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Thanks Peter. Good luck with yours too! Jason, they are huge palms. The photo below is a young Corypha growing here in Costa Rica. Moose, I danced a happy jig when I saw they had germinated. Is that was Bill is doing? Why is he always in strange positions in every photo I see? tropicbreeze, thanks for the heads up! I will be very careful when potting them up.

2008 IPS Biennial - Costa Rica Prologue After my first biennial in the Dominican Republic two years ago, I thought to how I could out-do myself in regards to photography on this biennial in Costa Rica. I figured right off that I would simply take more photos, which I did (by a lot). In the DR, I finished with 1271 photos after editing. It was a record for me at that time for a single event, however short lived. In Costa Rica, my camera never saw rest, as many of you know. As the addiction is total, I saw the possibility for a good shot fairly often and went for it whenever I could. The shutter began clicking from the point I got to the Ft. Lauderdale airport to when the sun went down on the flight back home. I left Costa Rica with incredible memories, experiences never to be repeated and 3740 photos. It was a record-breaking achievement for me as I do not know if I could do that again. Brazil? Perhaps. The first thing I must do after shooting photos is edit them. It can sometimes (mostly) create a delay in posting, showing, exhibiting as editing must be done as a whole and as soon as possible. With this many photos, it consumed some time and caffeine. One thing the biennial veterans can never fully explain to you is how addictive these jaunts into foreign countries can be. I immediately noticed the differences between my first and second biennials as soon as I got to the welcome reception. The first thing that hit me was the familiar faces I knew so well. When you meet so many interesting people who are extreme palm fanatics at a biennial, you can’t wait to see them again. The nineteen months between biennials flew by thanks to the Forum. When you “see” people on the Forum day in and day out you get a sense of familiarity with them. You begin to memorize their names, where they are from, what their favorite species might be and what their collections are like. When you are fortunate enough to meet them for the first time at a biennial, you get to put this acquired knowledge to use in spectacular fashion. The passage of time at this biennial seemed to take place at a more relaxed pace than in the Dominican Republic. This was the second thing I noticed. It might have been just me as it was my second one. I think everyone will have their own opinion on that. The other differences will come to light as I begin the topic proper and include them as I post. I will be posting photos in chronological order, and will try to include as many details as I can. This will hopefully limit the amount of pm’s and emails I get with follow up questions but if you have a question I have not answered feel free to fire off a message. The Prologue will continue with a few photos from each day of the biennial, just to give a sample of what is to come: Day 1... - 6:55PM: The Welcome Reception offers the first chance to see old friends and meet new ones. This was a few minutes before dinner was served. There were about 140 attendees at the reception with another 40 or so that were arriving on later flights. - 7:05PM: Let there be food, and lots of it. Attendee Leu Burger gets his plate filled while Dr. Scott Zona eyes up the desserts. Ryan

I went outside not long after sunup today and saw one of my Echinopsis (I think) had opened a white flower as big as my hand. Knowing these delicate beauties wilt within hours of opening at night, I grabbed my Samsung and took photos. My Ravenea xero tried to hog the stage. Some of my other cacti are blooming too. Echinopsis flower and Ravenea Flower closeup Pink and purple cactus flowers Closeup of purple flowers Cactus with with one pink flower Closeup Rebutia with tiny pink flower I have two Melocactus that bloom and fruit year-round. We call the fruit "pink chilis". Melocactus #1 with pink chilis Melocactus #2

Hi all Sorry ive been away for a wile I’m back for a week or so before my next trip and i have not had much of a chance to look at the board at all! Too much work!! So I have a few hours today I see if I can answer some of the questions on some of the different topics. But first I did promised Kris that I would list some photos of Corypha macropoda which were sent to me from India of all places, which could be the Corypha that Kris could not ID or get any photos of (I hope so anyway) So here they are! It is very similar to C.umbraculifera but looks to have more of a bluish leafs. I do hope you like them. Clayton.

