I planted this small Actinokentia divaricata out last year. It is currently opening a new leaf and has nice red coloring.

Eric,

Our palms must be long lost twins. Mine is about the same size and is pushing much the same frond this week as well. VERY SLOW.

Very nice color. I'm still waiting for mine to through a new red leaf. I thought this was my slowest growing palm, but it's pushing it's second spear since last December, so it's no longer the slowest, that honor belongs to my Kentiopsis magnifica.

Nice color. I had two that were doing great in 5 gallon containers and both of them died about 6 months ago for some crazy reason. I was totally surprised because I had them for over 3 years and they made it through a much rougher winter the year before.

Nice color. I had two that were doing great in 5 gallon containers and both of them died about 6 months ago for some crazy reason. I was totally surprised because I had them for over 3 years and they made it through a much rougher winter the year before.

Weird. I had two plants in 5 gallon containers that I've been growing for about 4 years. One died a couple months ago, and now the other one is down to the newest leaf, the other four leaves turned brown in less than a month...

Jean and Chantal Pierson from New Caledonia visited the Big Island just over a week ago. They were instrumental in planning the Biennial in New Caledonia in 2000, and Kentiopsis piersoniorum is of course named after them. They were amazed at how well all the New Caledonia palms do here, and ironically, they have great difficulties growing a number of them at their place close to Noumea. Many of the palms are from Mt. Panie and soil and rainfall is quite different in Noumea. As I mentioned in another Actinokentia thread recently, this palm is a reasonably fast and predictable grower here.

Eric,

I'm glad to see it doing well....so far. They are extreamly slow and really are fustrating to grow here in south Florida. I do have one in the ground(double head) at the nursery thats probably been planted now for 7-8 years, it's alive, but just dosen't grow much. I hope you have better luck up there.

Jeff

Nice color. I had two that were doing great in 5 gallon containers and both of them died about 6 months ago for some crazy reason. I was totally surprised because I had them for over 3 years and they made it through a much rougher winter the year before.

Water death I'd guess not temperature, either not enough or too much.

I really wonder how popular they would be but for that awesome photo on the PACSOA site.

I planted this small Actinokentia divaricata out last year. It is currently opening a new leaf and has nice red coloring.

Looking good Eric. Is that a home made sign? Looks good too.

S L O W

bUT WORTH THE GO

Seriously.

(Putting my hat on frontwards)

Give it, shade, water, Death Camp Clay Soil, and it'll, well, if not rock (like the crown on the dog) at least prosper.

dave

Nice plant Eric. Mine made it through 30F unscathed.

Looking good Eric. Is that a home made sign? Looks good too.

As I mentioned in the other thread, a great palm. Mine is heavily mulched & watered frequently. Yes it is slow but not as slow as everyone seems to be implying. I don,t expect mine to get as large as Bo's in my lifetime. I simply enjoy its existance as it is.

Ron.

Updates--I'm thinking of trying this one in my rainforest section... I might already have one(I bought a macrocarpa seedling almost 2 years ago and it opens 2 leaves a year and this last leaf has held it's color nearly a month)...

What a great palm Eric. Bit of a tounguetwister though!

Had to do it--got me a little one and planted her. She rewarded me by throwing a kinda red leaf.

Had to do it--got me a little one and planted her. She rewarded me by throwing a kinda red leaf.

They get redder as they get bigger.

wow, this post must have hitched a ride on an 88mph DeLorean

Very slow - still only one new frond per annum.

Hey, At least its still surviving. Is it still throwing a nice red leaf? Does it get any direct sun?

Iam also getting a new red leaf on mine ".Is it that time of the year" the palm allways looks good planted about 3 yrs ago and gets 1-2 new leaves a year. in filtered light on a drip heavy mulch. Very slow but a great palm for the understory.

Mine here at the nursery is now a good 6' tall and pushing a new, large spear in each head ( a single trunk that split into two heads). The spears are pointing to the skies and are at 8-9' at the tip. Of course when fully opened, the actual palm will only be a couple of inches higher. Anywho....it was planted in September, 1999 at 2' from a 3 gallon size pot. This was seed grown that was collected from a cultivated plant in Sharon Peterson's garden in Hawaii.

So basically, it has grown a good 4' plus in just under 15 years. I would call that pretty slow. But it has survived through the extreme lows of 30 degree weather here over the years.