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Hi I have this phoenix growing but am unsure as to the species. Have a look and see if you can identify it for me. cheers

Hi Just wanted to show some gingers I grow here in Holland....Gingers are my favourite...

I undertook a short early morning trip to the Calcutta Botanical Gardens today, this having been on my agenda for the last few years, and been put off repeatedly due to the distance. I was interested because (1) I wanted to see the legendery great banyan and (2) I had heard there were a few interesting palms including one of my favourites - the talipot. I managed to spend three hours there today, covering a small portion of the area, but nonetheless captured some interesting sights. The photography is sub standard as the dense overhead canopy allows very little light to come through and creates too many bright spots where it does. Licuala Grandis R. madagascarensis Archontophoenix

Jonathon There is no real problem with Hedychium dying back after a light freeze as they flower on new seasons growth the next spring/summer. Different story though with Alpinia as they flower on the previous seasons growth and need to retain foliage during winter. Probably the most cold tolerant is Alpinia japonica. There is an excellent book "Hardy Gingers" by T.M.E. Branney

If I have my way, auctioning will not take place here. As someone who has participated in hundreds of eBay auctions, both as a buyer and seller, I can assure you there are many contingencies that we could not accommodate here - from buyers not following through with their offers, to a flurry of bids at the last minute/second that some of those in remote time zones could not negotiate, and that the server may not handle expeditiously. I could suggest though, that if someone is an IPS Member, we could allow a link to the auction. That way the seller would get all the exposure PalmTalk offers (plus everything eBay can offer), and all the contingencies and logistics would be taken care of. Of course, someone would need to assure that those who are posting any links are in fact IPS members. But other than that, I don't see any problems. In fact, we could demand a link or reference back to PalmTalk and a mention of the IPS (if allowed) in the auctions to get more exposure to both from those visiting eBay. PiousPalms (Bill), who helps with the Moderating of the Palm Exchange would need to chime in, as he would be one of those doing any extra work. But those are my feelings. I am willing to bring it up with the PT committee if there is enough interest.

Auctions need to be prohibitid in this forum! Buyers need also be wary of those who refuse to show photos and reveal their location. If you make a deal, stick to it or go away!

Vincent, The plant you offered for sale should have gone to Bill Sanford!!! You offered the plant for a set price. Then you cheated Bill out of a great price for the plant you were selling! You did not honor the contract you offered! You offered the first one to come up with a commitment to buy gets the plant. Bill was the first! You got greedy and dishonered yourself by not selling the plant the way you represented it for sale! My two cents RANDY

A robust looking livistona, Gigantic clump of pandanus baptistii (recently ID-ed for me) A shot of the canna nursery And we leave the premises as sunlight continues to trickle through

Lastly, I don't recognize this large tree but it produces equally large fruit Upright form of the mast tree (Polyalthia longifolia)- This is not seen as much as the more popular drooping variety but is a hundred times more robust as this image shows Regenerative spouting of teak from a fallen tree

Zooming out Another specimen, slightly smaller and more ill-treated

Close up of leaf with my left hand for scale More photos of the leaves Classic costapalmate design (Some artistic insect has carved out very symmetrical pieces from this particular leaf)

The Talipots Part II I finally found a small group of the larger talipots, though species I am not sure. This one below has a seedling spouting from one side, or is it a sucker ? Close up of the base Further close up - Notice the teeth

The Talipots - Part I This talipot seems to be rather smaller than usual, though it still has the characteristic giant petiole Close up of crown Seedling of the same

This palm was not accessable; The crown resembles a shuttlecock-like royal but can it be Raffia ? (Note caryota gigas to the right for comparison)

The official history of the great banyan More photos of the above

The Great Banyan

A clump of ptychosperma? engulfed with lianas Phoenix rupicola with a typical 'flat' top Large white barked eucalyptus clump

Giant water lily (Victoria) Two very very tall livistonas

Adonidia merilli, green form A juvenile talipot struggles to clear its protective barrier while in the background there is a palm that resembles dictyosperma album Close up of the latter This one is labelled as Bentickia nicobarica but the leaves look a bit too pinnate

Classic Caryota urens with narrow cylindrical crown Close up of the ivory coloured stem Large Teak (Tectona)

Very old Cycas circinalis flushing Giant sized tamarind trees, covered liberally with ephiphytes

Nice camera work Terry and a nice camera too!! My phone had average pic capability but because i keep it in my pocket it now is blury. It's too bad, i had a nice pic and i can't enjoy it! Here is the last pic and will be the last pic due to a scratched up lens. Cocoa Beach Florida.

This is a hybrid Zingiber , cannot tell the difference between Amber & Champagne . they are all very early flowering like the parent macradenium . spectabile [NOT spectabilis like most say] is later flowering pictured here still small compared to the more coloured hybrid here is a batch of flowers picked from plantings of a batch of hybrid seedlings at 'The Good Doctors' property further up the road in Whyanbeel . Many Zingibers can be prone to virus rot problems in wet winters . A whole 100m row died one year , and many of these hybrids died another year .

The newspaper reporter apparently thinks palm trees are berry, berry bad.

phoenix rupicola ?

Crazy tree! It looks nice for a double though, sometimes they look weird. -Krishna

another angle

Etlingera Darwin Hybrid or it could be Evitas Rose Costus productus cv. Maroon chalice , this has great stems as well . Costus villosissimus , or better still Porcupine ginger. Zingiber newmanii , Red frog Ginger . Afraid to admit i might have nearly as many gingers as I do palms

and some more