea dransfieldii. Oops, I planted my little seedlings only eight feet apart and a similar distance from other palms.

Finally, Bill led us into his "jungle area". The trunks of the rainbow eucalyptus were a spectacular sight.

That's all folks!!

 

[Chris Chance 1,073]

So beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

[bubba 2,404]

What a spot! Thank you!

[realarch 6,429]

Thanks Mike!

Tim