Back in the Fall of 2008 I received a small packet of seeds from Kris labeled C. macropoda. I originally tried to germinate them by using a plastic container with the seeds sitting in moistened coco fiber. The seeds remained in the container for over a year with no signs of germination. After a year I was ready to toss them but at the last minute I decided to stick them in this one gallon pot which I left outside and promptly forgot about. Today I cleaned out all the leaves that had accumulated inside the pot and found two seeds germinating! A year and a half from the time I received them. Thanks Kris!!! This is very exciting!

What is the general opinion? Is this C. macropoda the same as C. utan????????????? Wai`anae Steve

any leads on Dypsis mananjarensis in the san diego area ? looking for a 24 " box size thanks !

I have been trying to get the PSSC (Palm Society of So. California) and HIPS (Hawaii Island Palm Society) to explore the interest and possibility of putting together a "Mini-Bennial" of sorts for PSSC Members to come on a palm tour to the Big Island. Since many PSSC members are close friends among themselves, and with many of us here on the Big Island, it could be an enjoyable and educational event. And it's such a relatively short and simple flight from SoCal. It would be professionally managed and take the shape of the following: - Seven days, six nights on the Big Island. Three nights on the Hilo side, and three nights on the Kona side. Approx. $1500 for "land arrangements," not including airfare. - It would include tours of 8-12 spectacular gardens, one night of a palm presentation by a world class speaker, a possible luau night, and one free day on each side for a get together with chosen friends for a day of a volcano tour, hiking, diving, fishing, palm shopping (a few growers will ship), etc. - or just hanging with one of the many ex-California friends over here. There are a thousand "touristy" things to do here, enough to cover any conceivable tastes. - Once here, a couple of days on another island before or after could be reasonably had for additional fun and adventure. - It would probably need 2 dozen participants to make it feasible, and be limited to perhaps 3 dozen. It would be a much smaller and more laid back edition of the wildly successful IPS Biennial. And it would be held on the off year, so as not to interfere with the IPS Biennial. So that means about a year or so from today. - And it might not necessarily be exclusively for PSSC Members if someone else from the Mainland wished to attend. All of the finer details would be forthcoming provided there is any interest. So, does anyone else think this would be a blast? It could even be held during the colder months in California, to give everyone a break from the long cold nights. The Aloha Spirit is alive and well, and eager to be shared.

Jeff, methinks you like the genus Corypha

It is growing extra fast now, I'd say it was 6 meters tall

I agree with Daryl. This is my Livistona mariae.

So, forget the box and all the gift wrap paper, what exactly will $2500 get you? A 5',6',8' tall palm?

$2,500? for that kinda dough, i'd buy a REALLY nice nubimontanus.

gary, what about prices on smaller sizes ? Rob Start at $100 and it goes up to the point the owner will sell. (Most likely Ron Lawyer)

to tell you the truth I have (1) palm - a triangle dypsis that I am thinking of pulling out and replacing with a mealy bug. after that - I just dont have anymore room unless I spend $$$$ on major dirt work. so this may really be it for me !

I knew you were'nt done planting. 5yrs? you did'nt even make it 5 months.

Jeff - you must feel like... or the California way.

gary, what about prices on smaller sizes ? Rob

24 inch box in San Diego?, $2500.00.

Try Ron Lawyer (neoflora). He's the only one I know of in SD that has big ones. Bring your wallet, their not cheap!

For those of you not attending the Costa Rica Biennial, so not understanding my reference to BS Bill, here's just a little bit of the fun to be had around the spa.

And, as we say here on the mainland: Make the price a bit more prominent . . . .

As your elected official, I must ask that you refrain from asking intelligent questions that make decision makers look stupid.

Here is a picture of number 4 and 5 about 90 days now since I put them in the baggie. Once again I would like to Thank Kris for sending me the seeds.

I still have a number of Kris' Corypha seeds from last year. Does anyone have a clue as to how long they remain viable? I've only managed to germinate one so far, but I'm not giving up on the rest yet.

Kris, Of the seeds you sent me there are 4 seedlings. They appear to be doing ok. I have a place for them on my land and hope to see them in the ground some day. These pictures I took last week. dk

Hello! Thal you for the great fotos, Kris! WOW!!!!!!!! Simona sent me a few seeds in November 08 (thank you Simona and Kris ) - and now I have two little palms I hope they will grow well and be happy here

Says "Hi Kris!":

Hi Kris, Here's my Baby:

Robert - I am planning to go to Brazil as well. If the post Biennel rumors are true, that would be a don't miss opportunity. Hope to see you there!

Hello, First of all, I would like to thank Kris again, for the Corypha macropoda seeds he so generously sent me in September. This is a pic of them then: As I've received one of those zip lock bags shown by Kris above, I just had to add some substrate on 25th Sept and kept them for 2 months without additional heat. Since beginning of December, I'm keeping the zip bag heated (say from 20 - 30 Celsius) and 3 of those seeds germinated these days: So, it's a 3 months germination period for my first 3 seeds....

anything else you want man ? want me to run down and scrape up some fresh roadkill for ya or what ?

2008 IPS Biennial - Costa Rica Day 02: Sunday, May 4th Hilton Doubletree Cariari Hotel -> Marco & Gerardo Herrero's Farms Bus #4 (part of it) - 8:35AM: We began to see features of a large tree farm and we knew we were getting close. This was one of the last views of the countryside before we became enclosed with endless rows of palms and tropical plants. - 8:44AM: The road turned to rough gravel and we began to move along at a snail's pace. Palms of many different species began to swipe the minibus with their fronds. One of the first to get attention, was this Foxy lady, or Veitchia X Foxtail Hybrid, Veitchia sp. (arecina) X Wodyetia bifurcata. It was first spotted and ID'd by Bill Sanford (BS Man about Palms) in a split second. Marco Herrero Farm Group 2: Bus #3 & Bus #4 - 8:47AM: To help alleviate overcrowding in one spot, the groups were divided between the two farms. Those of us in Group 2 visited Marco's palm paradise first while Group 1, Buses #1 & #2 went to his brother Gerardo's place. After about two hours we switched. - The plants at either tree farm consisted of mostly palms, tropical flowering trees, bamboo, a few cycads, and many other members of various tropical plant families. While the majority was grown straight in the field, there were areas of containerized material. These potted plants were either grown in shade houses or under canopy, like this Syagrus coronata. Ryan

2008 IPS Biennial - Costa Rica Day 02: Sunday, May 4th Hilton Doubletree Cariari Hotel -> Marco & Gerardo Herrero's Farms Bus #4 (part of it) - 8:15AM: The standard tour activity of check and re-check took place then each bus pulled out and began to head west. As we drove along, we were given a partial weather forecast. Basically, we were told it could rain at any time so be prepared. - 8:21AM: We were making good time as it was early on a Sunday morning and there was little or no traffic. - 8:32AM: A local set of fine dining establishments. - 8:34AM: Visiting day at the local prison. With the heavy pedestrian traffic we had to slow down to avoid hitting anyone. This gave us a longer than usual look at the Costa Rican penal system. Visitors get in line holding food, etc. to give to relatives who are otherwise detained. Compared to its neighboring countries, Costa Rica has a fairly low crime rate. They do have the usual problems of drug trafficking and crime against tourists, but the line on the graph has been pointing downward in the past few years. Ryan

2008 IPS Biennial - Costa Rica Day 02: Sunday, May 4th Hilton Doubletree Cariari Hotel - 7:47AM: The hotel did a great job of working with Costa Rican Tours (CRT) by keeping all the attendees on schedule and making everyone feel comfortable. I did not hear a single complaint about the hotel during the biennial. There was an instance involving a certain room safe belonging to Bus #4 alumni Judy Kay, but that is a different story. The hotel worked fast to remedy the situation and it was eventually resolved in a 'direct' way and has since become part of biennial lore. As the attendees gather in the lobby, they also spoke with a few members of the IPS Board of Directors who were leaving on this day, as they were unable to attend the remainder of the biennial. - 7:50AM: The signal was given by CRT to begin, so everyone grabbed their bags, backpacks and gear and made their way to the buses. Everyone on Bus #4 had a quick decision to make as to which mini-bus to get on, as we were going to be separated for the day. Many of us on Bus #4, who were looking forward to being together, thought it was slightly ironic. - 7:54AM: CRT Guide Mario welcomed all of us aboard and answered the wave of questions that were about to head his way. He took roll call and began to learn our names, real or otherwise. He said there was a problem with the original Bus #4, and that it would be here tomorrow. - The mini-bus wasn't what we had in mind, but we delt with it the best we could. It was a little cramped in my opinion, since I had the nice seat above the wheel well. Ryan

2008 IPS Biennial - Costa Rica Day 02: Sunday, May 4th: Hilton Doubletree Cariari Hotel - 7:32AM: The hotel had an interesting array of plant species that were incorporated into the landscape. This one banana, which I think is Musa ornata, was in full bloom and fruit at the same time. I do not know banana species that well so if anyone knows of this one's true identity, please let me know. - 7:37AM: A portrait of one set of leaf bases belonging to the larger Red Sealing Wax Palm, Cyrtostachys renda that was shown earlier. I could not help myself, as these palms do not flourish as well in my home environment. - It was almost time for attendees to board their corresponding bus and head out for the day. The smaller shuttle-type buses in front caught our attention and it turned out they were going to be "Bus #4" for the day. - 7:47AM: The lobby of the Hilton Cariari Hotel was often the first and last gathering spot for attendees for each day of the biennial. Since both groups were leaving at the same time on this day, we had the opportunity to greet and see everyone again, including those attendees who arrived late during the night before. Ryan

2008 IPS Biennial - Costa Rica Day 02: Sunday, May 4th: Introduction Hilton Doubletree Cariari Hotel In the first moment of my second day in Costa Rica, one thing became instantly apparent to me. The sun rises very early in this Central American paradise. It was not yet a full half hour past Five AM in the morning when the sun decided to beat my alarm clock to the punch and wake me up. I was still owed two hours by something or someone. I figured if anything I can at least make it to breakfast before the mob hits the buffet. Today was going to be the only day of the biennial where all the attendees will share a similar schedule. Both Groups, 1 & 2, will be heading west to visit the lush tree farms belonging to Marko and Gerardo Herrero followed by a stop at the immersive INBIOparque. - 6:32AM: Yes, the time is correct on this photo. The days in Costa Rica began early and got lit fast. This was my first trip through the hotel's very nice breakfast buffet and I have to say they had something for everyone. On the left, Greek attendee Athanassios Kitsadas eyes some of the watermelon that Felix Montes [Mexico] is helping himself to; while Anders Lindstrom [Thailand] walks past with a full plate. Past-President of the IPS and Forum member Paul Craft (Licuala) is next in line with his wife Patti followed by members of the Louisiana delegation, Cynthia [obscured] & Joe Baucum. - 7:29AM: As a long time favorite of mine, the Red Sealing Wax Palm (Cyrtostachys renda) can not be ignored for long without demanding some attention, even if it is not a native. This specimen, with another planted not far away, were two of the hotel garden's focal points as you walked around the grounds. - 7:30PM: The buses had arrived and were ready for action. This is Bus #3, the transportation for the first half of Group 2 with the front part of Bus #2 in behind it. - Bus #1 was filled with a varied cast of characters and could have easily earned a title or two, but I didn't hear much in the way of reputations being made or broken on that vehicle. Not like with Bus #4, however. Ryan

2008 IPS Biennial - Costa Rica Day 01: Saturday, May 3rd: Conclusion Hilton Doubletree Cariari Hotel - 9:55PM: An hour has passed since the end of the Welcome Reception. There were still attendees gathered around the bar area not far from the dining room. There was one very important moment that was still to come and I knew it would be worth the wait. Checking in at the CRT desk, is Forum member and ranch hand recruiter Bill Sanford (BS Man about Palms). After listening to Jeff Searle's great stories about his trip to California, I had to wait around to meet "the BS Man" for the first time. He was one of the last Bus #4 alumni to arrive for the biennial, sans luggage. His trip to Costa Rica was a true journey. While in one airport connecting flights the airline misplaced his luggage. They said they would get it to him by tomorrow, sometime. - 10:25PM: The first person to greet and show Bill around was Jeff Searle, of course. He guided Bill around the hotel restaurant and bar area and introduced him to everyone, including the new IPS President and fellow FM. Bo-Göran Lundkvist (bgl). - 10:38PM: The last image from Saturday shows attendees making the most of every moment the biennial has to offer. There was simply not enough time to talk with everyone you would want to, so it is imperative you absorb every conversation. I was beginning to feel the day's content of traveling along with the minor time difference, (it felt like 12:38AM to us newly arrived Floridians), so I knew I couldn't last as long as the already localized attendees. Bill and Jeff strike up multiple conversations with FMs. Kathryn Ostadal (Kathryn) [obscured], Craig Morgan (el Gato Grande) in the center, FM. Darold Petty (Darold Petty) is next to him, with Forum co-Moderator Angela Blakely (putu enjula) and Forum Moderator & Administrator Dean Ouer (Dypsisdean) [PALM MOD] towards the right. ...The first day of the Biennial is over, but tomorrow we will leave the hotel and venture into the Costa Rican countryside... Day 02 is next... Ryan

2008 IPS Biennial - Costa Rica Day 01: Saturday, May 3rd Hilton Doubletree Cariari Hotel - 8:43PM: As Larry approached the stage, Leland went into detail about the origin of this inscribed piece of limestone. He did a quick retelling of how Larry injured his hand during the 2006 Biennial in the Dominican Republic. For being injured in the line of duty during the biennial, Larry was given the 2006 Biennial Tough Guy Award. Not only did he slice open his hand on this very rock, which was salvaged by Ron Kiefert, but he kept his composure and was still able to perform his duty as the official palm biologist of the Green Bus. - 8:45PM: Everyone wanted a photo of Larry holding his new award, and I was no different. He was truly surprised and very happy to get it. It shed some light and a little humor on a once painful moment. - 8:46PM: The Welcome Reception had concluded with the award ceremony and all the attendees began to part ways for the evening. Many went straight to their rooms while others continued to mingle about the dining room and the bar outside. - 8:55PM: Dr. Emilio Martinez had to congratulate Larry on his new found fame. The two of them were both astonished by the surprise. Emilio thought it was only natural for Larry to hold up his hand to show how well the injury had healed. Ryan

Hi All I’m glad you like the photos, thank you. Kris Wow what can I say….. Looks like you are now one of the heavy weights of the forum with 4793 listings GREAT to see!!!! Yes I do think your palm is this one (Corypha macropoda) and boy it has really grown fast from the time you first listed the photos of this one!! Your growing it very well, I think you could grow just about anything on that rooftop of yours, its going to be a real jungle on day! What do the people next door think are they now starting to appreciate your plants (PALMS) as well? Or do they just think that you are a little crazy? The reason I ask is we are setting up a Tissue culture lab over there at the moment but it is very hard to get people to appreciate some of these fantastic different plants, there does not even seem to be any Gardening magazines that promote new or old plants let alone palms maybe with more gardens like yours it will soon become more popular to have a nice garden like yours. Ps Kris in another 6 months I think the way your one is growing it will look like this… All the best Clayton.

The flower, and the End!!

The leaf.

Another.

one more

A few more photos.